From: "Ernest Lilley" <elilley at mindspring.com>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Book Storage Boxes - Cut Down Appleboxes
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 08:54:03 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Cut Down Appleboxes.

If you came to our place here in Alexandria, you'd think we barely read. I
think there are only six bookcases (Ikea, Billy, 3ft) in the place. The rest
are on storage shelving at an undisclosed location...in boxes. It's taken
years to find the ultimate box, and though I'll keep looking...I find
Appleboxes to be at least penultimate.

Partly because I believe in drawing the line between letting possessions run
my life and having them accessible, I set a limit to the number of shelves I
can have at home...and the rest goes into storage. The trick is to make them
findable. The other thing is that unlike many bookfolks, I get to pick up my
tent and move every few years...courtesy of a military gal.

Now, putting books in boxes generally means never seeing them again. Thanks
to SFRevu and TechRevu, I acquire books at a pretty good clip, and need to
refind them on short notice. Stacked books in boxes defeated my efforts to
keep them orgainized. After a long time I turned to my present system.

Cut Down Appleboxes.

Using these, I get stackable boxes that act as flat bookcases. Pressed in
together with their spines facing up I can easily scan books to find what I
need, and they fit nicely on storage shelves.

Appleboxes are very sturdy, measure about 20x12X12 (inches) and can
generally be obtained from one's green grocer. I pick up one a week when I
go shopping, and since I do it as the first thing I also use it to bring my
groceries home in rather than get more shopping bags.

Emptied of groceries, I cut them down to 7" tall for hardcovers, and 5" tall
for paperbacks. Since I do it on a regular basis, You can even turn them on
their sides to make temporary bookcases for use in the (oh the shame)
huckster rooms at cons...

I have a wooden yardstick I use to cut them down cleanly, it has nails
placed at strategic points to mark the boxes for cutting and then hold it in
place against the cardboard for cleaner (and safer) cuts. If you make your
own yardstick, take time to predrill the holes for the nails to you don't
split the wood. Sheetrock screws work even better than nails, since you can
adjust their depth.

Some numbers:

Dimensions in inches and lbs.

Full Size: 20x12x12 (aprox)
Cut Down Height (HC/PB): 7" HC, 5" PB
Capacity in books
HC: 20-25 HC in one row, with some others stacked above.
PB: 40 in two rows. Dropping a cardboard divider between the rows allows you
to turn the boxes on their side.

Note: Capacity will vary depending on your favorite authors and the
increasing trend in the publishing industry to sell doorstoppers. But you
should use these to stop doors and plug levees, so they shouldn't be a
problem.

Now if I just built a frame to hold the boxes at an angle so I could see all
the faces while standing I could do away with bookcases alltogether...
hmmm...

Ernest Lilley

Home/Office: 703 606 7946
email: elilley at mindspring.com