Bookends

[Steve Maskery]

A friend has asked for a pair of bookends for C$%^&*":

I have the design in my head but I'm not sure about the steel base. I want to attach a thin piece of metal to the bottom of the bookend, so that the weight of the books holds the bookend in place rather than just push it aside. But I don't want it thick so that the books appear to be lifted up. I was thinking of using 1mm gauge plate, as it will stay flat.

The issue is that the bookends will be oak, and oak and steel are not good bedfellows, but am I right in thinking that gauge plate will not cause as much staining as mild steel?

Secondly, how should I be thinking of attaching the steel to the wood? 1m is not much thickness in which to countersink, and I don't want to recess the steel more than its own thickness, just to accommodate a screw head. Would epoxy be a good long-term solution?

All thoughts welcome.

 

[novocaine]

punch the holes in for counter sink screws.
you can do this with a block of wood and a screw, drill the countersink in the wood to oversize, put the hole in the steel over the countersink then put the screw in, it will pull the steel in to a nice countersink. there are real tools to do this, but for 4 screws it doesn't seem worth buying or making.

can you put something between the steel and the oak? as thin sheet of sticky vinyl perhaps?

 

[bourbon]

how about painting the steel first

 

[Mike Jordan]

I don't think that you will have any problem with the steel and oak in close proximity since there will be no rainwater in the area to cause a reaction. I made a pair of book ends long ago using the system you are considering, the metal was in the form of a tongue about 25mm wide which was let into the base of the timber blocks and projecting under the books about 60mm. I seem to remember using a bit of ally but a nice little piece of stainless would be better.

 

[custard]

Would epoxy be a good long-term solution?

Yes, plus epoxy would act as a barrier between the Oak and the metal to prevent staining.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thank you all.
Novocaine, that's a good idea, I like that.
Mike, yes, ali or stainless would be ferrous-free, but I think 1mm ali would be a bit vulnerable to bending and I don't know where I could get stainless locally. I can get gauge plate at Cromwell's, just along the road.
Custard, thank you. I never really trust epoxy with metal despite what it says on the label. Perhaps I should buy better-quality epoxy!

Thank you all.

 

[dc_ni]

Could you hollow out the bottom and put something like lead shot in it

 

[Brentingby]

Stainless steel will be quite stiff even at 1mm. If you can get it, at least look at it before you buy.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Degrease and scuff the surface with fairly coarse wet+dry (used dry, obviously). Even though it's a mechanical bond, you'll struggle to remove epoxy later. I've used a blowlamp to get rid of it, but any air bubbles give it a propensity to explode (and it smells horrid).

I remember Araldite adverts years ago that lifted a VW Beetle by its roof, just using a disc glued on with epoxy that was about 2" radius (IIRC). So it can't be all that bad.

You might also use gelcoat resin, with a scuffed surface in the same way, the advantage being that you can thin it with acetone and use it runnier (if you need to). Epoxy tends to be a bit gloopy.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I wouldn't have thought gel coat was the best resin (although others would work) as it is designed to set with a wax layer on on one side to make it gloss and prevent sticking?

 

[Racers]

Steve.

I have some unused 1.9mm stainless steel kick plates from the bottom of doors, you are welcome to one.

Pete

 

[Steve Maskery]

Steve.

I have some unused 1.9mm stainless steel kick plates from the bottom of doors, you are welcome to one.

Pete

Excellent, thank you Pete.

 

[sunnybob]

Make the 90 degree bend. Sandwich the upright between two pieces of oak. inlet the steel into one piece and also the foot of the plate.
Put a screw up through the plate into the inner wooden piece. Super strong and no visible metal at all.

 

[kevinlightfoot]

Have you considered using brass plate and brass screws.Oak and brass are a classic combination.

 

[custard]

Incidentally, if a client orders a desk or a sideboard I'll often use some of the off-cuts to make them a matching pair of bookends as a little thank you for the commission. They're only about 11mm thick so can be deep ripped from a board end, it can't take longer than 20 minutes to bang out a pair but the gesture is generally appreciated.

If you want to make your book ends from something blingier I've just cut up some rippled Black Walnut, PM me and you're welcome to some book end sized off-cuts.

 

[ED65]

You're going with stainless at this point Steve but oak and steel reacting isn't a big deal in any typical household interior.

But if you lacquered or painted the steel, or sealed the end grain with epoxy it would have become a non-issue anyway. For future reference any epoxy will do, even the cheapest you can get in the UK which I think is the one sold in Poundland.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Incidentally, if a client orders a desk or a sideboard I'll often use some of the off-cuts to make them a matching pair of bookends as a little thank you for the commission. They're only about 11mm thick so can be deep ripped from a board end, it can't take longer than 20 minutes to bang out a pair but the gesture is generally appreciated.



If you want to make your book ends from something blingier I've just cut up some rippled Black Walnut, PM me and you're welcome to some book end sized off-cuts.

I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of some folk on here.

And they look simple but superbly executed. I think mine will take a bit more than 20 mins to "bang out"!

She is a musician and I was thinking of adding a couple of quavers or clefs or something of that ilk. But whatever I do, I'll take you up on you offer, custard, thank you very much.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Look what I've just received!

Thank you, custard, you are very generous. I'll try to make sure that I don't squander it.

 

[Racers]

He' a good chap that custard, and a connoisseur of jam.

Pete

 

[xy mosian]

If I understand correctly you are thinking of a metalic tongue positioned so that the books can hold the bookend down. If this is so then place the tongues off-centre, horizontally, so they do not collide when the width of the books is less than the length of the two toungues.
xy