This week, I completed this tiered bookshelf with round post legs. This piece anchors the wall behind my clients desk in her new home office. Although the design is modern, the round legs and rounded edges of the shelves soften this piece making it feel more inviting and homey. Made of Maple and stained with an antique oak stain, the warm tones works great in a light and airy space like this one.
I began this build by laminating two pieces of 8/4 stock and planing it down to 3 inches square. With my leg blanks dimensioned and cut to length, I began working on the round tenon joinery. I secured each leg in the drill press with the table oriented vertically and drilled a 1 inch hole 3 inches deep. With the round mortises cut, I could then shape the legs. I created the round legs by first cutting the bulk of the waste at the table saw with the blade tilted to 45 degrees. Then, I created the round profile at the router table with a 1 1/2 inch radius roundover bit.
The shelves were made with two edge glued panels each to arrive at the 20 inch width needed for the piece. After cutting to length and width, I drilled a 1 inch hole at each corner of each shelf being sure the holes were located consistently on all four shelves. This was easily accomplished with the fence and stop block on the drill press table. I finished up the shelves with a large roundover on the edges to soften the look and feel.
The legs and shelves are joined to one another with 1 inch dowels that essentially act as floating tenons. The dowel is glued in the leg, then through the shelf and into the next leg sandwiching each shelf between the legs.
I finished this piece with one coat of Osmo Oak Antique Wood Wax and one coat of Osmo Polyx Oil. I’m really pleased with how this one turned out. I like how the modern design is softened with the round elements and the antique finish. I could see this fitting in many different style homes.
Whitehurst Custom Woodworking 