A painted built-in that reaches the ceiling, with the room's own plaster cornice continuing around it. Five equal-depth bays above a run of five cupboards standing on the room's own 7½" base. Flush adjustable shelves on traditional wooden sawtooth supports (notched shelves on cleats), plain painted lauan backs, and a motorized projection screen that rides out of sight in the lower frieze: at one button the frieze drawer runs 8" forward and the screen lowers in front of the books. Paint color #57614F (owner).
Intent. Painted joinery that reads as part of the room. It runs wall to wall and floor to ceiling, and the room's plaster cornice steps around its 12" projection as though the woodwork went in before the plaster. There is no furniture crown, no gap above, and no toe recess. The aim is a convincing architectural fit with period-appropriate detail, not a claim to reproduce an original 1882 installation.
Composition. Five upper bays, all 12" deep (Rev G: the three center bays are no longer shallower; the screen now lives in a drawer behind the lower frieze). Flat chamfered stiles divide them (2½" at the walls, 3" at the two principal positions), with 2¼" painted divider faces in the center. Behind each stile is a single ¾" partition (Rev G.2), so every sawtooth strip sits behind a stile or divider face and none shows from the room. Five cupboards sit below a projecting waist ledge, under a two-band frieze with a fine bead. The center 108" of the lower frieze band is the front of the screen drawer.
Datums. X from the finished left boundary, 0 to 174 nominal VERIFY. Z from a surveyed level line tied to the finished floor's high point within the footprint VERIFY. Y from the wall reference plane: a plumb plane through the wall's most-proud point within the footprint VERIFY. All depths below are measured from Y = 0.
Depth stack (all bays)
Material schedule FIXED · D01
Finishing rules. Prime concealed faces and edges before assembly. Keep quirks crisp and don't fill or round them over. Never caulk across moving panel joints or the drawer-front joints (top and both ends). Keep paint thin on sawtooth seats, cleat ends, shelf notches and door edges, and let the coating cure before loading shelves or closing doors. Take hardware off for painting.
Assembly sequence
Shelf tops shown at Z 48, 60½, 73 and 85½: an illustrative setting on the 1¼" tooth grid, not an approved schedule. Clear openings at the left are measured at the front edge, below the 1½" upper shelf edging. The top opening runs to the tower soffit (side bays) or the ¼" pocket liner (center bays), both at Z 99¾. Whether a given book fits depends on both its height and its depth, so check representative books (sheet 10). Frieze setout (Rev F.2): lower band 100½–107½ (the center 108" is the drawer front), a paint-free 1/16" joint, upper frieze 107 9/16–113 1/16, and the plaster ground's underside at 113⅛, leaving the 1/16" quirk. Model these gaps; don't close them. Base (Rev G): the room's 7½" base runs across in one continuous board; cupboards, face frame and doors sit 3½" higher than Rev E, so the doors are 22⅝" tall.
All five bays now share the side-bay section; B is cut through a center bay to show the screen drawer, closed (solid) and open (dashed). The 20" shown in plan runs from the ledge front (Y 16) to the entry-door line, which the owner gave as 36" from the wall. It is a design relationship, not a verified passage or code clearance; confirm it on the room survey.
How the cornice continues. A new run of the room's own cornice profile is formed along the built-in face at Y 12, with its lower edge on a fixed wooden plaster ground at Z 113⅛. At each side wall it meets the existing side-wall cornice in an inside-corner miter. The plasterer runs the new work in place, or casts lengths from a template taken from the existing profile.
Existing plaster. The existing screen-wall run and the short side-wall lengths behind the face plane stay in place, enclosed in the void above the frieze. The top frame is set to clear them. Existing work is cut back only along the junction line. Before any cutting, record the profile, condition and substrate per NPS Preservation Brief 23 (S7). This set does not authorize wholesale removal.
Movement. The plaster backing is metal lath on furring fixed to the permanent top frame and ceiling framing. It never bridges the removable panel, and it never relies on a solid-wood board for support. The upper frieze slips under the plaster ground with a 1/16" shadow quirk, so wood movement doesn't crack the plaster.
