How to Build a Basic Bookcase with "Faux" Gallery Rails

[@dawgfan751]

I bought these plans and built this for my wife’s 50 birthday. All she wanted was a bookshelf and she absolutely loves it. With your plans it was so easy to build. Thank you.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Hi! Thanks so much for your purchase and support of my small business! I’m so happy to hear this. What a thoughtful gift ❤️ I am sure she loves that you made it for her.

[@Gazman299]

The railings look terrific. They look like really classy metal accents like they made in the 'olden' days when craftsmanship was actually a thing. I'm seriously impressed. Well done, young lady.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! I loved the shelf with or without the railings, but they were so much fun to figure out and make. I'm definitely glad I added them and I'm surprised how much they look like the real thing (metal)! Glad you enjoyed it, too and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@Newsolution8876]

It's not a basic book shelf, it's beautiful 🧡💯

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! 💕 I appreciate you watching!

[@tienna-lynnnorman]

​@WoodshopDiaries can we get a woodshopdiaries happy building shirt!!!

[@naju_escobar]

Omg, you are amazing, your work and designs are beautiful. I wish you will be here, in my country 😢

[@WoodshopDiaries]

You’re so kind! I appreciate that and I’m so glad you enjoy the videos!

[@alee9961]

Phew! The railings look beautiful, but wow, so much miniature detail! Your work is impeccable! 😊

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! It was definitely a little tedious 😅 but a lot of fun to figure out!

[@holdemNE1]

Wow, those rails completely transform the bookcase. Well done.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I loved it without them, but I also love it with them. It was rough to choose but I really enjoyed making them 🙌😅

[@jakewitte1788]

The top rail of the face frame (just under the crown) has amazing wood grain for being a featured piece!

[@Aaron-nj4ou]

The grooves on the back panel were a subtle but very nice touch. Red oak doesn't get a lot of love anymore but around here white oak prices are out of control so red oak is a much more reasonable option.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! Those grooves didn't show up as well after it was stained, but they do look more prominent in person than they did on camera. I think that's actually one of my favorite little details! I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

[@johnkelley9877]

I really like the book case but I think the rails add a nice touch to the whole book case. I can see that Bubby was keeping a close eye on your progress. Thanks for sharing this neat tutorial.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! Bubs is always keeping a close eye and making sure things are up to his standards haha! I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@pteddie6965]

I love this bookshelf. It has a timeless look. As to the rails, I would never be patient enough to spend the amount of time that it takes to build them. Thanks for the video.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

So glad you enjoyed it! The first one was a little tricky to figure out, but after that, the other four went really quick haha. So not too bad 😉 I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

[@MCsCreations]

Beautiful work, Shara! Amazing looking bookshelf! 😃 The rails turned out great! Now it looks classy! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend 🙌

[@Micha_Ba]

Great build, great look 👍 I exspecially like the "Faux" gallerie rails. Gladly Bubby showed up at 😊

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you!! I was a little hesitant to add the railings after I finished the bookshelf but I’m glad I gave it a go! Bubs approved everything so we passed the inspection 🤣

[@EmorettaRobinson]

I think your bookshelves turned out really well. I wouldn't have thought that you didn't use metal for the railings. But I do have a question. Have you ever made a small rolling kitchen island with a pullout garbage bin in it? I thought it would be a good idea for a project for a while. So it's just a suggestion.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I haven’t made a rolling island with trash can but that is a great idea! I’ll have to keep that in mind!

[@Joshua.zero29]

Oh, Shara, i dont see why you were nervous about the rails. They turned out incredible and definitely add a beautiful accent to the piece! They might have been a pain to create, but it was well worth the effort. Another job well done! 🎉

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I overthought (and still overthinking haha) the rails but I’m glad I did them-they were fun to figure out and they actually turned out a lot better than I expected considering they were made from a random assortment of dowels 😂 it’s hard to believe they’re not metal now that they’re installed! I appreciate you cheering me on and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@Joshua.zero29]

@WoodshopDiaries Have an amazing weekend as well! 🙏

[@DumbfoundedMadman]

Great looking piece. Nicely done.

[@teebrown3666]

Gorgeous! Love the rails ❤

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! They were so much fun to figure out and put together. 🙌

[@drskvch5768]

Totally putting the rail idea in my back pocket. Brilliant idea. Great work still digging the video's. Thank you for inspiration.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching and glad to hear you’re enjoying it. Hopefully one day you have a use for the railing idea 😉 happy building!

