Do you have a circular saw? You can do the dadoes in the sides with that by setting up a guide and taking multiple passes. Use a chisel to clean up the base afterward and it’ll be great. For relatable assembly, maybe go for those threaded inserts combined with hex bolts.
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Cake day: March 8th, 2025
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If you search for “knockdown bookshelf” you’ll find tons of options. But my preferred way would be:
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Vertical sides with a dado for each shelf. The top shelf should be set a few inches below the top of the side boards. Use the extra height on the sides for decoration.
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For the top and bottom shelves (and if you’re doing it tall, maybe also the middle shelf), in addition to the dadoes, make a pair of wide through mortises.
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The top and bottom shelves get extra long tenons to go through the mortises. They should stick out enough to put a tusk or wedge on the outside.
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Put all your shelves in, stick the wedges in the tenons, and enjoy your rock solid bookshelf.
Generally speaking, putting the full weight of a shelf onto any screws is a dangerous idea. Screws tend to fall immediately and completely, and that’ll take the whole shelf with it. If you prefer to go screws, still a good idea to add dadoes into your side pieces to hold the weight, and use the screws to hold the sides in place.
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More important than the screws is the furniture you’re building. Is it a bed? Table? Giant Victorian highboy with a bajillion drawers? The knock-down needs for all of those are different.
So uh… What are you making?
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