VERIFY Ceiling height Zc, cornice drop Dc, projection Pc, enrichments and their repeat (if any enriched member exists, set the miters at motif centers, never through a motif), side-wall trim and door casings near the corners, and the joist direction for the top frame.
Cupboard 3 is built like the others (Rev F.1/G): solid box bottom, full top stretcher, standard face-frame top rail and continuous cove, platform rail without notches. No equipment is planned in the cupboards; the drawer's electronics are above the left bay (08A).
The rear 3¾" is the fixed datum: screws through the back stretchers, plus the uprights' locating splines. Everywhere else it is held with #10 pan-head screws and ¾" OD flat washers in ½"-long slots running front to back. A 0.19" shank in a ½" slot leaves 0.31" of travel. At the front stretcher, about 10½" from the fixed zone, expected movement is about 0.12" over a 4% MC range (0.19" at the front edge). Set each screw at the slot center if the ledge goes in at mid-range MC, or toward the end it will move away from if it goes in dry or damp; that leaves at least 0.09" reserve each way. The washers cover the full slot. Upright fronts rest on the ledge unfixed; the uprights are held by the wall rails and top frame. Ledge joints at the divider centerlines get two ¼" loose tenons and two draw bolts each. The joint shows forward of the divider as a fine painted line. The cove now runs the full 174" (no AV opening).
How it works D05 G.1/G.2 owner. The traditional fit, with every strip hidden. Each upper bay and cupboard has four notched vertical strips, ¾" thick, one in each inside corner of its interior: rear strips at Y 1–2½; front strips from Y 9 3/16 forward to the back of the stile or divider face at Y 11¼ (upper), or Y 10 15/16–12 7/16 (cupboards). They are glued and screwed to the ¾" end panels, the single tower partitions and the divider cores (never to the lauan back). In the upper bays the interior (panel face to panel face) is ¾" wider each side than the visible opening, so the strips sit behind the stiles and faces: ⅜" inside the edges of the 3" tower stiles, and flush with the edges of the 2½" end stiles and 2¼" divider faces (zero margin, so set those strips −0/+1/32 toward the panel and no strip edge shows). Teeth are on a 1¼" pitch from the Z datum, with a ½" seat and ¼" riser, cut through the full ¾". Each side gets one loose cleat: a straight ¾ × 1 poplar bar spanning front to back between the two strips, its ends shaped as tongues that sit in the tooth seats with 1/16" end play. The shelf core runs the full interior less ⅛" (1/16" each side), ¾" plywood notched at all four corners around the strips with 1/16" clearance, and rests on the cleat tops (11/16" bearing each side). The edging spans the visible opening less 1/16" each side, so on the upper shelves it sits off-center on the core (schedule E); because the edging is flush on top, those shelves are handed and can't be flipped end for end. A ¾ × ¾ rear rail runs between the rear notches. No keepers. Nothing projects above the shelf top. Build and test one full bay before production PROVISIONAL.
To remove a shelf: unload it. Lift it ½" off the cleats, tilt it about 24° about the top of the edging end on the pivot side (that point stays put, so nothing swings into the stile), slide it to center its plan width in the visible opening, and draw it straight out. Pivot on the TOWER end in the center-side bays: bay 2 pivots left and lifts its right end; bay 4 pivots right and lifts its left end (lifting bay 4's right end brings its high corner to Z 99.68, only 0.07" under the ceiling). Bay 3 goes either way (0.38" under the ceiling); bays 1 and 5 either way (≥ 0.94"). Tilted and centered, the plan clearance is 0.37" (side bays), 0.46" (bays 2, 4) and 0.61" (bay 3) each side, and the minimum ceiling clearance for the top shelf is 0.23". The rising end climbs about 13–14", so work from the top shelf down. Cupboards are unchanged from G.1: 23° with the doors at 90° (outer), 21° with the doors at 135° (middle). Reverse to replace.
