BOOKS TO SHARE

JOIN US BY BUILDING A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY IN YOUR FRONT YARD PANNY CHAT

- JAY CORK

I've wanted to make a Little Free Library for a long time. It's a fun project that will help a neighborhood strengthen its sense of community by bringing people together through sharing books. The whole family can enjoy this weekend project, and the whole neighborhood will appreciate it. This is our first Community Project. We hope you'll build one too and share the results with us.

GET STARTED

1 FINISH THE POST

I cut the 4x4 cedar post to 60 in., which leaves enough to cut the angled braces after I finish the post. Sand the post to 180 grit to prevent splinters. Apply a coat of epoxy finish to the entire post and set it aside to dry. This will seal the wood against the weather above ground and against rot below ground.

2 FIT THE BASE FOR THE POST

I attached the angled braces to the post using 3-in. coated screws. Center the post on the base (B) and mark its position. Use that as a guide to predrill and countersink holes for the mounting screws.

PRO TIP

Keep your countersinks shallow. This keeps the screws from digging too deep.

3 CUT THE PARTS

After gluing up the panels, cut them to size on a table saw. I used a track saw to accurately cut the angles for the roof parts. You can achieve a similar result using a circular saw with an edge guide.

MAKE THE ROOF

4 PROFILE THE EDGES

I chose to give the roof a round-over profile. To do this, glue 1/4-in. stock around the bottom edges of the roof panels (F). Once they're dry, profile the edges with a 3/4-in. round-over bit. You can do this with a handheld router, but a router table would be better.

PRO TIP