Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 22, 2009 - 08:53pm PT
|
So I'm gonna make some new bookshelves and DVD/CD cabinets. Any ideas on good books and/or tips for the project. I'm sick of cheap particleboard crap that flexes, falls apart. I'm talking quality wood, looks good, sturdy.
Help me out my bruthas...
My Idea is a 6'6" cabinet type thing that's 3' wide and differing depths based on books or dvd/cd's. I want to make two identical ones, one for books, one for digital media. Maybe doors on the media one.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2009 - 09:30pm PT
|
If you are going to make it out of solid wood as opposed to plywood I suggest European Steamed Beech. It is good looking, very stable, works easily, and reasonably priced. That said the challenge is how you are going to join the shelves to the verticals. The easiest is screwing it together and filling your screw holes with wooden plugs sanded flush. A couple of coats of boiled linseed oil will make it nice and it is easy to apply- just don't leave the oily rags balled up in the garbage unless you want to try out your fire insurance. email me and I can show you exactly what I'm talking about.
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2009 - 09:54pm PT
|
Thanks guys, good ideas. I may e-mail you guys after a scouting mission at the local lumber yard.
Ikea? Dude, that's what I'm trying to avoid!
It's also a project to keep me busy while I try to quit smoking.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2009 - 10:03pm PT
|
While you quit smoking? Dude, you're gonna need more than a bookcase! Why don't you come down and I'll get you started on some framing lessons on the back of my house. I'll even throw in free roofing and drywalling techniques! But seriously, a good project is a good idea. :-)
|
|
Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
|
Ol Blu, go to Southern Lumber in S.J., they have an awesome selection if you have not been there.
Check the scrap bin.
Make it out of ten differnt woods.
or go to Rasputin Records and get a pine rack and stain it, but they are cheap, so screw that idea.
over.
|
|
goatboy smellz
climber
dirty south
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2009 - 10:11pm PT
|
What kind of tools do you have?
And how much cash are you willing to spend on wood and tools that you may need?
|
|
Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2009 - 10:13pm PT
|
Mills are closing down all over the Pac N. West.
A million home surplus means cheap wood.
|
|
tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 02:56pm PT
|
As a friend who's a master wood worker told me, it takes just as much labor to make a piece from cheap wood as it does from good wood.
That said, what tools do you have, and what skills? A simple design well executed from good materials will look much better than someone fancy that you don't quite pull off, no offense intended.
Fine woodworking magazine has good articles and some fairly nice designs. Also tons of designs on line you can find with some googling.
McBeath Hardwoods in Berkley has some nice wood. But unless you're set up with a full shop, you're probably better with sticking with quality hardwood faced plywood for the carcase than dealing with solid woods. One note with book cases, most of them seem to suffer from the shelves bowing. Don't make the spans too long, and keep the shelves thick enough to support the weight.
|
|
east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 03:04pm PT
|
Warbler has the right idea but instead of edge banding with iron on ,rip strips of nice hardwood gives a pro look with not of extra $ and time, glue up & finish nail with micro-pinner
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 03:08pm PT
|
Well, not too many skills. I have made stuff before, cool workbench, some outdoor benches. I have some tools, no router yet but I'll probably get one.
The design is pretty simple, standard book case with doors, which will be the trickiest part I think. I've never worked with wood-glues before but that sounds like a good way to go coupled with woodscrews and plugs as mentioned above.
I'll probably by a book because I may start building more sh#t. My buddy has a lathe and a shopsmith, radial arm saw so I may do some sh#t over there.
|
|
tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 03:36pm PT
|
Hit the library, most have a stack a books on woodworking projects.
|
|
Anastasia
climber
Not here
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 03:46pm PT
|
You should look into reclaimed wood. It is pretty cool looking and should be cheaper than the wood at the lumber store. I just build a bookshelf and if I can do it... (It's a scary sight to see me wield a hammer.) Anyone can do it. (Just measure twice before cutting and... Be prepared to buy an extra plank. I murdered one while trying to cut a fancy curve in it through a knot.)
AF
|
|
ninjah
Big Wall climber
a van down by the river
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 03:58pm PT
|
IF you get a router, I think,dovetails in a good pine works well!
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 04:00pm PT
|
dovetails in a good pine works well!
Explain...
|
|
Bart Fay
Social climber
Redlands, CA
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 04:16pm PT
|
Loads of designs/plans on the internut. Everything you'd kneed to know and then some.
Bonus data learned from reviewing several ways to make the same piece.
Dovetails and dados are fine techniques, but not the easiest to execute without some experience.
|
|
ninjah
Big Wall climber
a van down by the river
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 04:22pm PT
|
well, box frame,(nice hardwood),pine ledgers at shelf height,maybe, 4 or 5 with a 6' height!, dove tail the shelfs and fit with receiveing dove slots inthe ledger, pin nail from outside in, and wola!
|
|
TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 04:27pm PT
|
Consider making 2 18" racks. Lighter, easier to move, shorter span, ...
The next place you live, or if you remodel, or furniture just needs to be moved around due to outside forces, you might have a need for two separate smaller units.
Until then you can use them together. Plus if you aren't happy with the first one, you have only half the "waste".
Consider lighting for a CD / DVD rack. It can be hard to read the titles if they aren't well lighted.
Doors may be required for your situation, but consider door-less. That way you do not have to worry about whether the location has room for swinging doors or whether they swing the right direction.
Sounds like fun. Good hardwood plywood can look really nice. Redid a powder room with maple. Awesome look. Lots of different affordable woods that can match any decor that supports natural look.
EDIT:
What are you going to do with the bottom 3 feet or so. It is pretty inconvenient height for CDs, and you probably don't have LPs! :-)
Speakers? Decorative stuff? Just an "art" face? Place to hide stuff that has no other place?
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 04:45pm PT
|
TIG, yeah, the bottom 2 feet or so will be a 'random' area with doors.
I think you missed that I'm planning 2 seperate cases that are 36-40" wide each. I figure that keeps it to a manageable width to move through doors and stuff if needed. Depending on the wood it could get heavy too, but manageable with two people.
Thanks for tips so far everybody.
|
|
PRRose
climber
Boulder
|
|
|
Jan 23, 2009 - 04:48pm PT
|
If your time or woodworking skills are limited, it can make sense to start with an IKEA (or similar) piece and improve it.
1. Glue the piece together. IKEA uses knock-down fittings that usually work pretty well as clamps. Just run a bead of glue along the mating parts before you assemble and the case will be much stronger.
2. If shelves are bowing, reinforce the front edge with a strip of wood glued and screwed to the underside. Alternatively, glue and screw a cleat the length of the shelf 1/3 of the way back--if you do this, you probably don't even have to finish it.
3. Glue and screw the adjustable shelves in place. The best screw for particle board is a "Conformat" screw, which requires a special drill bit.
4. Improve the joints #1. Dadoing the top, bottom, and fixed shelves in place will make the case much stronger. This works well for bookcases without doors or applied moldings, because the bookcase will end up slightly narrower--you will probably have to trim the back. The tools required are minimal--router, the correct size router bit, and a guide you can clamp to the sides to make the cuts.
5. Improve the joints #2--get a biscuit joiner and use it to reinforce the joints. The beauty of biscuits is that the dimension of the case doesn't change, so doors or moldings don't have to be trimmed to fit.
6. Install a face frame--This will greatly strengthen inexpensive casework and allow you to unify several cases into what can look like a single built-in piece. This is relatively tool and skill intensive compared to the other ideas, but looks really nice, especially if you use a nicely finished hardwood.
#1 and #2 will make most inexpensive casework suitable for a full load of books.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!