Use a table saw or a circular saw to cut your boards. Cutting plywood can be difficult and dangerous, so it's important to set yourself up for success.









Circular saw: choose a carbide tip blade made for plywood. Lay the plywood good side down.Table saw: invest in an 80 TPI plywood blade, designed for rip cuts.Lay the plywood good side up.
 Start by cutting your long boards to the width you want. Remember that standard widths are 12" or 16"; for this project, our depth will be 12". Push the wood through the saw at a consistent rate to ensure a cleaner cut.









Enlist the help of a friend. One of the challenges of working with plywood is that it comes in large 4' x 8' sheets,so it can be a bit difficult to handle on your own. Use saw horses or a roller table to also provide support.
Rip a piece of ¾" birch plywood into a 12½" wide strip. If you're using a circular saw, be sure to use a straight-edge guide.
Cut the strip into two 41¾" pieces to make the two bookcase sides. You can adjust this measurement up or down if you want your bookshelf to be taller or shorter.
 Remember that the width of the saw blade is 1/8" and factor that into your measurements.









Rip a strip of 3/4" plywood 11⅞" wide to make the shelves.
Rip a second strip 12 1/8" to make the top and bottom shelves.
Cut the other two strips into 30½-" pieces to make the top, bottom and two shelves.
 A rabbet is a groove cut into a piece of wood. In this case, creating rabbet joints will allow the top of the bookcase to sit squarely and securely on the two sides.

Set a saw to make a 3/8" cut. Cut a track into the end of the shelf by making cuts straight across the shelf in 1/8" increments until the track is as wide as the thickness of the plywood sides.













Alternately, use a router fitted with a ball-bearing-piloted rabbeting bit to make your cuts.
 Since book sizes differ and your needs may change, it's best to make your shelves adjustable so that you can arrange and rearrange them as best suits you.









Clamp a pegboard (this will be your template for the holes)in place so that the first holes will be 4" above and 4" below the center shelf.

If you don't have a pegboard, you make a hole-drilling template out of ¾-inch pine cut to the same length as the bookcase sides. Use a drill/driver fitted with a ⅝-inch spade bit to bore a series of equally spaced holes in the template board. Use a drill bit that's the same diameter as the shelf-support pegs and drill holes 2" from the edge in 2" increments.

Drill approximately 1/8" deeper than the length of the pegs. Put a piece of tape or a drill stop on the bit to guide you in drilling to the correct depth and take into account the thickness of the pegboard.
Choose the right saw.
Cut your sides.
Cut your bookshelf bottom and shelves.
Cut the rabbet joints.
Drill the holes for adjustable shelving along the bookshelf sides.
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