CONTEMPORARY

Shelves

This simple plywood unit

would look at home in a SoHo loft or suburban great

room. Special knockdown hardware makes it a snap to build.

It's rare that bookshelves look as interesting as the objects you display on them. After all, how much can you decorate the edges of your shelves and sides? This unit is unusual because the shelves and sides are beefier than you would normally see, and the two bevel cuts on the front edges give these shelves nice visual interest.

Best of all, perhaps, is that this piece is simple and quick to build.

Dividers and Shelves

Start by cutting out the sides and shelves. The 1¹/2"-thick sides are made by gluing two pieces of ³/4"-thick plywood together. The 1¹/4"-thick shelves are made by gluing ³/4"-thick plywood to a V2"-thick piece. Note that the finished sides have a ³/4" x V4" rabbet for the back that's formed by gluing a narrower piece to a wider one. The adjustable and fixed shelves in the side openings are all the same width. The center shelves are V4" wider to account for the lack of a back.

To cut the sides, crosscut a whole sheet of plywood to the length of the sides first, then rip them to width (11" and 11¹/4"). Cut the sides a little wide (^1/16"), initially, to give yourself a little room to saw off a square straight edge. This will give you a clean edge for attaching a piece of maple later. Now nail and glue the dividers together, remembering to offset the back edge for the rabbet. Place your nails so the shelves will hide them.

Here's an easy way to cut the shelves. Rip them to width from a

By Jim Stuard