[@stevedockery3534]

Love the bookshelf and the color. I'm extremely impressed as to how you saved $ on the rails and also how geat they look. Very very nice job. Have a great weekend Shara. Steve

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I’m so happy with how the rails turned out and I’m glad you liked them. I appreciate you watching and following along. Have a wonderful weekend!

[@jimgreenhouse214]

I have learned so much from you. Ty for making this content, it’s fantastic!

[@dennydietrich3596]

Excellent video. Presentation pace is Comfortable. Enjoyed the explanations of why you made certain decisions.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching and I hope you have a great weekend!

[@Adi031978]

I love all your small tricks of how to get a cool, more expensive look with smart and relative easy solutions. Would love to know how much thinking time went into finding those solutions

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! Most of the thinking time went into figuring out what to use for the railings--I tried a few different sizes of dowel trying to figure out what looked best.

[@Adi031978]

@@WoodshopDiaries it always amazes me what people can come up with. Really cool

[@WillysPerformanceCycleCtr]

The black “faux” railings look great and provide a nice contrast to the wood tone! I really like the little bit of detail that they provide. This is a beautiful book shelf! Plus, Bubba took care of the inspection as needed! lol. As always Shara, please keep on building. Hope you are having a great weekend!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I had so much fun making them, but was a little hesitant to add them because I loved how the bookcase looked without them. But I also love how they look with them haha. It was a tough choice, but I'm glad I did it. Bubs definitely gave it a good inspection--he's a tough critic haha. Thankfully he gave his approval. I truly appreciate you watching and following along. I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well and happy building!

[@WillysPerformanceCycleCtr]

@@WoodshopDiaries … it is definitely a very nice bookshelf with or without them! You always implement that little piece of work into each project, no matter how small or complicated!

[@surviving4u]

Shara, I don't usually comment on the youtubes but, I'm a longtime fan of your channel and it is great to see your growth and project management through the years! This simple project really looks amazing and those faux rails are ingenious!! So inspiring, way to think outside the box!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Hi! Thank you so much for following along and for your kind words! I'm glad you've enjoyed the projects and videos over the years and I hope they've helped or inspired you along the way :) I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy building!

[@marioroberto1841]

wow...that's beautiful work, Sara. Even here in Brazil, I follow your videos, your teaching and the way you increasingly create useful and beautiful pieces. God bless you and enlighten you always

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much for watching all the way from Brazil! I hope you find the videos helpful and I truly appreciate you following along! God Bless you and yours!

[@adventureDad1976]

Great job!!! U know I am getting these plans lol.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! Happy building!

[@MisterJ56]

I like the faux-twist ...... because it's "rare" it does it for this bookcase. As usual ...... great work Shara and have a nice weekend.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! The fake railings were the most fun part of the build haha. I hope you enjoyed the video and I appreciate you watching. Have a great weekend as well!

[@timothycreasy2161]

The railing is a nice touch. And the color helps it stand out. Very nice

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching!

[@QualeHouse]

Yay! A new video! Recently found you and I binge watched all your videos! But dying for a new one haha! So exciting!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

This made my day! So happy you’re enjoying the videos. (Please don’t judge my old ones too harshly 😆🙈) Hopefully you’ll like this one, too 🙌 Thanks so much for watching and I hope you have a great weekend!

[@tomsdreamshopworx]

Absolutely love the design, nicely done!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@sandman2651]

Looks amazing shara, the fake bars are a brilliant idea

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I'm so happy with how they turned out--so glad you loved them!

[@kaveeshsookun7113]

Beautiful piece 👌🏻👌🏻

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching!

[@kaveeshsookun7113]

@@WoodshopDiaries thanks to you for sharing projects, building techniques etc... inspiring 🙏🏻

[@oreobenavidez953]

Wow if you didn't show the railing I would of thought they were cast iron or metal very impressive what a not boring bookshelf looks classic and elegant

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! It's amazing what a little spray paint can do! I'm glad you enjoyed the project and I truly appreciate you watching!

[@4boysisjoy]

I love that you make do with what you have and come up with creative solutions!

[@doriangray7006]

love see you work......... i wish see you building a wood Power Rack for gym at home ...........

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thanks so much for watching! That would be a great project idea!

[@noahb.7838]

That looks awesome, great job Shara.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy building!

[@ChristopherRNeumann]

Really like that you made the faux rails yourself. It looks amazing.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! I saved several hundred dollars making them myself--it was a pretty neat "experiment" to see if it worked haha. I appreciate you watching. Have a wonderful weekend!

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

Great bookshelf!

