I'm building a book shelf to go on the wall above the desk I just made for our home office. The material is Hickory. Here's my question:
Would the bottom shelf be strong enough if I attach the bottom board to the vertical pieces with 2-1/2" screws going up through the bottom board into the vertical pieces. I would probably put 3 -4 screws at each location. The board along the back edge of the shelf will be attached to the studs in the wall. This would allow the fasteners to be hidden with plugs. I don't expect the shelf to ever be fully loaded with books.
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The screws would be GRK #10 x 2-1/2". I would drill pilot holes to avoid splitting the Hickory.
My other design thought would be to make 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet on each end of the bottom self and set that into a 3/8" dado in the two end pieces, but that would put the screws on the side of the vertical pieces where they would be more difficult to hide, even with plugs.