SIMPLE FREE-STANDING BOOKSHELVES...
A free-standing bookshelf can have any of
the following features:
- Adjustable or stationary shelves
- As few or as many shelves as you want
- With or without a back
- Mounted on the wall (off the floor), attached to the wall (while on the
floor, for stability), or fully free-standing
- Elevated base or no base
Dimensions... Once you have
decided which of these features you want or need, you must decide on your
dimensions. The millions of available plans notwithstanding, the outside
dimensions are only as critical as the size of location you are going to place
it.
If there are no rigid size constraints on your bookshelf, you may want to
size it to minimize waste. For example, one ten foot board will supply three 3'
shelves. This gives you breathing room in your measurements. Most boards you buy
will have some level of damage on the ends, or not be cut squarely. Accept this
as fact and always buy boards slightly longer than needed. You can always use
the waste for kindling.
As a general rule, try not to exceed a 3' to 3 1/2' span between supports for
adjustable shelving unless you plan to load the shelves lightly.
This is especially true if you use particle board shelving, or a laminated
shelving product such as melamine shelving, which has a particle board core.
Particle board is not as dimensionally stable when compared to real wood or
plywood, and will gradually and permanently deform over time, even if not loaded
very heavily. Since stationary shelving is more easily reinforced, especially if
you install a back on the bookshelf, this rule wouldn't apply.
Particleboard was used for a period of time for subflooring in new home
construction. However, if was found that the material would, over time, sag
between the floor joists, giving a decidedly wavy appearance to the floor. And
forget it if you had a piano... . The building code approval for this product
was eventually modified to allow its use only if plywood was also installed to
stabilize it!
About using glue... Don't
overapply the glue!! If it does squeeze out of your joints, or get anywhere else
on your project, wipe it off with a warm damp sponge. Hmm... maybe I'll do
that with my own weary joints later. Be even more thorough in your glue
cleanup if you are planning to stain the wood instead of painting. Wood glues
are generally paintable, but can seal the wood surface and prevent uniform
absorption of the stain.
Buying the wood...Check the
boards you buy for width, and also for deformations such as warping, twisting,
and cupping!! Boards are consistent in thickness, but inconsistent in width. If
the width varies 1/8" or more, and you don't own a table saw to rip them,
have the lumber yard rip them for you. Cupping is a bend in a board along the
width. Look at either end of the board, and notice if it is curved rather than
flat. Boards that cup more than a slight amount may be unusable for shelving.
The same goes for warping, which would be crookedness in the board along the
length. Anything more than slight warping is unacceptable.
Basic construction details...
If you are looking for a plan, you won't find one here. What I want to give you
is basic layout guidance. You build the bookshelf you want, and I will try to
help you to keep from making the mistakes commonly made. This basic approach can
be modified based on your skill level and basic tools... for example, you can
use a router to cut a slot or mortise in the sidewalls, rather than
simply endnail into the shelves... a far stronger but more tedious assembly
procedure.
I usually pre-drill the holes prior to nailing. Simply line up the wood
pieces you wish to join, and, using a drill bit slightly smaller than the body
of the nail you are using, drill through the top piece and 1/4" (or less)
into the bottom piece. This helps to keep the pieces aligned by lowering the
hammering force needed, especially if the wood is hard or has knots, and keeps
the nails travelling in a straight path.
Be as daring as you want!
Use this as a learning exercise for your next project.
This simple yellow graphic depicts a bookshelf with no back, stationary
shelves, and a raised base. A power drill would be helpful, but not necessary.
Use 1" pine boards or any width you want. This requires no more carpentry
than being able to measure, use a circular saw, and use a hammer.
Decide on your height and width,
and cut the sides and top. Note the relationship between the dimensions of
the unit and the cut boards. The sides are equal in length, but 3/4"
shorter than the final height because of the thickness of the top. The
length of the top is equal to the final width of the unit, and 1 1/2"
longer than the base (lowest) shelf, to allow for the thickness of the
sidewalls (3/4" x 2). The shelves will be the same length as the base
shelf.
Nail the top of the bookcase onto
one of the sides using 2" finishing nails. For now, use two nails per
shelf, one an inch or so in from each end. Apply some wood glue to the top
end of sidewalls before nailing. Predrilling is helpful here, especially on
the first few nails, because it gives the nails a true path to follow and
lessens the force needed to drive the nails in. It is just easier to keep
the boards aligned if you predrill. I am assuming that you don't have
special clamps to hold the boards in perfect alignment. If you do,
predrilling, though still desirable, is more of an option (at least with
soft woods like pine).- One, by one, starting with the uppermost shelf, nail them into place on
the same sidewall.
- Locate the base shelf where you want it, and nail it into place. If you
use a 1x3 for the kickboard, and it measures 2½" in width, then locate
the bottom or the base shelf 2½" from the bottom of the sidewalls. If
you want to get really fancy, you can stand the bookshelf (top and sides) up
and use two pieces of the 1x3 to support the base shelf in its exact
location. This allows you to align it in all dimensions with no measurement.
You can also use the 1x3 as a ruler, aligning it with the bottom of the
sidewalls and drawing a line across the upper edge of it as a guide for
aligning the bottom of the base shelf. I could list more variations, but you
get the idea... these projects can be built many different ways, and
creatively!!
- Install the other sidewall, gluing and nailing.
- Install the 1x3 kickboard. I usually recess it a half inch or so in from
the front of the base shelf for a dramatic visual effect.
You're done!! Let the glue dry overnight, and apply your choice of finish to
the wood. Oh... and have fun unpacking those old dusty boxes full of books!!
Want to customize your bookshelf? Here are
some suggestions!
Adjustable shelving... The most
flexible and fastest way is to install shelf standards onto the
sidewalls. Shelf standards are 5/8" wide, 1/4" thick slotted metal
strips. Small moveable clips lock into them to hold the shelves in place. They
offers maximum shelf placement flexibility, and allow you to add or remove
shelves at will!!
Standards can be surface mounted, or you can use a router with a guide to cut
2 slots of appropriate width into each sidewall. Surface mounting is the easier
way to go, but the recessed mounting looks more finished and professional. Both
methods are equally sturdy. Though they usually come packaged with stubby little
nails, I always use screws myself. Use the longest screws you can, in the same
finish as the standards if possible. Be sure the screws do not poke through the
outside of the bookshelf.
Do all router work before assembly.
Putting a back on the bookshelf...Of
the last twenty or so simple bookshelves I have built for clients, none of them
has a back, and all look just great and are plenty sturdy! The point is... don't
do all that extra work putting a back on unless you really have a need for it!!
Backing a bookshelf can be no more complicated than cutting a piece of
1/8" paneling or plywood to size and nailing it onto the rear of the
bookshelf. Nailing through the back into the shelves increases both the rigidity
of the unit and the weight bearing strength of the shelves. Be sure to square up
the unit before fully nailing the back on. One trick is to position the back
about where you want it, and then hammer one nail into the upper left or
right-hand side of the bookshelf through the back. This is the most critical
nail and should be perfectly placed. Using this nail as a pivot and guide,
reposition and square up the back to the unit (nailing the first nail has most
likely caused the back or the unit to change alignment), and drive in a second
nail. If you did this right, the unit is square now, so you can proceed to fully
nail the back on. Space the nails no more than a foot apart.
For a more professional look, you should use a router to cut a notch into the
back edge of the sides, top, and bottom (base) shelves, so that the panel can
set into it. Each stationary or moveable shelf should be trimmed in width to
compensate for the depth of the notch.
All the router work is best done before assembly. Be sure you make all your
cuts on the correct sides of the boards, or you will get a grim surprise later!!
