frame and panel backed bookcase -- back attachment?

[Jon Toebbe]

I'm trying to work out a design for a small, solid wood bookcase for my daughter's bedroom. As you can see in the attached images, I'm thinking of using solid sides with the shelves dadoed into them, and a face frame to give the piece a decidedly Shaker look. I like the overall proportions (though suggestions are welcome), but am struggling with the back of the case.

I'm tempted to build a frame-and-panel "not face frame" as shown in the first image (never you mind the lack of panels, I'll draw them in later... ), and glue/nail it to the sides. Will this present any problems with wood movement down the road?

Speaking of wood movement, should I glue the shelves into their dados? Only for the first few inches from the front?

Thanks for any advice, critiques, and commentary you may have to offer!

[Greg Hawthorne]

Rather than a frame and panel back, I would use tongue and groove V jointed panelling, as in this example, and this type of back was often used in Shaker furniture. As regards gluing in the shelves, the wood movement should be complementary in the sides and the shelves, so gluing should not be a problem.

DSCF1797.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

Rather than a frame and panel back, I would use tongue and groove V jointed panelling......

Yep - or shiplap style - common in A+C furniture - I find the shiplap easier + quicker to machine and fit than T+G - but I don't have router table.

I built repro Stickley/Ellis bookcases this way - left appropriate spacing between the boards, and three screws in the [vertical] center of each board - one thru top into rabbet, one thru bottom into rabbet, and one into the [approx] center shelf.

Never had a lot of luck finishing ply of same species to match the solid wood. OTOH, that's overdriving my headlights a bit - fill it up with books, and you can't tell what in the heck the back looks like.

[Jon Toebbe]

Yeah, my original sketches had a ship-lapped back. I was considering running an upper and lower rail, rabbeting them, and nailing the shiplapped boards to that. But then it occurred to me that putting together the carcass would be a real hassle that way. Face frames are easy -- mortise and tenon the frame together, lay it on the carcass, glue and nail, done. A frame-and-panel back is an awful lot like a face frame in that respect. I had a brainwave in the shower this morning: run a shallow rabbet, say 1/8" or so, on the outside edges of the stiles... now the assembly is more or less self-aligning and planing down the extra stile width is easier, since there's a bit less to remove to flush it up.

Another reason I switched to frame-and-panel: the back won't be seen too often, so it's a pretty low-risk way to practice raising panels. The other, other reason: I just got a plow and skew rabbet plane. "When all you have is a hammer..."

[Jon Toebbe]

So here's the latest update...
bookcase4.png bookcase3.png
I realized that the shelves were just a whisker wider than the nominal 1x12 size. Those 1/8" rabbets on the face frame and back stiles slimmed things down just enough to use standard dimensional boards. That'll save me some gluing up.

Now for the really hard part: anyone know how to stain poplar so it looks like cherry?

[Kent A Bathurst]

........I just got a plow and skew rabbet plane..........

Well - hiding in the tall grass waiting for us to ride by, huh? Whyncha say so? F+P is clearly the only possible solution. Have fun.

[lowell holmes]

There is a string in the finishing forum for staining poplar to look like walnut. He gives the recipe for it. I think you should be able to alter it for cherry. Are you looking for new cherry or old cherry color?

[Jon Toebbe]

There is a string in the finishing forum for staining poplar to look like walnut. He gives the recipe for it. I think you should be able to alter it for cherry. Are you looking for new cherry or old cherry color?

I was halfway kidding since that's such a common "sow's ear to silk purse" kind of question... but now I'm definitely going to have to go check it out. For someone with cherry/walnut/mahogany tastes and poplar means that could be useful.

Now I've got to run, since my 4-year-old just came up and asked (direct quote): "Daddy, can I watch a woodworking movie with you? One with the guy with the yellow dog and who makes stuff?" (she's talking about Roy Underhill... talk about a shop elf in training).

[Frank Drew]

Now for the really hard part: anyone know how to stain poplar so it looks like cherry?

Jon,

Look like cherry? No, although some might disagree; IMO stained poplar won't look like actual cherry wood, but you can give it sort of a "cherry" color.

I like the frame and panel back idea and agree that if the frame is sufficiently rigid, it will add rigidity to the case itself.