Multiple Bookcases

[Tim Plantz]

Hello Creekers,

I had a friend ask me to design and build a series of 5-6 short bookcase units. each measuring roughly 40" high, 48"(?) wide and 18" deep to hold all of her hardbound books (she's got hundreds! :0) She's got a short wall dividing two rooms and would like to run them all along it. In case she would ever move, they need to be all single units, placed side by side.

My questions is what type of trim design to use to avoid any gaps between each unit. Any suggestions??

Thanks, Tim

[Aaron Frank]

Tim,

A couple of observations. One, 18" is really deep. 14-16" should be deep enough, unless your friend's collection consists of a lot of coffee table sizedbooks. Two, 48" wide will be a big stress on the shelf material - plywood or solid stock. If you go with a 24" or 30" width, the shelves will hold up better over time, and the overall case will be easier to move around, should she move. (Not to mention for you during construction and installation) Three, to your question about gaps. During installation clamp the mating edges together and drive a couple of screws inside the case. If you're concerned with the sides being butted together, you couple easily pin nail a decorative molding over the joint. A half column or fluted molding, of the appropriate width, might be nice. Just make sure that you only pin one side, so that the units will separate easily when/if she moves.

Bookcases are a fun project and the possibilities are numerous. It's all a matter ot taste. Have fun.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I second the comment about 48" wide shelves. Having said that, there's no reason why the whole unit can't be 48", but internally subdivided into shorter (24") shelves....

[Tim Plantz]

Thanks AAron and John. Now you've got my wheels turning. How about 40-44" wide cases, 14" deep seperated and supported in the middle, then tacking on a filler strip, possibly fluted between cases?

[Tom Veatch]

...to avoid any gaps between each unit. Any suggestions??

Thanks, Tim

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=368

[Tom Hargrove]

Somewhere on this wonderful forum you will find a link to website that calculates the longest span for a given shelf material based on the load that will be put on that shelf. For instance, oak works better than pine, plywood better than MDF, etc. Thicker material is better than thinner material, but a cleat at one edge can bring about a big improvement. There are lots of variables. IIRC, you don't want more than a 36" span for 3/4" edged plywood if books are going to be the load.

So I did the search myself since I got more curious as I typed this. Try this link: http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm.

Good luck.