Limbert Bookcase
You’d be hard pressed to find a bookcase that ticks all the right boxes more than the Limbert No. 357. Its compact size and craftsman details set it apart.
Original Limbert case pieces are really something to behold. Black and white catalog pictures rarely do them justice, but if you get the chance to see one in person, you instantly understand why people are drawn to them. I first realized this when bidding on a small Charles P. Limbert bookcase at an auction in Oregon. The fit and finish of his surviving cabinet work is truly remarkable. Unfortunately, I lost my bid on the antique, but I have owned two double-door Limbert #358 cases since then. The project at hand is the #357 single-door version and is a wonderful introduction to building glass door bookcases. The form of this bookcase is perhaps more feminine than other square Limbert cabinets due to the long, tapered legs and decorative corner cutouts. Many woodworkers shy away from glass door bookcase projects, fearing the perceived complexity. I’ve built several glass door cases of varying complexity, including ten-pane leaded glass doors, and can say the #357 is surprisingly manageable to build. Since there are no horizontal glass dividers, building the glass door is greatly simplified. Table saw joinery techniques will be presented here, allowing construction of the door without chiseling any corners. Once you bring the door parts together, the glass recesses are formed automatically.
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What You Get:
- 11 pages of step-by-step instructions
- 58 full-color photos and illustrations and explosed views
- Materials list and retail hardware sources
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
Imperial Plans
The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.
Metric Plans
The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.
Premium Plans
All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.