This Bookcase May Look Normal, But It"s Hiding Something Amazing

Sometimes, I like to imagine that the huge bookcases in some people’s homes are hidden doorways. (It’s probably a symptom of all the secret agent movies I watch.) Through that door is a clandestine room that only a privileged few are privy to. Maybe it’s full of ancient relics, a family fortune, or perhaps it’s just an office. The point is, if you’ve got a secret door that doubles as a bookcase somewhere in your house, you’re doing something right.

Luckily, there are readily available instructions on how to build your very own secret door bookcase. That’s right, just follow these plans, and you’ll have your very own secret agent-style bookcase, complete with a book-key that only you know about. See the plans for this awesome project below.

Here are the basic schematics for the secret door bookcase.

The first step is acquiring the right lumber, cutting, and shaping the wood to fit the plans for the bookcase.

Next, it’s time to start building. Here’s a half of the frame of the bookcase .

The plywood goes on the back.

A dark brown stain gives the case an old look.

In order for the fold-like movement to work, you need to install these wheels. They’ll allow the door to easily open and move out of the way.

Here’s the bookcase all installed. Of course, one thing is missing…

A secret key. Using a book as a key is a classic choice. Here’s how it’s done.

Cut a series of holes in an old book.

A metal catch is placed at the opening of the hole.

The catch secures the screw from the adjacent half of the bookcase. When the book is pushed inward, the screw is released from the catch and the folding mechanism is allowed to move freely.

The final step is simple: fill the bookcase with books!

Here’s how to use the secret book key.

And there you go – works like a charm!

Here’s a video of the secret door bookcase in action.

(via makend0, Instructables)

This is a pretty amazing bookcase. I would love to have one of these in my own home. And don’t worry, these instructions aren’t “for your eyes only,” but I wouldn’t go around telling everyone which book is the secret key.

To get the full list of instructions, head here.

This Bookcase May Look Normal, But It"s Hiding Something Amazing