Anyone ever built a built in bookcase

PaulStat · 4 Jan 2014 at 18:47

I have an alcove where I wish to store books etc, so instead of going for shelving I'd like to build a sturdier built in book case for heavy text books/cook books.

Is it hard to do? There's skirting all around the room, so my thoughts were to build a base that comes up to the very top of the skirting, the bottom shelf of the book case would then sit on top of the base. So for the case itself there would be two sides, the bottom shelf two middle shelves and a top for placing decorative items such as picture frames etc. on. I wasn't planning on having a back and when I move everything into place I was going to screw the sides into the wall to keep it in place.

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to wood work, what would I use to fix the middle shelves into the sides, ummm anything else I might be missing?

Russinating · 4 Jan 2014 at 20:20

If it's in an alcove why do you even need sides rather than just shelves? Would be much easier, look neater and work better with the room imo.

Nightglow · 4 Jan 2014 at 21:15

Russinating said:
If it's in an alcove why do you even need sides rather than just shelves? Would be much easier, look neater and work better with the room imo.

All depends on the condition of the walls, sometimes it's better to build a carcass to fit the recess & slide it in, then screw through the side to secure.

Then fit a decorative moulding or plain surround around the front edge.

Same principle as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVmAaA9nwbg

Mark A · 4 Jan 2014 at 21:38

PaulStat said:
I'm pretty clueless when it comes to wood work, what would I use to fix the middle shelves into the sides, ummm anything else I might be missing?

Dowels would be an easy option. you could also screw through the sides into the shelf to close up the gaps and add some extra strength. If you have a router you could cut channels into the sides to slot the shelves into. One of these dowel jigs makes it a lot easier.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carpenter...ies_Carpentry_Woodwork_ET&hash=item2a2e1c52c9

It would be a lot easier to just fix the shelves in between the walls as mentioned. You could build a frame out of wood and then add a thin ply to the top and bottom to create floating shelves. Rather than fixing batons to the wall and sitting a thick ply onto them, like a lot of people do. I think someone did something similar on here a while back and it looked good.

PaulStat · 4 Jan 2014 at 22:32

I've had both, I prefer purpose built bookcase

Nightglow · 4 Jan 2014 at 23:37

For shelf supports, if you have router to cut a slot, you could use Flat Bookcase Strip, come in a 1829mm

http://www.sdslondon.co.uk/adjustable-bookcase-strips.html

Or you could use shelf pins, available in several styles & finishes, they just need a 5mm hole to fit in.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/steel-shelf-support-pack-of-100/55545

Middle shelf could be a fixed shelf, easy to put a lot in the side, glue & screw from outside.

MatteH Oxford · 5 Jan 2014 at 11:48

Floating shelves are pretty easy and way cheaper.

PaulStat · 9 Jan 2014 at 20:08

I've been looking a bit further in to the floating shelves option. My main concern about shelving was having strong enough support to hold heavy books, and I don't like shelving brackets!

With the floating shelves option, I've found tips from carpenters which seems to suggest using 15mm*15mm battens on the three sides of the alcove and then using 45mm thick pine with 15mm grooves cut in and the shelves should just slot on to the battens and provide enough support.

I can't find a timber yard near me that supplies 45mm thick PAR timber, closest I've found is 33mm PAR timber. Will this be thick enough not to bend in the middle?

MatteH Oxford · 10 Jan 2014 at 06:23

How wide is the alcove span? If you fix a nose strip across the front, that will provide additional support and resist flex.

Above 1200mm I would think you'd have issues.

PaulStat · 10 Jan 2014 at 07:20

It's 960mm

Shimmyhill · 10 Jan 2014 at 17:57

I'm building some floating shelves at the moment - i have a frame built and then am putting painted MDF on the top/bottom/front and will then be touched up and painted white. All in an alcove in daughters bedroom, its not hard but i have been lacking motivation so its turning out to take longer than some much bigger jobs!

I also want some wood ones in the living room - thinking of doing them the way you suggest or getting a carpenter in as i want them to be a bit of furniture as it were and likely built from oak. Our alcoves are 1200mm wide and there isn't much out there prebuilt that uses all the space hence building!

MatteH Oxford · 10 Jan 2014 at 18:29

I expect that a 960 length of pine is going to have a bit of a bow in it anyway, heck even hardwood often will have a little bit. That's the "joys" of working with natural materials, the trick is to put a straight edge on it to see which way it is going then install the shelf with the tiny "hump" pointing up. That way the weight of the books counteracts the timber's want to curve, trust me in that the vast majority of the time it wants to go one way or the other!.

33mm is about an 1' 1/4 inch so that is pretty hefty still, just try to be realistic with what you put on it.

MatteH Oxford · 10 Jan 2014 at 18:34

Shimmyhill said:
I also want some wood ones in the living room - thinking of doing them the way you suggest or getting a carpenter in as i want them to be a bit of furniture as it were and likely built from oak. Our alcoves are 1200mm wide and there isn't much out there prebuilt that uses all the space hence building!

you could do it the way you've suggested, I'd just buy some Oak veneer ply cut to the size of some 25mm MDF as a "top" and stick a hardwood edging as a nose trim to hide the edge of the MDF , ply and the end of the batons.

O.K. this is a window board but it shows how I finished the front off, made of MDF, oak veneer ply and a 2x1 piece of Oak:

Sorry, I don't have photos of shelves to hand as they tend to be more boring than this photo!