As the saying goes, there's nothing like good books. But they can present some storage problems–especially if you like to keep them after you've read them. Wall-mounted shelves are a common storage solution for all this bound wisdom. But they're not easily portable if you want to rearrange the furniture or if you're moving to a new house. Because of this, modular furniture units that combine storage for books with audio and video equipment have become the sensible solutions for most of us.

Unfortunately, many of these pieces can be a bit overpowering, making you feel like you're in a NASA control room instead of the comfort and privacy of your own home. The bookcase we show here is meant to be a tasteful alternative to these other approaches. Its multipaned glass doors, exposed tenons and quarter-sawn oak construction work together to create a sense of seriousness and an air of solidity that are unusual these days. This overall design is a synthesis of several traditional Arts & Crafts pieces. But we did scale down the size of the case slightly so it could be easily placed in a family room, den, living room or bedroom without dominating the space.

Case joinery and assembly

Since most of the case parts are all 11 to 12 in. wide, and quarter-sawn stock is generally quite narrow, you'll have to glue up panels for the case sides, partition, top, bottom and shelves. Begin by ripping and crosscutting slightly oversized boards for your glued-up panels. Edge-join the mating boards, then lay out No. 20 joining plate slots, 6 to 8 in. on center, along the joints. Cut the slots using a flat tabletop as the registration surface. Apply glue to the slots, edges and plates and assemble each panel, clamping the joints tight until the glue sets. When all the panels are dry, rip and crosscut the parts to finished size.

Lay out the arched cutout at the bottom and the curved profile at the top front edge of each case side. Use a sabre saw to make these cuts.

Mark the end limits of the rabbets on the case sides that will house the back panel. Use a router with a 3/4-in.-dia. straight bit and an edge guide to make the cuts. Square the ends of the rabbet with a chisel. Then, use the same setup to cut the rabbet along the back edge of the top shelf.

The through tenons that join the top and bottom panels to the case sides are cut in several stages. Begin by cutting a continuous tenon on the ends of the top and bottom panels, using a dado blade in your table saw. Use the same blade setup to cut the tenons on the ends of the bottom front rail. You'll have to move the stopblock for these rail cuts, since these tenons are shorter than the through tenons.

Next, use a band saw to make the end cuts that define the width of each tenon. Clamp a rip fence and stopblock to the band saw table to make the repeat cuts. Then chop out the waste between the through tenons with a sharp chisel.

Lay out the exact locations of the through mortises on the case sides. A plunge router with an up-cut spiral bit is the ideal tool for cutting these joints. And be sure to use a straightedge, clamped to the case side, to guide the router. Make the cuts in several passes and finish each mortise by squaring the ends of the cut with a sharp chisel.

Use a router and straightedge guide to cut the mortises in the case sides for the bottom rail. Again, square the mortise cuts with a sharp chisel. Test fit all these joints, and when satisfied, use a chisel to cut a 1/8-in. chamfer on the ends of each through tenon.

Lay out the locations of the plate slots for the joints between the center partition and the top and bottom panels. Then clamp a straightedge guide to the panels to help position the plate joiner and cut the slots. Next, lay out and cut the slots for the joint between the bottom rail and the case bottom. Apply glue to this joint and clamp the rail to the bottom.

Lay out the rounded profile at each end of the top rail and use the sabre saw to make the cut. Cut a No. 0 joining plate slot in each end of the rail, and a matching slot in each case side. Apply glue to the bottom edge of the rail and clamp it along the back edge of the case top.

Sand the top and bottom assemblies and the partition with 120- and 220-grit paper, then dust them off thoroughly. Next, apply glue to the plate slots and plates and clamp the partition to the case top and bottom. While the glue sets on this assembly, lay out the hinge locations on the case sides. We used solid brass 1 1/2 x 2-in. butt hinges, part No. 67H5, from Whitechapel Ltd., Box 136, 3650 West Highway 22, Wilson, WY 83014; 800-468-5534. Use a sharp knife to outline each mortise. Then, make a series of parallel chisel cuts 1/8 in. apart down the length of the mortise and pare away the waste.

Apply glue sparingly to the mortise-and-tenon joints and joining plate slots, then clamp the sides to the top-partition-bottom assembly. Compare opposite diagonal measurements to be sure that the case is square, adjust the clamps if necessary and let the glue dry. Then, bore a 3/8-in.-dia. dowel-pin hole into each through tenon from the front edge of each case side. Apply glue to these holes and tap in a white oak dowel to lock the joints and provide a decorative accent. Finish the case assembly by cutting a piece of 1/2-in.-thick white oak plywood to size for the case back. Sand the panel smooth with 220-grit sandpaper, then attach it to the case with screws.