[@redknightmajor8679]

Looks great, neat trick on the railings

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun (but a little tedious) to figure out. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@brittanybardella2367]

You are seriously my favorite KZbinr right now! I fully appreciate your thoroughness in explaining everything. Question for you….would you be willing to show how to build a basic upper corner cabinet in a future video? Also wondering if it’s possible to make dados with a router to build drawers if I don’t have a table saw? Thank you so much in advance!!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

You are so kind and this made my day! Thank you! I truly hope you find the videos helpful. That's a great idea--I'll see what I can do! Also, you can definitely use a router to cut dadoes. You can use a 1/4" straight bit and set a straight edge up to run your router along (or use a router table) so that your dado is however far from the edge you'd like.

[@brittanybardella2367]

Thank you for responding! Hope you have a great rest of your weekend and I look forward to your upcoming videos!

[@patrickperson1252]

Sarah un e très belle réalisation une nouvelle fois félicitations sincère patrick j adore

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!

[@jimrosson6702]

Great job Shara it turned out really great I really like the look of the rails add a great accent to it. Thanks for sharing

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! I always love how a little black hardware or accent piece looks against a warm wood tone. I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@joelcopeland3018]

Well done... ass usual... keep the videos coming... God bless...

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! God bless you as well and have a great weekend!

[@debraroth4724]

Another great project! Thanks for sharing!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much for watching! Have a wonderful weekend!

[@raygonzales443]

Great job on both the bookcase and the railing

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@hammerhands58]

Great looking bookshelf. I like the black accents.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! They really add some fun character to the project. I appreciate you watching!

[@martintheron1386]

Very cool

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you!

[@jhsayer1]

You are amazing, good work!

[@ree2305]

I love the bookshelf with the rails!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you!! I always love some nice black accents against a wood piece!

[@hammock753]

This is awesome! I didn’t even know what gallery rails were 😂!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Honestly, I never paid them any attention until I saw a bookcase in a magazine that had them and I thought “I’ve got to make that!” 😂 they’re completely without actual purpose here but they do look neat haha. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate you watching!

[@hammock753]

@@WoodshopDiariesI agree they do look great!

[@JPToto]

The faux ship lap is genius. Well done as always!

[@maurolimaok]

BBB Basic Beautiful Bookcase

[@scottmorris4914]

Great project, and looks great.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! Happy building!

[@shankarh6915]

This is awesomest! Great ingenuity on the railings!! Thanks for the share as always

[@GaiaTutankhamon]

amazing! i like your ginger friend 😻🧡

[@timrowe5448]

Another great video! Thank you!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much for watching! I hope you have a wonderful weekend 😎

[@ameurhebbal7958]

You are creative Sara

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching!

[@dawnforman34]

Classic and elegant!!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! Exactly what I was going for 😍 have a wonderful weekend!

[@jl141065]

Lady, you don't look how strong you are. Good work, nice bookcase.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Haha where there's a will, there's a way! Thank you so much for watching and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@patoujack9229]

Salut, que dire ! Parfait, à bientôt

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@jonathandzamesi3255]

Beautiful ❤❤❤❤

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@brunnie]

Elegant! And did I notice a mini-split air conditioner on the grey wall?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! And yes you did! I talked about it in detail in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zpamh4yJi7JjpJYsi=Enu9FWIR6Ls8tLXz

[@kristinthomas6001]

Creative problem solving. Love it. Curious, have you considered starting your journey with metal welding? (You mentioned in Q&A long time ago). If you do, I’ll follow along!

[@abeledgardosoria9371]

I loved It !🎉🎉🎉

[@michaelault3180]

I thought you were going to use cheap curtain rods for the metal shelf things. That would have been where my mind would have gone for the solution. Good idea for your solution.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

I never thought of that! I think those would have been a little chunky, though, haha! I'm glad you enjoyed my crazy idea--it was pretty fun to figure out. Thanks so much for watching and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@irawardmusic]

That was awesome Shara !!😀👍💯

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[@irawardmusic]

@@WoodshopDiaries You too !!

[@irawardmusic]

@@WoodshopDiaries You too my friend :).

[@brandilewis3498]

STUNNING!!!!!

[@cliff5240]

What a great job on this!! Until you showed it I thought those were real metal, very creative and you saved a thousand dollars ( really a $1000)?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much! Those railings--when I found them online, you kind of piece them together to get what you need. So like you buy the end caps separately and the dividers separately and then the rails that run between them. One end cap (depending on the style you wanted) was $25-30. When I added up everything I needed PLUS the rails, it was pushing $1000 and it wasn't even available in the style I really wanted. Definitely glad I made them--cost me about $30 or less ha!

