# Advice for a newcomer on built-in bookcases



## TomGale (12 Jun 2011)

Hello Everybody, 
I've been lurking around the site for a few weeks now and it seems like a very friendly place, so I hope you won't mind me posting this request for help and you will excuse my naivety. I will shortly moving into a victorian terraced house. My wife and I have a lot of books and I would like to build fitted bookshelves for the alcoves on either side of the dining room fireplace. I have bought a number of books and done a fair amount of online research, but there are a number of critical details which I definitely feel the lack of. The method I have found documented most often is (very basically as follows):

1) Build a plinth in the alcove, 
2) Build the bookcase separately to a width that leaves some clearence on either side
3) Fit the bookcases to the plinth and attach to the wall
4) Fit a frame to the front of the cases to hide the gap between them and the wall

I have a pretty clear idea on how to make the cases themselves (at least in theory), although if I progress with this project I'd like to post my proposed method for comment. What's really bugging me is that every description I read, seems to simply say "attach the cases to the wall", with no clear explanation of how this is achieved. Can anybody shed any light on this process?

Finally, is this a project which is simply too ambitious for the novice? I don't mind if it takes me months to finish, but I would want the final product to look decent, not ruin a ransom's worth of wood and retain all my fingers in the process.

Perhaps there are some smaller, more modest projects that might give me a grounding in the necessary skills?
Many thanks 
tom


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## Shultzy (12 Jun 2011)

Hi Tom, welcome to the forum. There a 101 ways to fix the bookcase to the wall which is why the phrase "attach the cases to the wall" is often used. As it will sit on the plinth it doesn't need heavy fixing to the wall. The fixing depends on whether screws through the back can be hidden. If they can't, use a french cleat, or glue blocks to the top of the bookcase and screw through into the wall.


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## DOOGYREV (12 Jun 2011)

Hi Tom,
Shultzy rightly said, there are 101 way to do this.
As you say they are going to be in an alcove you can fix through the sides, and hide the the screw with a shelf.

I wouldnt say it was too ambitious, If you can use a tape measure, a square, a saw and a plane then just get stuck in, and take your time, if there is something your not confident with have a go on some offcuts, and if you are unsure of something just come to the forum and ask.


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## barkwindjammer (12 Jun 2011)

If you shim up the plinth, or even add those plastic adjustable feet that are used in kitchen cabinets then you wont need a fixing to the wall, if its level it will stand there and be stable, for some 'noob' inspiration have a look at my first project a-bookcase-for-bonnie-swmbo-t51368.html 
If I can do it-you can


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## AndyT (12 Jun 2011)

Hi Tom

Too ambitious for a novice?

Not if you're the sort of novice who takes the time to think first and find out how to do it - as you clearly are. The method you describe is a very good way of going about it as it avoids the problems that would otherwise arise when you find that houses normally have walls that are not straight and corners that are not square.

One further thought on the attachment options: depending on how much room you have, it might be easiest to fix a batten across the back of the alcove first, screwed and plugged into the brickwork. Stand the bookcase in front, on its plinth, and then screw through into wood rather than wall. The screws don't need to be big, and can go anywhere convenient.


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## petermillard (12 Jun 2011)

Hi Tom and welcome.

I do a lot of this kind of work and you have the basic procedure sorted, no worries. If you measure the narrowest point of the alcove, then allow 30mm each side, this is usually enough 'wiggle-room' to accomodate skirting boards and out-of-plumb walls. As mentioned above, 'kitchen cabinet' adjustable feet are an alternative to a plinth, and I usually have the base of the bookcase/alcove unit at the same level as the skirting, unless it's particularly deep. I also allow ~30mm from the back of the alcove to the back of the bookcase.

if the bookcase is to be completely enclosed within the alcove (i.e. not projecting forwards) then construction is simply 18mm MDF glued and screwed; I usually have a fixed central shelf and a coupe of adjustable shelves above and below this. Shelves are usually cut 15mm shallower than the carcass, and lipped with 6mm 'D' profile hardwood - adds some strength, looks nice and avoids the 'MDF end grain' issue when painted.

