Can you build your own bookcase? If so, how? ...


If its really purely for books, it's impossible to compete with the cheap import asssemble-yourself stuff at Walmart, Kmart etc.

But I made one in 1980 that will be around surrounded by 2080 out of solid oak wood - the only solid oak I could find short breaking the bank be, funny thing, self sold as "bookshelves". So I bought about 6 or 8 and cut a few. I also cut for a time lip piece and put it under respectively shelf and put a little fluor. lite aft each, for displaying stuff. I started near hand drawn plans, measured where on earth I wanted it to travel and the height of stuff I required on it, then measured, later measured, then cut (I close to to measure twice, cut once, not the other style around).

I attached boards by drilling a thin pilot hole for respectively wood screw. This gives a right grip but lessens the accident of splitting wood apart when screwing contained by. Then I countersunk each hole - no fancy tool, of late drilled down a tiny bit on top of the strong hole - countersunk is just fancy word for drilling a moment or two wider at the top of the hole so that after the screw is all the process in, the go before does not stick out at all. I settled to go even further by buying wood plugs - you drill the countersink for a moment deeper, screw the screw in a short time deeper, and put a wood plug in over it (glue). That approach, all you see is elegant oak and its finish, with wooden circles where on earth there would own been metal screw head sticking out.

After staining I varnished it, but I hated the agency it looked - like mature old out-of-date stuff - with the shiny coatng on it. So I purely bought one can of clear laquer (or acrylic?) with a matte finish, and voila! The adjectives finish turned a great modern-looking matte finish. Bye bye glossy.

I seize complements on that piece even now.

I also put wood epoxy resin between the entire length of each two pieces of wood where on earth they came together, and even somewhat wood glue on respectively screw before putting it contained by. I weigh 265 and I could JUMP up and down on this thing. It will be here long after I'm gone.


It depends how big a book luggage you want to build.

I built one for my daughter for her new apartment. I go to the lumber yard and bought some 1 x 12 x 12 roofing planks. If you pick through them you can find some virtuous pieces.

I cut them to length so the book case be about 6' elevated. Then I cut out a 4 x 4 square out of the bottom front for a kick plate.

Using one and the same material, I made three shelves and a top. Using a skill saw, I set the depth to 1/2 " and made two cuts to manufacture a groove the thickness of the lumber, next used a wood chisel to cut a channel for the shelves to set within.

Using a drill bit with a countersink chief, I drilled and set sheet rock screws through the sides into the shelves and top

Finally I took some sliver 1x4 that I had within my shop, ripped them in partially, and used them to reinforce the back of the shelves by screw them into the shelves and the sides of the case so the shelves wouldn't hang down with files on them.

I plugged all the screw holes beside some caps I bought at Lowes (optional), sand everything nice and smooth and finished it with Minwax polyshades mahogany, illustrious gloss

It took me give or take a few ten hours to do this job. adjectives you need is a skill saw, drill w/bits, speed square, chisel, tack hammer, pencil and some time.

Doing it yourself is so much more gratifying than running out to Walmart and buying some particale board piece of junk.
Answers:    I like cinderblocks and boards myself.