Advice for exposed sides of bookcase

[Elliot Lewin]

Maple and birch are often similar in general hue, but they have very different grain pattern and pore structure so they will have some difference in how things like dye/stain absorbs/adheres, etc. They can be perfectly compatible with a little bit of work in that respect.

I was thinking of using a gel stain (Minwax walnut or chestnut) to prevent splotchy spots.

[Carl Beckett]

Try a test sample, but I think you can get these to match pretty nicely. MUCH better than the oak/birch combo.

[Jim Becker]

ALWAYS do a test of the full intended finishing regimen on the same material your project is built from before committing to the real workpiece. "Stuff happens"...

[Tom Bender]

Plywood is not so good for shelves, solid wood will be thinner, helping with cost.

Plan carefully what will go on each shelf. If you make all the shelves tall enough for the tallest book you will waste a lot of space and it will look clunky. In any case, unless the books are all in a few beautifuly bound sets the wall of shelves will probably look cluttered. Tall shelves at the bottom and shorter as you go up may be better. Shallower as you go up can also be good.