The seasons are changing, the kids are heading back to school and you now have a giant stack of books that you paged through this summer while living a life of leisure with your toes in the sand. Now what do you do with all of those books? It’s the dilemma we have at our house (minus the life of leisure) since the wife and I are both voracious readers (did you see I used a smart word there?). In the paraphrased words of The Clash, “should they stay or should they go?” With our bookshelves bursting at the seams the answer is go, but beloved books (or trashy summer reads) should go to a happy home (just like found kittens!). So what’s the answer?
This month I teamed up with Kreg Tools to build a “Little Library” so the community can take a book or leave a book as they please. It’s a great way to share with the neighborhood and (let’s be honest) clear those towering stacks of books out of that unsightly corner in your house. Kreg Tools was also nice enough to let me try out their new Accu-Cut (*Affiliate Link) as part of this build to break down the plywood I used in the construction. It’s like a track saw that uses a circular saw (fits most brands) and guides your blade to make straight and accurate cuts every time. As a shop owner with limited space, being able to breakdown sheet goods without a table saw is a game changer.
Check out the full build video below that also includes my “most requested” shop tip (3:35 mark) about how to get the angles right on the Rustic X trim accents. To view the step by step build (for free!) head over to Build-Something for the full tutorial. If you love the design or build it yourself, please remember to go back and share it on the site!
Hate books? The same build is perfect for a community pantry as well for sharing non-perishables with your neighbors.
*This build has been sponsored by Kreg Tool and www.BuildSomething.com
~ Lazy Guy
I cut all the pieces for this, and the trim pieces don’t work, the math doesn’t add up, even the pictures of the plans if you read them show an opening of 18″, but then show a 13″ piece and two 1×3″ pieces, if you add that up, it is 19″ for the opening, but the opening ends up being 18″ so it doesn’t work and now I’m having to modify the entire plan and recut the pieces to try to figure it out…did anyone review the plans that were posted on the buildsomething.com site before – at least do… Read more »
Hi Todd! I think the issue here is that a 1×3 is the nominal measurement as the boards are sold but not the actual width. Since a 1×3 is really 3/4” x 2.5” then the pair 1×3’s (2.5” each) trim pieces plus the 13” vertical trim come out to 18” for the doors. If you’d like, you can shoot me an email to teamlazy@lazyguydiy.com and we can try to figure out a fix for you.
What do you think cost is?
Because of the size and all the exterior grade materials it cost close to $200 in materials. You can scale back and just seal key areas with exterior grade sealant to cut cost.
I need help with the pole part. Do I attached the 2x4s to the pole? And then do I screw the inside of library down into the post? In the instructions the image looks like you attach 2×4 to the post first but then how do you secure the library?
Hey Kevin, sorry for being so vague with the post attachment, everyone I’ve talked to has decided to go multiple routes according to their custom set up so I’ve left that up to the maker. For mine I mounted the 2×4’s directly to the bottom of the library using carriage bolts (you can find them easily at your hardware store) with a washer on either side. You’ll see the head of the bolt and the washer inside the bottom of the library. The 2×4’s are spaced to fit the 4×4 post so it fits in snug. Then I used carriage… Read more »
Sorry, I’m not following you on how the 2×4’s are being attached to the library. Where exactly are the bolts going through the 2×4’s? Since the 2×4’s aren’t laying flat against the bottom of the library, I can’t figure out how the bolts are attached to the 2×4’s. Do you have any additional pictures? Thanks!
Sorry for the delay, hopefully you figured out a solution. I lined up my 2×4’s that would attach to the bottom and either tacked them with some wood screws or wood glue temporarily. I used a scrap piece of 4×4 as spacer to make sure the width was correct. Then I pre-drilled through the 2×4’s (through the 3.5″ side) into the bottom of library. Using lag bolts that are long enough, washers and a nut I then secured the 2×4’s. This was you can then secure your 4×4 post into the ground first, then set this one top, pre-drill your… Read more »
How many of the longer carriage bolts did you put through the post? One or two?
Thanks
How much does this weigh when finished?
It’s beefy. I’d say 20-25 lbs.
I made this Library for our Neighborhood and it turned out good . Great idea . Building plans were easy .
Great to hear! Would love to see your build if you’ve got a pic!