Building Bookcases (for Dummies)

Myself and a group of others are planning on building some bookshelves in coming months, but we've never done so before, and I don't like the idea of going in blind. I really need whatever help I can get in the information-gathering phase of this grand plan; I don't know how thick the shelves themselves should be, I don't know how wide is too wide for a bookcase, I don't know how one makes it so the bookcase won't fall down during an earthquake... The list goes on.

All help will be appreciated; whatever is basic to you, I probably don't know!

There are books on this sort of thing you know? I thought I had one or two listed but I can't seem to track them down atm.

I would recommend studying all the bookshelves you can find. Have a look how big/tall/wide/deep they are, what the shelf thickness is, how are they attached and supported, what the construction methods are, what materials are used, even what fasteners are used.

Sounds like fun. Make sure you post some photos for us as you go along.

ETA. Found it Building bookcases

Unless the shelf is to be supported at the back, I wouldn't recommend shelves longer than 32" (knowing you're going to fill them up with books). With the right wood (and I don't know what that is) and thick enough (nope, don't know that either), you shouldn't get any sag even after several years.

That's about the extent of what I know.

You should think about whether you are building shelves that you will want to take down and move some day, or even just reconfigure as your library grows. That might affect some of your design choices.

And the finish must be compatible with long-term storage of your really nice FS books. Some even argue that the wood should be unfinished, but someone out there probably knows what to use as a final coat that is okay for long term book storage.

I know - more questions than answers, but you do need to identify the questions before you go too far.

Os.

>2 bernsad: - Ooh, thanks! I'll look into that book.

I would study bookcases, but I can only think of one I have ready access to (besides the library ones, which aren't made of wood)... And it isn't great.

Hopefully I'll be able to post photos, but my camera is ornery, so no guarantees!

>3 Osbaldistone: - The shelf will be supported at the back, no worries there.

I appreciate questions just as much (if not more) as answers, actually. In fact, I was worried about which questions I was missing. Thank you!

That's easy, go to the furniture store, the book store, anywhere they are shelving something heavy, and have a good look at theirs or even have a look at friends' if they have any good examples. The book I have is only small (not very comprehensive) but I'm sure there are others.

Irieisa,
I typed in "How to build a bookcase" into Google and got dozens of sites that give explicit instructions and have lots of pictures and diagrams.

From my own experience (and I've measured and weighed all of the almost-1900 books we own), your average book will be 8-1/4" from spine to foreedge, and 9-1/2" maybe 9-3/4" tall. So, you'll want shelves that are 11" deep.

If you have nothing but paperbacks, you can get away with shelves that are 5-1/2" deep.

The majority of my bookcases are 7 or 7-1/2 feet high and they've all got adjustable shelves in them. BUT!!!! One shelf has to be permanent (to provide stability). Do not expect that the back panel will provide that for you, because it won't no matter what you use to attach it.

The placement of the permanent shelf is critical. For most of the bookcases, the bottom of the permanent shelf is between 36 and 37 inches above the top of the bottom shelf. That'll provide you with 3 shelves below it and another 3 above it (7 shelves altogether) even if some of your books are 10-1/2" tall. One bookcase (there's a long story about this particular one...) has the permanent shelf at 31". As a result, we have 2 shelves that can be only 6 or 7" tall. If we had a collection of miniature books (in the 300-399 section of the Dewey System), we wouldn't mind too much, but as it is, they hold pieces of glasswork because all our books are too large to fit on them.

We've also got a bookcase that's 16-1/2" deep. It's used mostly for oversized art books and coffee table books.

The thickness of your shelf mostly depends on the width of the bookcase, and then on the weight of the books. My bookcases have shelves between 27" and 33" wide. The shelves are 3/4" thick and after 2-1/2 years of being densely packed, show no sign of sagging.

That ought to give you something to think about for a while... Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Consider going to furniture stores that sell basic and "cheap" furniture. You'll save time, money and misery! Try the "unfinished furniture" stores. Painting and staining is easier.

Ahh, yeatman, you're taking all the fun out of this project.

>5 bernsad: - All right, I'll try that.

>6 WholeHouseLibrary: - I see I have... a lot of research to do. Oh dear.

Thank you for the offer; I'll probably take you up on that at some point. First I'll try and absorb everything you said. It's quite a bit.

>7 yeatman01: - Nah, it's already decided that bookshelves will be made. We have the tools, we'll get the wood, and some of us are interested in woodworking more than I am. (I won't be the primary worker here, so the misery portion won't apply so much to me... I hope. The primary worker has plenty of experience with painting and staining, though.) Also, there's no way I'm putting some of my books in a cheap bookcase. ;-)

This is a UK commercial site selling shelving for home assembly.

http://www.shelvingsystem.co.uk

It might help you to see how they do it.

