Turn in order: rotating bookcase

By Ryan Shervill

In a small room, the most overlooked (and underused) storage area is the corner. Trying to find corner-efficient furniture
can be frustrating, so we often end up filling that space with whatever will fit. I set out to build this rotating bookcase to
address this problem. With a footprint smaller than 2' square, the bookcase doesnt take up a lot of floor space but
offers a tremendous amount of storage, thanks to its round layout and ability to spin 360.

Skill
2
Instructions
Cutting Circles
The shopping list for this project is a simple one: two-and-a-half sheets of 5/8"-thick medium-density fibreboard (MDF). If
you pick a retailer that offers cutting onsite, I suggest having the sheets cut into 2' x 2' or 4' x 2' pieces to make handling
easier.

Once youre back at the shop, the first step is to cut out the many circles that make up the layers of the shelving unit. To
make my circles, I used a shopmade circle-cutting jig mounted to my bandsaw to make the process as quick, accurate
and dust-free as possible. You need nine circles to make up the shelf. First, cut out the three 23 1/2"-diameter circles
that make up two parts of the base, as well as the top disc. Next, adjust your jig to cut five more circles at 22" for the
dividers between each section. Before removing the jig, cut one more circle at 22 7/8", but this one has a twist: after you
make the main circle, draw another one inside it, 21/2" smaller. Using a jigsaw or a scrollsaw, cut out the middle, leaving
a doughnut-shaped ring. This ring is where the lazy Susans bearing will be hidden later. Finish up by rounding the
edges of all of the discs (excluding the ring) with a 5/16"-radius bearing-guided roundover bit in your handheld or
table-mounted router.

Straight Ahead
Now, its time to start making the 48 straight-cut pieces that form the shelves and backbone of the units body. Begin
with the four large boxes for the spine of the unit. On the tablesaw, cut eight pieces measuring 13 1/4" x 19" and another
eight measuring 7 3/4" x 19". Use those pieces to build four four-sided boxes measuring 9" x 13 1/4" x 19".

To make the boxes, use whatever joinery method you prefer. Glue and pocket-hole screws driven through the top and
bottom pieces, dowels or biscuits all work; even countersunk and plugged screws or glue and finishing nails are fine.
Strength isnt critical here; only alignment. So, take your time and build nice, even, square boxes.

Small Boxes
With the large boxes built and set aside for the glue to dry, move on to the eight smaller boxes that make up the
remaining shelves. These are built exactly as the large ones, only this time you will need 16 pieces measuring 5" x 7
3/4" for the tops and bottoms, and 16 more measuring 5" x 13 1/4" for the sides. If you wish to add shelves to some or
all of these small boxes, now is the time to do it. I cut extra 5" x 7 3/4" pieces and secured them in place with some
finishing nails and glue as I built the boxes. Space these shelves to suit your books or knick-knacks.

Assembly time
OK. You have nine circles, four large boxes and eight small ones. Time to assemble, right?

Well, not quite. There is still the matter of making the bookcase rotate. To do that, you need to complete some
modifications to a few parts. The secret to a large, heavy bookcase rotating smoothly is a strong lazy Susan bearing. For
this project, I chose a 17 3/8"-diameter aluminum bearing rated to 275 lb. It has the strength for this shelf but still needs
mechanical modifications.

The bearing comes with a series of plastic feet on each ring, but has screw holes only in the inner race for attaching it to
a surface. Because you need to attach the bearing to two surfaces, you need to add holes of your own. Fortunately, this
is an easy task. First, remove the feet from the outer ring with a pair of pliers. You wont need them anymore. When the
feet are removed, you will be left with a series of flat-bottomed holes in the ring. Simply continue these holes the rest of
the way through the ring with a 11/64"-diameter bit, and then countersink them on the exit side with a 5/16"-diameter bit
to 3/16" deep. The countersunk holes will allow the attachment screws youll put in later to sit flush.

With the bearing suitably modified, start building the base. Glue the MDF ring to the lower base disc, taking care to
centre the ring. Hold it in place with a couple of brads until the glue dries. The next step is to drill a 1"-diameter hole
through the lower base disc, centred 4" in from the outside edge. This hole allows you to drive the screws that attach the
lazy Susan bearing to the rest of the unit during assembly later.

