Bookcase Build

[deanflyer]

Im looking to build a large wall mounted bookcase, about 10 ft wide and 8 ft high. For stability, what is the best material to make it out of?

Also I'd like to face (lip??) the front. I've never done this before so any tips would be very welcome!

What would be the best joints to use for this. I was thinking of having the uprights running full length and then routing out a rebate to slide the horizontal shelves in?

All advice welcome!

Many Thanks,

Dean

 

[9fingers]

10' x8' is a pretty big bookcase. Possibly best as three bays wide with shelves no more than a metre unsupported.

Sounds like you are wanting to use man made boards if you are talking of lipping?

Veneered ply is getting harder to get and the alternative veneered MDF is very heavy and is less strong. Not sure which will sag most under combined weight of books and the shelf itself.

Search for an application called sagulator to help choose the thickness of your shelves.

You might want to use lipping that is thicker than the shelves and fit it on the back edge as well to stiffen up the shelves. Maintain alignment during glue up with biscuits or use tongue and groove for the same purpose

Sliding dovetails are good for bookcases with fixed spacing shelves as they hold the sides together and need no visible fixings

If you want adjustable shelves then the carcase sides need to be stiffer.

A backing sheet of veneered ply adds a lot of strength even if it is quite thin and stops the thing racking.

I've just had a quick play with the sagulator here http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm

and it does not seem to allow for self weight of the shelf so I suggest you add some extra uniformly distributed load to represent the shelf. But I did note that ply is a whole lot stiffer than mdf.

Hope this helps

Bob

 

[MikeG.]

If you really mean wall mounted rather than floor standing, this is all going to be about the strength of the wall and the fixings holding the shelves onto the wall. Fully loaded, that is going to be an enormous weight to be putting on a few screws......

If the bookcase is 8 feet tall it is going to be a very high ceilinged room if it isn't standing on the floor! Also, books will be quite hard to get off the top shelf.....and a ladder propped against the self will add to the load on those poor old screws!

Mike

 

[johnf]

Like This 9ft x 7ft

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... highlight=

 

[big soft moose]

well my advice would be dont try to build it in one piece

and even more so dont try to build it in one piece on the floor of the spare room using only nails and a hammer and some shop cut mdf. and particularly not while you are ill

as many will have guessed from my sig , ive just done just that and its a tad bendy - that is it looks like its laughing at me.

in my defence we have just moved and my workshop isnt set up yet - it is lucky i have a tollerant swimbo !

(in the new year its all coming apart and being rebuilt in three bays using veneered mdf for the facings and biscuits to join it together)

 

[deanflyer]

Funnily enough im just recovering from the nasty cold bug that has been doing the rounds, and will be waiting until im fully recovered.

I have thought about building it from timber, but wondered about the stability of such a large piece, even if I built it in sections, and the cost of course!

The MDF piece above is similar to what I envisioned, just mine will have more bookspace. Good idea to build it in sections! Luckily I can build it in the room itself (its empty at the moment).