I have about 5000 books, mostly paperbacks, in boxes. In my previous house I built rather crude shelves using metal brackets and 1x6 boards, but I actually LIKE this house and want to make them more attractive. I'm open either to purchase or doing it myself, but my skills are limited (but evolving.) And suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

What do you have for tools? If you have a table saw and a dado blade (or are willing to spend $50 to get a dado blade) you can build about anything.

Second question to be answered is what sort of wood do you want to use. Ordinary pine and various stains and topcoats can produce very nice looking shelves. On the other end of the scale, cherry, maple, oak, walnut or teak are common woods used in furniture. A lighter wood (maple) can be used with dark accents (walnut or teak).

Furniture-grade plywood, birch or oak veneer is also a possibility and allows for pretty much any width/depth you like without dealing with glue-ups.

Joinery can be as simple as butt joints or cleats or as complex as dovetails, box joints or pegged mortise and tenon.

Just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it.

Good questions. Yes, I have a table saw and can get a blade. I will consider all of this, but I'm leaning towards cheap. It's a lot of books.

Well then, pine or birch veneer plywood are probably your best bets.





These were built of oak veneer plywood and then finished with tung oil.

I cut two vertical dadoes in each upright and installed clip rails flush with the surface of the wood. This allows pretty much infinite shelf spacing and makes it easy to add shelves if needed.

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks. I will research how to cut dadoes. My last shelves were plain pine but with the metal strips.

Probably a bit more than you want to tackle, but I'm really proud of this piece I made, and I don't get to showcase it very often.

I remember when you originally posted that, bigdeal. Gorgeous work!

bigdeal, do you have any plans or drawings? I’d love to do something similar. I have many hardback and leather bound books.

My solution: I gave most of my books to Goodwill, then bought Kindle e-book editions of those that I still wanted to read. More economical than additional shelving, and requires a helluva lot less space.

And the ability to search for the name of an obscure character is something that I’ve long wished for.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
My solution: I gave most of my books to Goodwill, then bought Kindle e-book editions of those that I still wanted to read.

From my cold, dead hands! I’m a bibliophile. Nothing beats the feel or smell in your hands of an antique hardback of a classic work. I have a complete Shakespeare from ~1850. The feel of them is amazing.

^^^^^^
As is the feel of a flint lock black powder long gun. But for home defense, an AR-15 has some advantages.

You don’t really have to cut dados. You can surface mount the metal strips. However they look better recessed. For dados you are better off using a router. Lot easier.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmnut:
You don’t really have to cut dados. You can surface mount the metal strips. However they look better recessed. For dados you are better off using a router. Lot easier.

IF you have a router, there are advantages to doing it that way, especially on long pieces.

However, a dado blade and a table saw is a perfectly adequate and accurate way to do it, and a lot cheaper than buying a router and bit if that's all you're going to use it for.

If it's an excuse to buy More Tools (Arrrrrrgggggh arrrghhh arrgh) then buy all means, go for it!

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
bigdeal, do you have any plans or drawings? I’d love to do something similar. I have many hardback and leather bound books.

Sorry, but no drawings or plans. That was built kinda on the fly off of a picture my wife and a friend of hers found in a magazine. I 'wish' I'd have had plans for it. Would have made building it a whole lot simpler.