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Bosch projects you can build yourself
Leaning bookshelf
Even dry text books can manage to look inviting if you store them on our bookshelf. Leaning nonchalantly against the wall, it makes bookworms seem laid-back.
The shelf bases and side panels of our bookshelf are fitted together with notched intersecting joints. The compartments thus created are screwed to the rear panel from the rear.
Important: Be extremely careful when working with the notched intersecting joints, and even drawing them.
The following assembly instructions are for 20-mm-thick beech glued laminated timber board. You must adapt the list of materials accordingly if you opt for other materials or thicknesses.
Ask your DIY store or carpenter to cut the required boards to size.
Instructions
Make the notched intersecting joints
Make cuts measuring 60 mm deep and 20 mm wide in the side panels and shelf bases: cut the side panels from the front and the shelf bases from the rear. The cuts must be absolutely precise for the cutouts to interconnect perfectly at a later stage.
Mark the cutouts on the side panels and shelf bases. For this purpose, clamp the two sides together using clamp clips. Make sure you use pieces of scrap wood as buffer blocks to avoid leaving unsightly pressure marks. Draw the positions of the shelf bases on the leading edges, in accordance with the specifications in the illustration. Use the carpenter's angle square (a 90° angle with a stop) to extend these positions to a depth of 62 mm on the side surfaces. (The cutouts should be half as deep as the side panel width in theory.)
Follow the same principle to draw the cutouts for the shelf bases, this time from the rear edge.
Once all of the markings are in place, position the drill with the 20-mm Forstner bit (if you observe our material recommendation: the diameter must always be equal to the maximum board thickness) on the inner end of the traced cutout so that the centring tip of the drill bit touches the surface 10 mm before the end of the traced cutout. The hole is therefore located exactly in the centre of the marking.
Now make the cutouts using the jigsaw, always remaining within the pencil lines. If the cutouts are too tight in parts, you can go back and rework them with the wood file. Now slot all of the pieces together, dab a little glue on the insides of the cutouts and allow the joints to dry in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Prepare the rear panel
Despite its casual appearance, the bookshelf is not simply leaning against the wall of course: For safety reasons, it is secured from above by a suspension fitting and a screw hook. Using the drill and 30-mm Forstner bit, install the suspension fitting approximately 60 mm below the upper edge at the back of the rear panel.
Attach two felt pads to the lower edge of the rear panel using the screws provided.
Now predrill the holes to fasten the compartments constructed from the side panels and shelf bases. To do this, align the compartments precisely on the back of the rear panel. Here, use a pencil to trace the outlines of the compartments. Make the holes in the grid thus produced (side panels: one hole at half the compartment height, shelf bases: one hole per compartment).
Tip for screwing together two pieces of wood
In the piece where you want to insert the screws first, always predrill a hole that is 0.5 to 1 mm larger than the screw diameter; the hole should be countersunk for the screw head. In the piece that you are going to drill second, predrill a hole that is always 1 mm smaller than the screw diameter.
Join the compartments and rear panel together
Place the rear panel with the visible side facing up on trestles. Align the compartments on top very precisely so that the drilled holes appear in the centre of the compartment edges.
You can now comfortably fasten the compartments through the rear panel using the cordless screwdriver and screws (4 x 45 mm).
Sand wood surfaces
Take time to prepare the surfaces so they are in the best working condition possible before starting assembly.
First chamfer all edges with sanding paper with a grit of 120 or 180 at a 45° angle to create a small bevel. Use your sander to sand all visible surfaces in the direction of the wood grain, first with coarse sanding paper (grit of 120, 180) and then with fine sanding paper (grit of up to 240).
Damp sponge the surfaces afterwards to wipe off the dust. Some loose wood fibres may protrude while the wood is drying. You can remove these with sanding paper with a grit of 180. The wood is now ready for surface treatment. Little tip: Make sure that the sanding paper is sharp enough to remove the wood fibres properly, not just flatten them.
Stain the surfaces
Staining refers to the process used to colour the wood. The wood stain can be applied with a fine spray system. After the stain has been applied, the surface of the wood remains unprotected until wax or paint/varnish is applied.
First read the manufacturer’s safety and handling instructions thoroughly. Make sure the room you are working in is well ventilated and not used for smoking, eating or drinking.
You should change the paint tank if you want to apply another material with your fine spray system in the next step.
Staining tip:
Always work on vertical surfaces, starting from the bottom and moving to the top. Since wood stain has low viscosity and the wood surface absorbs it quickly, the wood stain may trickle down and form lap marks that remain visible as they cannot be painted over.
Paint the surfaces
A wide range of paints is available, of various types and price categories. The main criteria in choosing a paint should be its workability, the technical equipment you have at home, and the surface quality and durability you require. Ask for advice at a specialist retail outlet. If you are not an experienced painter, we recommend that you practice beforehand on a sample piece.
You will achieve the quickest and best result with acrylic paints. It is particularly quick and easy to apply these water-dilutable paints using a fine spray system.
Pour the paint into the paint tank and dilute it if necessary with water. Using a test board, adjust the spray jet at the nozzle and the paint flow at the setting wheel. The spray jet can be set to horizontal or vertical for surfaces and tapered for edges.
Now apply a thin first layer of paint. Start with the edges and then paint the surfaces using even, parallel strokes.
During this process, wood fibres may appear (as they may have already during the rinsing phase). You can remove these after the paint has dried by using sanding paper with a grit of 220 or 240 in the direction of the grain.
For the second coat, use the same base as you did during the priming stage. This time, you can apply a slightly thicker coat of paint. Start again with the edges and then work on the surfaces using even, parallel strokes.
The availability of the Bosch tools shown here may vary from country to country.