Bookcases

from the Plesums Woodworking Site

©2003-2007 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas, USA

Library Bookcases

These are two separate bookcases made from furniture grade walnut plywood, with solid walnut trim and doors. With the doors, they are sometimes called "library cabinets" rather than "bookcases." Each cabinet is 36 inches wide, and 80 inches tall, with the base section 30 inches above the floor. These units have a small top moulding that doesn't show well in the picture; I would plan to use crown moulding on future units.

They looked great as they were installed in our customer's living room, even though the photography could be better $1,100 each, $2,000 for two without doors: $875 each, $1,650 for two

Narrower bookcases are on either side of the electronics cabinet in this entertainment wall. Each bookcase is 24 inches wide and 80 inches tall. The units are 16 inches deep to go better with the deep center entertainment unit. Solid walnut raised panel doors cover the lower section, which extends to 30 inches above the floor. The shelves in this unit are adjustable. A small top moulding was used to match the bookcases above, but a larger crown moulding would normally be used. $1,100 each, $2,100 for two $1,000 each, $1,900 for two in normal depth without doors: $775 each, 1,450 for two

Walnut barrister-style bookcase

The classic barrister bookcase is a modular unit one shelf high, but with a unique glass door that tips up and slides into a groove above the books. They are often built from oak, or more specifically, quarter sawn white oak. Construction is straightforward, because a pin can be put in the end of the doors, and a groove in the side of the cabinet. A separate base and optional crown allow any number of shelf units to be stacked. The cabinet below has barrister doors on the three upper shelves, but has other characteristics that make construction very complex.

This bookcase is made from solid walnut hardwood - no plywood. The wood for each of the raised panels was painstakingly selected, and most panels are wide boards, not multiple boards glued together. Part of the complexity was the requirement that there be a single end panel for the upper and lower parts, not one for each shelf. This enhanced the beauty, but complicated construction tremendously - it precluded the use of a groove to manage the door storage and hinge.

<-Even the back consisted of raised panels in a shiplap configuration, "nailed" in place as required by tradition. ->The feet have vertical grain, with horizontal "aprons."

$2,950 in current design
$2,150 in traditional design, all solid wood
$1,450 with some plywood

Simple Pecan bookcases

Be sure to see the pair of simple Pecan bookcases built as part of a living room set with table, desk, and bookcases. The two bookcases were designed to go on opposite sides of the same wall, with trim on the front and one side. When this client moved, they were excited that the bookcases could be reversed, left to right, and be placed against each other, as a wider bookcase in their new home. $850 each, $1,600 for two

Economy bookcases

We are often asked about the price of bookcases. The answer is unsatisfying - "it depends." To help establish a starting point, we have designed an "ordinary" bookcase that we can build for you for $450. It uses good materials and construction techniques, but the details are chosen to make best use of the material, and to minimize the construction effort.

• 78 inches tall (or any height up to 95 inches). Fixed bottom and top, and one fixed shelf 30 inches above the floor.
• 4 adjustable shelves (total 6 usable shelves - or 7 if you count the top)
• 24 inches wide (or narrower)
• 11 3/4 inches deep overall - 11 1/4 inch shelf depth
• Red Oak plywood, with edging, and solid oak trim for strength and appearance on each shelf
• Clear lacquer finish
• No trim (other than shelf fronts), no doors or drawers

Of course, we would like to build a nicer bookcase for you. Adding even an inch to the width will add another sheet of plywood to our material cost. We prefer to use some trim, like a crown moulding on the top. Doors are great to hide the clutter. Using a nicer wood ... well, here we go!

If this is too expensive, we suggest you look for used furniture. The cheaper bookcases we have seen (and occasionally bought for ourselves when we needed something instantly) generally used man-made composition material that warped over time when used for books.

Construction details for library bookcases

Solid Walnut raised panel doors with European hinges cover the lower section. As common practice, the top of the enclosed section is 30 inches above the floor. With kick space and framing, the door opening is just over 2 feet high.

Furniture grade plywood is used for the extra strength and stiffness. Solid walnut is attached to all the visible edges, and a solid walnut front, about 1 1/2 inches tall, is added to the front of the shelves for appearance and strength.

Inside the enclosed section, a fixed or adjustable shelf can be installed. That shelf can be made slightly narrower, so that a tall item can be placed in front of the shelf. (With a fixed shelf, the narrower design is recommended, but a full-depth shelf is recommended for adjustable shelves, so the shelf doesn't slide on the pins.)

The shelves of the wider unit above are all fixed, with 15 inches clearance for the bottom open shelf, 9 3/4 inches for the next two shelves, and just over 8 inches (for paperbacks) on the top shelf. This cabinet is just under 12 inches deep. I recommend that adjustable shelves be used instead of fixed shelves.

In the narrower unit above, the only fixed shelf is the one that encloses the bottom section, just above the doors. All the other shelves are adjustable, on brass pins. This cabinet is 16 inches deep, to blend better with the entertainment center.

