Free Plan: 1912 Mission Book Trough
Five parts, eight wedges, no glue — a book trough that knocks apart flat to move.
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- PDF plan
- Material & cut list
- Step-by-step
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Download didn't start? Get the plan here.The trough is drawn up. Five parts and eight wedges, and it takes almost no shop to build.
- A layout guide for a one- or two-car garage or a basement: which tools to buy in what order, and where each one stands so the work flows in one direction.
- What to read first: the chapter on tool order. This build needs a drill, chisels and a coping saw, which is exactly the first shelf of a small shop done right.
- A digital guide sold through ClickBank, with a 60-day refund window stated on the vendor's page.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
No glue on this one. The 1912 Mission book trough holds itself together with eight wooden wedges — the same locking joint that's held hand-tool handles and workbenches together for centuries. It's 35 inches wide, holds a couple dozen books upright, and knocks apart flat when you need to move it.
Five parts and eight keys: two ends, a shelf, two sides, and the wedges that lock it together. There is no glue anywhere in it, and with a contrasting wood for the keys it makes a standout gift for any book lover.
This plan is from 1912, redrawn into a clear cut list and step-by-step build.
Project at a Glance
- Difficulty
- Beginner to intermediate
- Main materials
- Oak or chestnut, contrasting wedges (e.g. walnut)
- Build time
- 1-2 shop days, plus finish
- Tools needed
- Drill (3/4-inch bit), chisels, coping saw, rasp, square, sander
- Page count
- 8-page PDF
Before you cut:
Drill and chisel all the mortises in one setup so every wedge clamps tight instead of rattling loose — consistent mortises are what make a no-glue joint hold. Get that right and the trough is stronger than half the glued-up furniture in the house.
There's one decorative cut on this build: the curved cutout at the base of each end piece. It's the part that takes the trough from "shelf" to "furniture", and it comes off a coping saw, not a machine.
Most of this trough comes off the first shelf of tools a shop ever owns. Which is the point: a small shop laid out in the right order builds real furniture long before the big machines arrive.
What the guide actually covers
The eight-foot test
Take an eight-foot board from where the lumber is stored, run it through the saw, and set the offcut down. If you had to move something, open a door or turn the board sideways to get it in, the shop is filled, not laid out. That is the problem this guide is written for, and a five-part build is the right size to try it on.
The guide covers layout for a one- or two-car garage or a basement, the order the tools go in, and the parts tool reviews skip: lighting, dust, noise and where the lumber lives. It won't tell you which brand to buy, only where the tool belongs.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Also worth a look: the technique layer
Woodworking Secrets is a printed book on layout, cutting, joinery and finishing, the part a plan leaves out. The publisher sends it at no charge and you cover the shipping. It ships to US addresses. On the order page there is a box for a trial membership that is already ticked — untick it if you only want the book.
See the book →