Open Back Shelves

[Dan Gill]

A friend and neighbor has asked me to make some wall-to-wall bookshelves for her, extending down 44 or 45 inches from the ceiling. I had envisioned a typical face-frame cabinet and planned on a 1/2 inch back both for rigidity and for ease of mounting with french cleats. Her idea was to have no back so we could see the wall through the shelves.

How would you do this and keep it from racking? The shelves will be adjustable, so we're talking about an open box with no back and only a 1 1/2 - 2 inch face frame on the front. I told her I needed some way to mount the cabinet to the wall, so there would at least have to be stretchers between the sides of the pieces at the top and bottom. I'm building this in three pieces between 44 and 48 inches wide. By the way, if her house is like mine, it has studs on 24 inch centers.

Any advice is welcome.

[Don Baer]

Dan,
One suggestion I could make would be to make a face frame the same thickness as the side and top/bottom, use 1/2 lap to join the styles to the rails. This would give you something beside the carcus for support and might prevent any racking. The other sugestion would be to use metal "L" brackets on the back corners.

I am sure other might have better ideas.

[Jim DeLaney]

Why not compromise and use a back that's painted to match the wall?

[Randy Moore]

Why doe she want to see the wall behind the shelves?


She will have to paint the wall between the shelves when she paints the room!
Randy

[Gail O'Rourke]

Interesting because the cabinets that I am delivering tomorrow do not have a back also.

First, if you are using 3/4 " ply you will not have a problem. Is the total piece 48" divided by three or is it three 48" wide boxes?

I think that you still can do the cleats, the cleats will mount to the back top of the box, so one cleat per box (cabinet cleat). mount the mate to the wall and then slide her on. You will see the 2" cleat at the top of the box. (like a screw rail). If you secure the cabinet cleat to the sides of the cabinet it will help keep the piece square.

Hope this makes sense.

[Dan Oelke]

How about a "face"-frame on the back as well? You could then put a couple of nice looking (long) bass screws through that into the studs both top and bottom. Or regular screws countersunk and wood plugs.

The wider the boards for your face frame the more the frame will help prevent racking, because the corners will be stronger.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Dan,
I built something similar years ago and didn't use a back. You can see the wall behind but not much due to all the pictures and books on the shelves. There is no problem at all but mine are on each side of a fireplace and are supported by the wall and fireplace.

If the bookshelves will be free standing with no other support I would make the center shelf fixed (dadoed) to help with racking. Then I would put some triangle shaped pieces in the corners and maybe around the fixed shelf to keep things straight. I think the way you attach them to the wall will help too as this could make the cases very strong. It shouldn't be a problem once they're installed but some temporary supports across the carcass will keep it straight during the install if needed. Good luck.

[Jim Hager]

You can mount that shelf to the wall without the use of a hanging rail by using pocket holes in the top and bottom shelves at least. You can also use them for the shelves in the middle too. Pocket hole plugs are sold by Kreg to cover up the pocket in either plastic or wood. Just a thought tho I have never done it myself but it seemed a good solution to the visability problem you have.

[Mike Cutler]

Hmm.. good ideas I like the combination of a reverse face frame on the back, and Gail's idea about the cleats.
I believe that the face frame(s) will have to be 1/2 lapped, and it will probably be a 45 deg 1/2 lap. If the rails and the stiles of the frame are tied together at the corners. The shelf unit will not be able to move, it will be trying to move against itself.
Given her design constraints, I would have to inform her that she is moving out of the "easy" cheaper materials and into more expensive and stronger materials. You won't be able to make these out of poplar and pine. It will take hardwoods like maple and oak or if they are expected to last for years and years.
What will the shelf material be. To span 48" and not sag over time will take a strong wood. Books are heavy!
I just completed a bookshelf project that has no back, but it is free standing. I left the backs open because they are in a small room, and to close in the back would have visually moved the size of the room to the front of the shelves. Even though they have books on them, your eye can still see thru them, and the perception that the room size is smaller is diminished.You also do not feel "closed in" by the shelves. This may be why she wants to be able to see the walls thru the shelves..

[Tim Sproul]

A picture is worth a thousand words:


http://www.woodworkersweb.com/modules/gallery/albums/albuz38/dry_fit_1.jpg


Join that back rail to both the shelf and the case sides. You'll stiffen the shelf and get good resistance to racking while maintaing a pretty open back.

[Steve Clardy]

Make the center shelf ridgid to the cabinet. Use a cleat at the top to mount to the wall.

[Scott Parks]

What about sliding dovetails on the shelves???

[Bill Fields]

Dan:


Every one on these bookshelves that I have built/installed MUST be anchored to the wall.

Otherwise, an inadvertent tug, earthquake or other unexpected force could send the entire mass (200-300#) down on a kid or other victim.

If you anchor it to the wall, racking goes away. CHEATING, I know!

BILL FIELDS

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Why not compromise and use a back that's painted to match the wall?

I gotta admit I woulda never thought about this...but it sure sounds hard to beat.

KC

[Dan Gill]

Thanks for all the responses. I suggested painting the back to match the wall. For some reason, she thinks it will give the room a more open look to have no back to the piece.

Gail, it will be three boxes totalling 136 inches. I actually first designed 44 1/2, 48, 44 1/2.

I didn't want to make the center shelf fixed, but I may have to, just for strength. And these WILL be affixed to the wall. Remember they extend down from the ceiling 45 inches.

Again, thanks.

[John Hemenway]

Dan,
If the shelves will go all the way to the ceiling, I'd attach them to the ceiling joists and let them hang. If they are wall- to-wall I don't think there will be a racking problem because there will be no where for them to move sideways. Even if they aren't all the way to the side walls you could pocket screw the middle cabinet to the wall along it's (out) sides - these will be hidden when you add the outside cabinets.

For a little added strength, perhaps you could add a moulding to the bottom where the case meets the wall. Kinda like a ledge for the case to sit on.

[Hank Knight]

Dan, I made some shop cabinets from a plan in Wood Magazine several years ago. They are nothing more than a 3/4" ply boxes with a 1 1/2" maple face frames that I joined with bridle joints. They hang by a french cleat which is mounted so that the boxes hang flush against the wall. My "wall" is peg board so I can hang stuff inside the cabinets. Apart from the face frame, there is no other support or bracing. The shelves are mounted with adjustable shelf strips and metal clips. I let the shelf strips into dados in the cabinet sides to allow for full width shelves. They stay pretty loaded and I've never had a racking problem. The face frame is enough to keep them square.