This May Look Like a Normal Bookcase, But There’s More To It Than Meets The Eye

Even at home, some people just want to feel like a secret agent. One of the most common methods for this is having a secret passageway. I mean, who doesn’t like the idea of being able to quickly escape detection, or hide away something special behind an unsuspecting library?

You’ve probably seen many of these in movies and all over the internet, but how are they made? Below is the step-by-step process to making a bookshelf that doubles as a hidden doorway. Enjoy.

First it requires a frame design. The skeleton and opening mechanism are the key aspects to get just right. Everything else is decorative.

Next comes the building stages. One must make sure the wood of the frame is measured and cut appropriately for the space.

Here’s an example of what half the frame would look like.

Plywood is placed on the back side.

Once the frame is complete, it should fit together like this.

Staining or painting the frame to match the style in the room is always a nice touch.

Wheels are installed for the fold-out door movement.

Here’s the bookcase installed in its rightful place. Although, it isn’t quite functional yet.

No secret bookcase door would be complete without a hidden “key” to open it up. The typical hidden key is a book trigger.

It requires a throwaway book. You know, that dusty hard-cover copy of Moby Dick that won’t mind a few holes carved into it.

A metal catch is placed in the opening of the small hole, like so.

This catch will hold a screw from the adjacent half of the bookcase. When the book is pushed, the screw is released, triggering the folding mechanism.

Next, the bookcase is ready to be filled in with books. Just have to remember which is the key.

When it’s all said and done, the “key” should work like this.

And the sliding should work like this.

Here’s a great video with a more in-depth demonstration.

Via Youtube user: makend0