Re: #10 We bought from this company and have been very pleased with the shelves.

It's not realy all that hard! Don't be scared. The worst that can happen is that it collapses and all your books fall down - not the end of the world!

I've made several in my time and nothing terrible has happened. (The standard American home-made bookcases are unfinished 4x8 boards laid on bricks or concrete blocks; I've known people to use that long-term with no problems, even with really nice books. I have similar ones with the variation that the bricks were replaced by old chair legs that bolt on. Honestly, so many commercially-available bookshelves are so totally inadequate for actual books that homemade ones don't have a very high standard to pass...)

The things to remember: Be careful of the spacing of your supports, or the shelves will bend. The size of the shelves depends on the size of what you're shelving, but really anything goes. Make sure the shelf is not so tall that you risk it falling over from being top-heavy, and that the frame is nice and rigid, unless you're going to be fastening the shelves to the wall (which is a very good option if you can, especially if earthquakes are a problem. Screw a bunch of cleats to the wall and you're golden.) The only other problem is getting the shelves level. :D

I have How To Make Bookshelves and Cabinets which has some really interesting (and very 1970s!) patterns in it. One of em's based on a modular dowel system that's inspired by Tinkertoys - one day I shall build that one.

The worst that can happen is that it collapses and all your books fall down - not the end of the world!

What?!? Well, depends on what's on your shelves I guess...

p.s.: and how much of it there is AND if you would happen to stand below it ;-)

Well, the "standing below it" might be an issue. :D

And I probably wouldn't put antique books on a shelf I didn't totally, entirely trust.

But your average bookshelf collapse will simply result in you having to pick all the books up again and then make a new shelf for them. Most books that are in reading condition aren't going to be *that* much worse off for tumbling into a pile, though of course you should avoid it if you can, because, books!

(I suppose some people store breakables on bookshelves. I dunno where they find the space, myself.)

>10 abbottthomas:

Looks like a very promising alternative to Scandia (Skandia?) shelving, which is very difficult to get in the US now. You can see how they look in an photo on my profile page. This Shelfstore system looks like it would compliment my Scandia if I ever need to add on. Who am I kidding - when I need to add on in a year or so.

Os.

I've made a few myself, some I've liked more than others. I've got a couple of tips I can pass on. 3/4" plywood is (relatively) cheap and very stable and strong. Of course the edge looks kind of ugly, so you either need to front it with a strip of the same wood, or glue on some veneer. They make iron on/adhesive backed veneer sized for just that purpose.

Solid wood molding along the top can also cover up the edge of the plywood, ugly joints and make it look pretty good.

I usually build my bookcases from 1x12's because they are 11 and1\4 wide and just about any book will fit. I also add a 1x2 to the face of the boards as this will keep the shelf from bending under the weight. I prefer stain to paint which needs a clear finish over it. I usually use tung oil or spar varnish for the final coat.The more clear coats you add,the easier it is wipe dust off.

I'm pretty sure Sunset published something about bookshelves.
I'm looking at an old book -How to construct built-in and sectional bookcases by Donald R. Brann seventh printing copyright 1974.
published by Directions Simplified Inc. - a division of
Easi-Bild Pattern Co., Inc.
Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510

The one thing I know is that libraries usually prefer metal shelves of a certain thickness because they handle the weight of books better than wood.
Good luck!

A good book to read on this is "The Book on the Bookshelf" by Henry Petroski, I think he states the recommended depth of a shelf should be 12' and that the shelf should be supported every 18' and the thickness of the shelf should be 1 to 1.5' depending on your room. From personal experience I would try to buy solid wood rather than press wood or engineered wood (if that is the right term because the weight of the books over time will cause the bottoms of the shelves to splinter and deteriorate. (edited for spelling)

Ideas for bookcases & bookshelves by Sunset - touchstone doesn't seem to be loading, darn it.

>20 staffordcastle:
Had to mutilate the title a bit, but here's a touchstone - Ideas for bookcases bookshelves

#19: I'm used to the single apostrophe meaning foot & the double apostrophe meaning inches.

12 feet = 12'
12 inches = 12"

so your notations startled me, but I realized that you may be using a different notation for inches than I am used to....

I like this book, Bookcases by Niall Barrett

I like when bookcases are easily assembled & easily disassembled for moving!! but sturdy in-between-times.