To move a shelf: with the shelf out, lift each cleat out of its seats, drop it into the new pair of teeth (same tooth number front and rear, and on both sides), and set the shelf back on.
| Setting checked | Requirement | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Upper side shelves (core 32¼, edging 30⅜) | Lift ½, tilt 24° (either end): 29.77" in plan vs 30½", 0.37" each side; rise ≈ 13¼" | clear (shelf above removed) |
| Upper bays 2, 4 (34⅜ / 32½) | 31.71" vs 32⅝", 0.46" each side; pivot on the tower end; rise ≈ 14" | clear (shelf above removed) |
| Upper bay 3 (33⅝ / 32⅛) | 31.02" vs 32¼", 0.61" each side; either end | clear (shelf above removed) |
| Top shelf, every bay (85½) | Pivot on the tower end in bays 2 and 4: ≥ 0.23" under the ceilings (bay 4 lifted right would leave 0.07") | clear |
| Outer cupboards 30⅜" | Doors at 90°: 28.45" tilted 23° vs 28.69" between leaves | clear; confirm on sample |
| Middle cupboards 32⅛ / 31⅜ / 32⅛" | Doors at 135°: 30.44" tilted 21° vs 30.99" (cupboards 2, 4) | clear; confirm on sample |
Door type D07: inset frame-and-panel, ⅞" thick, 22⅝" tall in Rev G (the 3½" cabinet lift comes out of the door height; the ledge stays at 36"), broad quiet frame (stiles and top rail 2¾", bottom rail 3¼"), a fine ovolo stuck on the frame's inner edge, a broad flat panel margin, and a narrow molded step to a fielded center. That layering is what the cupboard photographs show. Every radius and step is provisional until a contour-gauge tracing of the cupboard is made. Whether the cupboard's moldings are stuck or applied isn't visible in the photos; inspect it before choosing construction. Applied molding is acceptable if it doesn't lock the panel.
Long haunched mortise-and-tenon: ⅜" tenon, 1¼" long. The haunch fills the panel groove at the stile end. The stile's sticking is cut away at the joint and the rail's sticking is mitered to it, so the rail's front shoulder is ⅜" longer than its back shoulder. This is a different joint from cope-and-stick and is drawn as such. Pegs are optional: if used, a ¼" functional drawbore peg ⅝" from the shoulder, through the stile clear of the sticking. The cupboard photos don't show whether it is pegged, so no fake pegs.
Panel. ½" solid poplar, grain vertical, floating, with no glue in the grooves. A ³⁄₁₆" front step leaves a 5/16" margin; a 1/16" rear rebate at the edge makes the ¼" tongue (the Rev B "back flat" note was wrong). Width clearance is set for movement: flat-sawn yellow-poplar, tangential coefficient 0.00289 per 1% MC (Wood Handbook), assumed 4% seasonal MC range, gives about ⅛" across an 11" panel. So the panel is cut ³⁄₁₆" under full groove depth overall, made at mid-range MC measure room MC.
Hardware (one coherent finish, owner's choice) PROVISIONAL: two butt hinges per door (start from 2" × 1⅝" loose-pin; final size from door weight, ⅞" thickness and bead clearance), one turned knob per door, one surface catch per pair across the meeting stiles, and an elbow catch inside the passive (left) leaf. The left leaf closes first and is held by the elbow catch; the right leaf carries the surface catch. Check from the cupboard photos whether its catch slides or turns before buying; a product labeled Eastlake (S9) is a style reference only. No escutcheons, since there are no locks. Slotted screws where visible. Rev G.1 shelf removal (05S, C2): the outer cupboards (1, 5) need the doors at 90°, so fit an opening restraint on their two outer leaves to keep them off the side walls; the middle cupboards (2–4) need the doors at 135°, so their hinges must allow it. Loose-pin butts allow about 170° before the knob meets the neighboring door.