Next, centre the lazy Susan bearing assembly inside the MDF ring with the countersunk holes you drilled in the outer
race facing up. Attach the bearing to the lower base disc with eight #8 x 1" wood screws. Set everything aside while you
build the main body.

Body Builder
The easiest way to build the body is to start with the five 22"-diameter discs and the four large boxes. Centre each large
box on a disc with glue applied to the bottoms of the boxes. Next, reinforce each joint by laying out, drilling and
countersinking holes for screws that will pass through the bottom of each disc and into the side panels of each box. Into
each hole, drive a #6 x 1 1/2" screw, but be carefulits all too easy to split the MDF. If a split appears, apply glue into
the crack with the screw in place, and then back out the screw slowly. The crack should close completely on its own, but
clamp if required. Drill a new hole a couple inches back from your first hole and repeat. Dont worry about filling these
screw holes, as they will be covered in the next step. Continue this process, rotating each box by 90 to the one below it
until you have the whole assembly together. Dont forget to attach the remaining large base disc to this stack of boxes
and shelves.

At this point, you can insert the small boxes. Apply a bit of glue to the top and bottom surfaces of each small box, and
slide each one into place so it butts up against a large box, covering the screw heads from the previous step. Secure the
small boxes with a couple of brads, wipe away excess glue with a damp cloth and allow the glue to dry.
Now, its time to install the lower base disc, which has the lazy Susan bearing and ring attached. With the shelf body
sitting upside down, place the lower base disc in position and centre it. Rotate the lower base disc on the lazy Susan
bearing until you can see a screw hole through the 1"-diameter port you bored earlier. Use that hole to drive #8 x 1"-long
screws into each of the six holes in the inner bearing race, anchoring the lower base disc to the body.
Finally, turn the entire assembly upright and sit the third 23 1/2"-diameter disc on top of the unit. Secure with a layer of
glue and a few brads.

As an extra touch, I added a few small, pie-shaped shelves to bridge the area between the large and small boxes and
break up some of the taller spaces. These came from offcuts cut to fit and are attached with glue and brads driven
through the box sides and into the edge of each pie-shaped shelf. Position your shelves to suit what youll be placing in
the unit. Feel free to get creative with the number, size and locations of your add-on shelves. Theres really no wrong
way to do it.
Finish Up
Go over the entire unit and fill the nail holes, then sand everything to get ready for painting. You can use a
high-adhesion, latex primer and regular latex paint for this unit (sanding lightly between coats to remove any fuzz) or, if
you are so equipped, a spray-on finish is easier. I sent my shelf out to a local kitchen-cabinetry company and had them
finish my shelf in their spray booth with a few coats of snow-white lacquer. Hiring out finishing can make a lot of sense
for the home workshopper. Taking your project to a pro can be more practical than trying to deal with finishing in a small,
dusty shop. The prices for this work can be quite reasonable.

Its now time to take your rotating bookcase for a spin, after loading it up with books, keepsakes and other treasures.
Tools and Materials
Part Material Size (T x W x L*) Qty.

Large base discs 5/8"-thick MDF 23 1/2"-diameter 2

Top disc 5/8"-thick MDF 23 1/2"-diameter 1
Shelf dividers 5/8"-thick MDF 22"-diameter 5
Lazy Susan ring 5/8"-thick MDF 22 7/8"-diameter 1
Large box sides 5/8"-thick MDF 13 1/4" x 19" 8
Large box tops and bottoms 5/8"-thick MDF 7 3/4" x 19" 8
Small box sides 5/8"-thick MDF 5" x 13 1/4" 16
Small box tops and bottoms 5/8"-thick MDF 5" x 7 3/4" 16
Small box middle shelves (optional) 5/8"-thick MDF 5" x 7 3/4" 8
Corner shelves (optional) 5/8"-thick MDF 5" x 5" 8
Lazy Susan bearing Lee Valley #12K68.17 1

* Length indicates grain direction

Recommended Tools
Bandsaw

jigsaw/scrollsaw

18-gauge nailer

drill

router
Plan

Illustration by Len Churchill