As far as 'attach to the wall' is concerned, I use wooden wedges simply glued and tapped home on either side, a batten screwed into the back wall, and a false top scribed to the alcove and screwed into the batten at the rear and the top of the bookcase; as mentioned above, this is just to stop the bookcase tipping forwards - the real weight should be bearing straight down through the plinth/feet.

If you don't have the tools to cut sheet materials, then find a decent timber yard to do this for you - it'll cost a few pounds, but save you hours of your time.

HTH, Pete


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## custard (12 Jun 2011)

Pete, your website looks great! How did you do those thick shelves fitted into an alcove?


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## petermillard (13 Jun 2011)

custard":3g9tdhsp said:


> Pete, your website looks great! How did you do those thick shelves fitted into an alcove?


Thank you. Not to drag the thread OT, I do chunky alcove shelves by fixing a batten to the back and sides of the alcove then a leading edge screwed into the end grain of the side battens. Top & bottom are skinned in MDF (scribed to the alcove) and glued and pinned around the sides and back with a veneer pinner - I don't like pins at the front, so the leading edge is clamped up for ten minutes while the PVA gets a hold, then the front edge is lipped with thin softwood/hardwood/MDF just to give a clean edge and hide the 'sandwich' of MDF & softwood. Front lipping is just glued on and held in place with masking tape while it takes.

If the shelves are particularly wide I'll epoxy a length of box-section steel to the back of the leading edge for extra strength, and if they're particularly deep I'll run another full-width 'rib' about half-way in.

I've also used this box-section style (let's not get into the whole 'torsion-box' debate...) to make chunky shelves for bookcases... and we're back on topic. 

HTH, Pete


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## TomGale (14 Jun 2011)

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply to my original post and apologies if I just ask more questions. Would it be correct to say the following. The message I seem to be getting is that I have plenty of options but, that as long as the case is mounted on a level plinth, the wall fixings don't need to be particularly strong. 

So now, I'm thinking more closely about the base. I do like the idea of using adjustable cabinet legs to get a level base for the plinth, but how in turn would these to be secured to the floor? Or is this not necessary? Also how would people recommend attatching the case to the plinth?

Working on the assumption that I arrive at the point of a level base, my plan is just to have just bookcases in the acloves (this suits our requirements as well as my skill-set); assuming the alcoves are deep enough (they may not be at approximately 40cms), I would like the shelves to be to be flush. 

For their construction I was planning to connect the outside walls of the case using dowel joints. The shelving would be fixed and held by stopped housing joints. My thinking is that this would give me a strong structure and a clean finish. The back would be a plywood sheet fitted into a groove and then tacked on to the fixed shelves (much like a lot of the flat pack furniture I've assembled).

With all of this in mind, my best option for an invisible fixture to the wall would seem to be the suggestion of a gluing blocks, or attaching brackets to the top of the case and screwing these to the wall. 

Phew! How does that ll sound?


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## AndyT (14 Jun 2011)

Sounds fine, except that it might not be necessary to use stopped housings on the shelves, if you make your face frame cover up the joints. Normally a face frame would overlap across the inside of the bookcase part by an inch or so. I know this means you risk losing the last books on each shelf, but it looks better, in my opinion.


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## TomGale (15 Jun 2011)

AndyT":37xathom said:


> Sounds fine, except that it might not be necessary to use stopped housings on the shelves, if you make your face frame cover up the joints. Normally a face frame would overlap across the inside of the bookcase part by an inch or so. I know this means you risk losing the last books on each shelf, but it looks better, in my opinion.



I've seen cases done in this style and I agree that they look very nice. I suppose if you have through housing joints you can fit the shelves once the case is in position and you leave yourself the possibility of hiding countersunk screws in the shelf runs.


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## petermillard (15 Jun 2011)

As Andy says, stopped housings are a bit OTT if they're going to be covered with a face-frame. Ditto (IMHO) dowel joints and fixing the back into a rebate/groove - you're just making work for yourself. I'd probably go further and say that housing joints are a bit OTT personally - yes, they'll be stronger, but in all seriousness how strong do you need them to be? To continue your flat-pack furniture analogy, I don't think I've ever seen an Ikea bookcase with housing joints, and whilst they may not be the last word in craftsmanship I don't think I've ever seen one fail in normal use...

