Bookshelf cut list (6 ft tall, 3 ft wide)

A 72" tall, 36" wide, 12" deep bookshelf with four shelves between a fixed top and bottom. The case comes from two sheets of 3/4" plywood, with a 1/4" back.

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Cut list

Shelves are 1/8" shorter than the inside width so they drop onto shelf pins easily. For fixed shelves in dadoes, add twice the dado depth to the shelf length.

At 34 3/8" long, 3/4" plywood shelves sag noticeably under a full load of books. Add a solid-wood edge strip to the front of each shelf to stiffen it.

Sheet stock and settings

• 2 x 3/4" plywood 4x8 (96" x 48")
• 1 x 1/4" plywood 4x8 (96" x 48")
• Saw kerf: 1/8"

Cutting diagram

9 pieces on 3 sheets, using 47% of the material, with 14 cuts. Hatched areas are offcuts you can keep for later projects.

Make it your own

Open the example in Plywise to change sizes, quantities or sheet stock and re-optimize. It runs in your browser with no account, and the free plan covers this whole project.

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