The top of these cabinets are flat, with the custom front moulding extending about 3/8 inch above the cabinets to provide security for items that might be displayed there. For the side-by-side cabinets, a metal bracket screwed to the top fastens the two cabinets together for extra stability, or the cabinets can be used independently.

There are a total of 6 storage surfaces, plus the top of the cabinet itself, in each of these 80 inch bookcases.

Designing your own bookcases

• Width: Common widths are up to 30 to 36 inches wide, with bookcases as narrow as 20 inches being "normal". For tall bookcases consider a fixed (permanently mounted, not adjustable) shelf someplace in mid-cabinet (often 30 inches above the floor) that adds to the stability and strength of the overall cabinet. (Not only can it be attached to the back of the cabinet, but it keeps the sides from bowing in or out.) Since we guarantee our work, we will not build a bookcase with more than 5 feet between fixed shelves. A board on the front of the shelf adds strength as well as appearance. In my experience, plywood sags less than solid wood, although I have recently seen some data that suggests solid oak (and perhaps other wood) is just as good as plywood. Therefore I normally use furniture grade plywood, rather than solid hardwood, for sides and shelves. There is no absolute rule for the maximum length of a shelf, but wider shelves will sag more under load, so a shelf that will be full of books or other heavy objects should normally be limited to 30 to 36 inches. If you need 40 inches or more, consider two separate bookcases side by side. If you need a continuous shelf longer than 36 inches, we need to consider a torsion box or other high-strength technique.

• Height: Common heights range from 74 to 88 inches for "full height" bookshelves. The top can be flat (or with a slight ridge) to allow display items to securely be placed on top of the unit. Short bookcases are often 30 inches (the height of a desk) to 42 inches, but can be any size desired. One commercial line offers heights of 22 1/2", 40 1/2", 52 1/4", 64", 76 1/4", and 88". Another catalog offers 30", 40" and 48". Still another line has 27 5/8", 39", 50 1/2", 73 3/8" and 78". So, as you can see, any height is possible. For a first guess, figure the height of the shelves you want, how many shelves you need, allow 1 1/2 inches for the shelf itself, 3 1/2 inches for the top, and 4 1/2 inches for the base.

  If there are separate open and closed sections (sometimes called a library cabinet rather than a bookcase), the top of the base section normally comes to 30 inches above the floor.

• Depth: Bookcases used strictly for books, like a library, can be as shallow as 9 inches, but should then be attached to the wall or other unit to reduce the chance of tipping. (Note that library shelves are not normally attached to the wall or ceiling, but are 18-20 inches deep, with shelves on both sides.) The most common depth is 11 to 12 inches, a minimum depth recommended for a tall free-standing unit, or a unit with doors. Some bookcases are 15-18 inches deep, but then start to be like display cases - regular books can "get lost" at the back of the shelves. Although most of the units shown here are a single unit from floor to top, an alternate approach is to make a separate base cabinet that is deeper (say, 18 to 24 inches - typical kitchen base cabinets are 24 inches deep). The separate shelf unit could be shallower, and could either be simply placed on, or attached to, the base cabinet. The separate top unit isn't as strong, since it normally doesn't have a base to hold the sides aligned.
• Doors: The doors can be "in front of" the cabinet (full or partial overlay) or can be set into the opening (inset). The European hinges that everyone loves to use assume square edges, but we have found a way to allow a decorative edge (inset about 1/2 inch at the back) with these hinges. With the moulded edge, the door only opens about 95 degrees, rather than the usual 120 degrees.

• Shelves: Most hard-bound books are about 9 1/2 to 9 3/4 inches tall. A 9 1/2 inch clear opening, with over a half inch behind the decorative edge of the shelf, will conveniently hold most books, but a few may have to be tipped to put them on the shelf. Most paperbacks easily fit on an 8 1/2 inch shelf. "Coffee Table Books" are often 12-15 inches tall or more. A 12 1/2 inch shelf will hold most notebooks and larger bound books and albums.

  Permanently mounted shelves add to the stability of the cabinet, but reduce flexibility, make moving the cabinet harder (due to weight), and take more time to build and finish. In general, I suggest that adjustable shelves be used, with one fixed shelf near the middle of the cabinet.

  A light can be added to the unit to illuminate the items on the shelves. Normally glass shelves would be used to allow the light in the top to pass through the cabinet.

• Doors or drawers can be included to hide less attractive items or provide other storage. Glass doors can be used to reduce the dust or add protection for delicate items.
• Base: Normally a kick space (about 3 inches high and 1-3 inches deep) is placed at the bottom front. With a case that is less than about 15 inches deep, the depth of the kick space needs to be limited, so the cabinet stability is not reduced. Sometimes about 3/4 to 1 inch inset is allowed in the back and side for the bookcase for the base to "step over" the baseboard or other floor trim.
• Crown: Decorative moulding can be added to the top of the bookcase (front only if the units may be placed side-by-side, or front and sides for a free-standing unit.)