Now just to be clear, there's no harm in applying these techniques as they're good practise for when you might want to make a freestanding piece from fine / rare hardwoods, something that will be cherished and moved from home to home etc.. etc.. and you'll also have the satisfaction of having made the piece 'properly', but for a bookcase that'll be fixed into an alcove, where the sides and back of the carcass will only ever be seen when it's being fitted or when it's being stripped out, then I think you're making work for yourself, personally.

An alcove depth of 400mm is plenty btw - most of the ones I work in are around 300mm. Cabinet feet usually come with plinth clips to attach the plinth - if you don't want to use these then you can simply glue the plinth to the bottom of the bookcase (a small block on the floor under the bookcase helps to stop the plinth being kicked or hoovererd out of whack) or make the bottom of the face-frame extend down to the floor. You don''t usually need to secure cabinet feet to the floor - gravity works well 

Re. attaching the bookcase to the wall; any of the techniques suggested will work, but remember that there'll be a gap all around between the carcass and the wall. If you just use brackets this gap will still be there, waiting to swallow whatever small/valuable/cherished item that happens to be in the viscinity; a batten fixed to the back wall and a 6mm false top scribed to the alcove sorts this, and also has the advantage of being removable - you did remember to run those speaker cables _before_ you started installing the bookcases, didn't you?? :shock: 

HTH - look forward to seeing pictures. 

Cheers, Pete


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## DTR (15 Jun 2011)

Good thread. I have a project like this coming up (if the plastering ever gets done #-o ) and I'll be finding this thread very useful. Thanks everyone


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## TomGale (16 Jun 2011)

Many thanks Peter.

You make a very good point about how much work I'm giving myself. I'm sure you' re right that I've over engineered my proposed solution. This was born of various motives. Firstly, the bookcases are to be permanent features and I want them to be both strong an to look good (at one point I was even contemplating using real wood for the entire project - no longer). Secondly. I would like to enjoy the process as well as the result and, based on my research to date, I have tried to build in some elements of traditional joinery in.

On the first count, I've been convinced that there are ways of hiding the joins and the fittings without to some of the more technically advanced and time consuming skill,s I have provisioned for. On the strength front, they will be used entirely for storing books (no cds, or vinyl), so I guess an average load . Is you suggestion to glue and screw the shelves into place? 

As for the second point, given that we will have a rapid requirement for this storage, the scale of the project and its fitted nature meaning that poor execution could actually damage the fabric of the house, I'm also ready to comprimise. Perhaps the time to stretch my self technically will be with a smaller free-standing piece.

You say not to bother a rebated groove. WOuld you tack a backing straight to the frame and shelves?

Anyway, I'm going to stop asking questions now. There is only so much planning that I can do until I'm in the house (mid-July is a realistic estimate) and can measure up properly. At that point I will draw up my draft plan and post it here for comment.

Once agian thank you to everyone for their advice. This is a very friendly place indeed.
-tg-


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## petermillard (16 Jun 2011)

Hi Tom.

Glued and screwed shelves would do the trick, no problem - but by all means fit them into a housing as well  And yes, I just tack (narrow crown staples tbh) the backing to the carcass and the shelves; quick, secure, and they won't pull through.

Best, Pete.


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## DOOGYREV (16 Jun 2011)

TomGale":2l6xttgz said:


> AndyT":2l6xttgz said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds fine, except that it might not be necessary to use stopped housings on the shelves, if you make your face frame cover up the joints. Normally a face frame would overlap across the inside of the bookcase part by an inch or so. I know this means you risk losing the last books on each shelf, but it looks better, in my opinion.
> ...



Doing it this way has many advantages, in your case for an alcove you can overlap the face frame on either side of the carcus side.
Make the frame the same width of the widest part of the alcove.
Make the carcus slightly narrower then the narrowest gap in the alcove (or between skirting without a plinth)
Then with the aid of a level scribe the left and right styles of the frame to the alcove.
Push the carcus in, assemble the frame, attach the frame to the carcus, which now fits in like a glove, fix it to the wall, caulk, done.


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