[@aliroumie3775]

Art!

[@WoodworkingTop535]

great videos, thanks

[@andymcgaughey9696]

Awesome

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you! 🙌

[@brewster3987]

Well, I’m going to title this episode “Shara-ception”… I am now questioning my entire reality. What’s real? What’s faux? Who knows? 🤪🤨😅. All I do know is, you can’t fake nice. And this is nice. Really nice. I love the faux bead board back and the railings are the most genuine-looking fakes I ever saw. Well done!

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Haha I’m not usually a fan of “faux” anything but sometimes it works 😉😆 I’m glad this ended up being a little tricky to tell the difference! I so appreciate you cheering me on and happy you enjoyed it. Bubs and Lou say hi and we all hope you have an amazing weekend!

[@DrunkInPublic]

Youuuuu aint lying

[@Ivaolive]

Sempre surpreendendo! Já tem alguns anos que acompanho você, e praticamente não entendo nada do que você fala, mas não perco um vídeo. E que bom que o seu canal tá crescendo, parabéns 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@ianpearse4480]

Inspired.

[@CC-kr2fs]

Love it,,,new project for me..think I can make the shelves a little deeper for display use? I'm going to try.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Absolutely. You can make this deeper to fit your needs by simply cutting the sides, dividers and shelf plywood strips wider

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Shara, I don't think you can call that a "basic" bookshelf. It's way to stylish to use that term. Also, I was hoping you would do a bookshelf as it seems appropriate to replace a lot of traditional joinery with pocket hole technique's. I love the extra step you took adding your railings. They really show off the artistic side of your work. The weather has cooled off here meaning I'm way more productive in my shop. Hugs and kisses to the critters. Thanks for Sharing! 🙃🙂

[@WoodshopDiaries]

I can't believe it's taken me this long to build a (not basic haha) bookshelf! I've made so many in the past that were not-your-typical-design, but I never thought to just make a normal one. 🙈 I actually really enjoyed building it and while I didn't really build it for any end goal (not for keeps, not for anyone, not for sale), I'm growing pretty fond of it and trying to find a place I can put it in my house so I can keep it! I'm happy to hear the weather is cooling off for you--I hope you enjoy your shop time. Bubs and Lou say hello and we hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

[@joe51576]

Great looking book shelf. Any tips on preventing red oak from splitting?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

When driving a screw? Predrill pilot holes, use fine thread screws where possible, use the micro pocket hole jig for smaller pocket holes.

[@joe51576]

@@WoodshopDiaries I meant to say splintering. I recently used red oak on a project and tried using painters tape to prevent splintering but it didn't work as well as I hoped

[@WoodshopDiaries]

@joe51576 like when cutting? Are you referring to tear out? Definitely recommend using a fine finish blade. Here are a few more tips to preventing tear out: www.woodshopdiaries.com/5-ways-to-prevent-tear-out-when-cutting-wood/

[@joe51576]

@@WoodshopDiaries yes tear out. Thank you

[@diyhuntress]

#teamrails 🙌

[@WoodshopDiaries]

YESSSSS 🙌 Thank you for convincing me 😂

[@dreamie9868]

What kind of blade do you like to use when cutting plywood? How do you avoid the veneer chipping?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Hi! I use a plywood blade. Here are some tips to preventing tear out: www.woodshopdiaries.com/5-ways-to-prevent-tear-out-when-cutting-wood/

[@robertm348]

Really nice! But where did you find 4' dowels?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

I bought these for $1 at Lowe’s. My Home Depot has them too.

[@johnowens5207]

You have any videos about sanding? Im a newbie and I feel like most videos don’t cover that in the builds. I get it. It’s not glamorous lol

[@Zeheir]

❤احبك

[@adventureDad1976]

What’s that measuring tool that u used with the miter saw?

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Hi! It's a Kreg MultiMark tool--I use it for all kinds of things. It's pretty handy to have. Here's a link: amzn.to/4dWGWMr

[@adventureDad1976]

@@WoodshopDiaries You are the best!!! Thank you

[@joec96]

How long have you been woodworking and what was the first project you built?

[@chrisrnz]

$1000? For those metal rails? Crikey.

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Made them for under $30. That’s crazy 😆

[@louiswhitney1761]

How can someone so small move plywood like she does? I am 100 pounds heavier and I can’t move it for ****😮

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Leverage. That and necessity

[@YouCanDIYHome]

Awesome

[@WoodshopDiaries]

Thank you so much!