Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:47:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: dicconf <dicconf at radix.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Book shelves and cases
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

On Thu, 20 Oct 2005, Mike B. wrote:

> At 12:17 PM 10/20/2005 -0700, Michael Nelson wrote:
>
>> I just priced a basic 6-foot high by 4-foot wide bookcase
>> with eight shelves set 8 inches apart for paperback books.
>> Nine 1" x 6" x 4' pine boards for the horizonial pieces and
>> three 1" x 6" x 6' pine boards -- two for the sides with
>> one in back to prevent the shelves from sagging.  At the
>> current prices at Lowes, one pine bookcase would cost
>> about $90 if you already had the tools you would need.
>
> I suspect the cost of wood is behind the revival of the style of case
> consisting of several narrow boards for the verticals.  Rather than 2 side
> boards you can rip one into enough parts for both sides.  You might get
> more using dowels between a couple of 1x2 solid wood sides...that's the
> sort of construction the folding one I got from Staples uses.  Looks nice,
> uses less wood.

The Staples folding ones are theoretically stackable, or used to be.
A while back they had a deluxe version that had a back and a top, and
looked like fine furniture while still folding down flat.  I wish I'd
gotten one.

> Plywood or MDF for the shelves is also common, even if you put a "nose" on
> it from solid wood for stiffness and appearance, then either veneer or
> paint them.   Hardboard or thin plywood for the back panel works well and
> costs less than more boards too.

3-layer plywood is routinely used in commercial furniture, as is
hardboard, for drawer bottoms and bookcase backs.

The major questions are: 1. (as Mike mentioned) how much weight can your
floor take, and 2. how many sharp or rough edges can you live with.

   Sheet "wood" made of plastic and wood chips, like the chipboard with
veneer that most cheap bookcases are made of, is heavier than the same
size of natural wood.

   Any home-made woodwork will have to be sanded smooth.  Sears used to
sell excellent metal bookcases that held full loads of books for decades
without sagging, but I don't know whether they still carry them.  The
design varied over time but always involved being assembled with bolts.
They didn't have backs or sides; someone I knew bought sheet aluminum cut
to fill the width between the uprights and full height, drilled holes, and
bolted sides (and sometimes backs) onto them. That increased the rigidity
_considerably_, and prevented books from falling off the ends.  One strip
could be held between two stacks of shelves in larger assemblages.  Once
the edges were filed smooth the only drawback was the shine.  These were
not the cheap shelves commonly sold for garages, but the sheet aluminum
system would probably add rigidity to those too.

   The aluminum doesn't rust and it takes up less space than equivalent
wood.  For homemade bookcases where looks are not so important as
function, I'd add sheet metal sides to stiffen wooden shelving.  Shelves
should be shorter than 3 feet, preferably two feet long, for anti-sag
qualities. Books are _heavy_ and wood will sag over time.

   For stacking bricks and wood, I've heard that glass brick is better
looking than regular brick, doesn't absorb moisure, and is less abrasive.
OTOH it can break and it's just as heavy.

   If I had to move frequently (a nightmarish thought, considering how many
books we have), I think I'd investigate having book boxes made.  The
problem with those is that they weigh so much when full, I'd have to have
them made about 24" by 24", which would add a lot of space-filling wood.
If they were just deep enough so the book edges would be protected even if
there were no "lid", a wheeled base the same size could be made to make it
easier to move them.  It could be another book-box, with caster holes
built into the corners, and the casters left in place or removed according
to personal taste.  It would have to have a place to grab hold/attach
tow ropes, and it could be a little deeper than the upper shelves/boxes,
maybe even have 'doors' and be a true small cabinet.

=Tamar Lindsay