Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 23:51:16 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Book shelves and cases
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Hah!  My hind brain just figured it out.  Four 1'X6.5' pieces of cotton
duck, eight 1' square pieces of thin wood, twelve 2' dowel rods, and nine
1' dowel rods, and I will have collapsible light weight shelves for my
purses at my next event.  I love having a brain that thinks like an
engineer.  I may need to add two more 8' lengths of cotton duck and another
16 pieces of thin wood, but I'll put it together first and try it out
before I decide.

At 09:05 PM 10/20/2005, you wrote:
>I take your word for it that Staples sells folding bookcases, but they
>aren't on their website.  Most annoying, since a short folding bookcase at
>one end of a table at an event, would be really helpful for me.
>
>At 06:47 PM 10/20/2005, you wrote:
>
> >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
>
>Candy
>(301)345-6635

Candy
(301)345-6635