Half Wall Bookcase
Back in the shop we started making our bookcase out of cabinet grade Birch plywood. Because this bookcase is sitting on top of a wall we had to design it with a thicker back panel to help keep it in place and stable.
We use the joint below to join the cabinet frame together. this joint provides strength, a hidden joint and ample surface area for glue.
Building the Face-frame
Using the story pole we laid out and made the face frame for the bookcase. The face frame is designed to drop down and overlap [hide] the top seam of the 1/2 wall.
This face frame is approximately 13′ long.
I used biscuit joints to join the face frame together.
For certain types of woodworking joints such as edge-to-edge joints, miter joints, T-joints and corner joints, biscuit joinery provides a fast, strong and accurate, joint. A special tool is used to cut the slots for the biscuits and is called a a biscuit joiner (or plate joiner).
Below is my biscuit joiner. Sitting on top of the bookcase vertical dividers ready for assembly.
Super Long Top
The top of the bookcase will have a shelf with an overhanging nosing and Scotia molding underneath. Below we are cluing the 3/4″ poplar nosing to the top shelf.