Drive. A 12 V planetary gearmotor with encoder (goBILDA 5203 Yellow Jacket 188:1, 30 rpm, or Pololu 37D) rides on the carriage behind the spine at the left end (X 36.6–42.1, axis Y 2.6, Z 104.6), hung from the top plate on a ⅛" aluminum mount. A 1:1 timing belt drives the ¾" OD steel torque tube (Y 1⅝, Z 101⅞), which runs the full width in flange bearings on the end plates. A 1" pitch-diameter pinion on each end of the tube engages a steel rack screwed to each cheek, below the slide (Z 101–101⅜). Because both pinions are on one tube, the motor drives the drawer and keeps the 108" front square at the same time. Speed ≈ 1.6"/s: 8" in about 5 s.
Limits and stops. Closed: a roller-lever micro switch on the upper wall rail at X 60 is tripped by the carriage top plate. Open: a micro switch behind the rubber-faced stop block on the left cheek. The steel stop tab on the carriage meets the block at exactly 8" (the hard stop stays as the mechanical backup). Wire both switches normally closed so a broken wire stops the motor. Add a stall timeout and current limit in firmware.
Wiring path. Power and low-voltage wiring run in the wall behind the cabinet (owner, Rev G.2); there is no chase in the towers. A nylon cable carrier (10 × 15 mm) lies above the left bay on a ¼" tray screwed to the cheek (Z 104⅜). Its moving end is an aluminum arm bolted to the left end plate that passes through a ½" × 9¼" slot in the left cheek (Y 1–10¼, Z 106½–107). It carries the motor, encoder and screen power/trigger leads.
Controls (above the left bay, X 8–24, Y 2–9, on the soffit): an ESP32 controller, a Cytron MDD10A motor driver and a Mean Well LRS-150-12 12 V supply in one ventilated enclosure, with a duplex 110 V receptacle beside it (X 25–27) for the 12 V supply and the screen. Reached through a removable panel in the left-bay soffit. The 110 V circuit is to code by a licensed electrician where required VERIFY.
Sequence. Open: the drawer runs out to the open limit, then the controller gives the screen its 12 V trigger and the screen lowers. Close: the trigger drops and the screen rises fully (screen-up reed switch or timed), then the drawer runs in to the closed limit. The drawer never closes with the fabric down. Inputs: wall button, IR/RF remote, Home Assistant, or the projector's 12 V trigger output (Epson LS11000 trigger output not confirmed, FV11).
Service. With the drawer open, lift the case off its two floating brackets and lower it about 10" out through the open bottom of the carriage; reverse to reinstall. The motor, belt and limit switches are reached the same way.
Parts and budget: Rev G (current)/Motorized-Screen-Drawer-Budget-RevG.xlsx (links to every part, DIY install).
Generated from CutList-Plywood-RevG.csv and CutList-Poplar-RevG.csv (Rev G CNC Files, exported from the Rev G model; ezdxf re-read and model-size checks in Checks-RevG.txt). Plywood sizes assume 0.72" actual for ¾" nominal; re-run the export with the measured sheet (FV13). Acclimate all solid stock in the room, or in matching conditions, until moisture-meter readings are stable and within the range used for the panel and ledge allowances. Face-frame tenons are 1" and door tenons 1¼" throughout. Each table continues across printed pages with its header repeated.
Rendered check: the PDF delivered with this revision was itself rasterized page by page and inspected for clipping, overlapping labels, missing fractions and table overflow, and the issues found were fixed before release. Sources: Rev F review (Review-and-Changes.md) and the Rev F, F.1 and F.2 drawing-coordination deltas; Rev G.2 model check 89/89; Elite VMAXT100XWH3 dimension sheet and user guide; Accuride 9301E data. S1 Eastlake, Hints on Household Taste; S2/S4 Denning, The Art and Craft of Cabinet-Making (1891); S3 Met Museum, Kimbel & Cabus desk; S5 Sawtooth Shelf System; S6 Lee Valley 00S0710 (reference only, not used); S7 NPS Preservation Brief 23; S8 USDA Wood Handbook ch. 4 (moisture) and ch. 5 (creep); S9 House of Antique Hardware.