Braincramp about bookcase back

[Brian Penning]

How do you make the rabbet recesses in the sides and/or the top for the back panel when there's no top going on a bookcase. The top would normally cover the exposed carcass rabbets.
In other words I'm making a square box with shelves going across.
Hope I explained it clearly enough.
TIA
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[Bill Huber]

I have only done one cabinet that I had to do it to but this is what I did, I am sure there is a better way to do it and will watch to see how to really do it.

I cut a rabbet on the side to fit the top and bottom and then cut the rabbets to hold the back. The end grain will never show unless you can see the top.
If you don't want the end grain to show then its really no problem just cut miters and then cut the rabbets.

This is a really short cabinet in the drawings but I think you can see what I did.

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[glenn bradley]

Bill's solution is quite elegant. I would do that. An alternative would be stopped rabbets or stopped dados.