What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

ThomD

>I fyou do as suggested, make some T&G somethingorother, nail it down, then you have the expansion problem dealt with on the narrow dimentione because the boards don't expand hardly at all in length, and you could deal with the rest of it with cracks or expansion in T&G boards.

So let's say you had some boards that are 4" wide and nailed with 2 or moore... ring nails per end, do you really think the 3-4" width of books is heavy enough to pull out those boards? I kinda doubt it. I mean if you get some big guy manhandling it and sorta cleaning and jerking it, who knows.

Another option is probably some frame and panel detail, but those might not be even as sturdily attached as with the nails. You could rebate the back of the panel so it fits into a grouve in the box sides, and it would be pretty strong. Try to raise the panel so that itis flush with the inside of the frame.

Or if hand made does not preculde plywood, you could nail or house a panel of that stuff. It's certainly strong enough when nailed, a lot of boats made that way. try to orient the grain across the smallest span (parallel to books) for the stiffest panel.

I'd go with a

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>T&G back panel as Thom says. It will move with the groove so to speak and it's nicer too look at than plywood...

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

Mick Foley (Berkely, CA)

>Hey -

I'm working on a tool cabinet with a board back - it is 48" wide by 30" high with a back consisting of 7 ship lapped boards. I glued the two end boards to the sides - the 5 five boards in the middle are secured with a screw through to the fixed shelf and a couple of inches of glue in the center of each end to hold it fast. So far this has worked out pretty well - the back seems pretty solid and I think it will have enough room for expansion. I did learn two things doing this:

* Pennies make really good spacers - they are inexpesnive, easy to find and have a really consistent size.

* 2 1/2" brass screws break too easily - if your are going to use brass screws, make the pilot hole a bit larger than the charts recommend, wax the screw well and be very careful when driving it in.

I don't know how closely this resembles what you have in mind, but it worked pretty well for me.

I'll post some photos of the back below.

Mick

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase *LINK*

Mick Foley (Berkeley, CA)

>Photo of the cabinet from the front - shows the front side of the back...


http://web.mac.com/snork/iWeb/Site/Tool%20Cabinet%20Back.html

brass screws

Andrew F in Australia

>Hi Mick,

Another way is to first put a steel screw into the hole of the same gauge as the brass screw, then remove the steel screw and replace it with the brass one. THis is a commonly used method

CHeers,

Andrew

Re: Bronze screws

ThomD

>Bronze is nice, but really, who will be looking.

Why brass screws?

wilbur

>Sorry for the thread hijack, but if brass screws are so fragile, and if they are going to be on the back, why not use steel screws in the first place?

Exactly ! ! !

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>T&G also has my vote. Since these boxes are standalone, the back is not only a dustcatcher, it is also structural. T&G allows you to build a joint that is strong, will withstand movement, and will add a decorative touch. Since plywood is the normal approach, T&G backs will give your project a handmade look. On the other hand, I am sure he will appreciate any approach you take for this thoughtful gift. Good luck.

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

Paul in NJ

>I vote for tongue and groove boards also. If you don't have the tools for t&g, shiplap boards are easier to do. If you are really concerned about racking, you can do what they did on houses before plywood was common. They ran the t&g on a 45 degree angle.

Paul Dzioba

How about cut nails instead? *LINK*

Wendell @ Murphy, Tx

>After watching Chris Schwartz use cut nails in his "Forgotten Hand Tools" video, I would go with T&G boards attached with cut nails.

Wendell


Tremont Cut Nails

Re: How about cut nails instead?

Mick Foley (Berkeley, CA)

>Hey all -

Here's the thinking behind the choices I made when building the back:

� I went with brass screws because the strength difference didn't occur to me when I was at the hardware store. Since I was not thinking about that, I went with brass because it is nicer looking and won't rust. I've learned my lesson.

� I went with screws in general vs. nails for strength - I wanted to both hold the back on and, by driving long screws into the shelf, stiffen the shelf - it is a 4/4 spanning 48". I wanted to ruduce any sag. Also, I can get screws at the local hardware store. I'd need to order cut nails in advance an I'm not usually that organized...

� I went with ship lap instead of T & G becuase I wanted to have a fairly large gap with good overlap. I probably allowed too much for exansion, but better too much than too little. The gaps I left were between 3 and 4 US pennies in width with enough overlap for the boards to shrink that much as well without exposing through the back. Doing T & G to that depth looked like it would be much harder than ship lapped without any real win for what I needed.

If I was doing it again, I'd use steel screws (no one will see them) and stick with the ship lapping.

Just my $0.02 -

Mick

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

markfromsacramento

>I disagree a bit with the recommendations that others have made. If these "boxes" are going to be moved around a lot then you need a stronger back than what shiplapped or T&G boards will give you. Cases designed with these backs are fine for cabinets that aren't moved around alot. They don't add much to prevent the kind of racking that getting moved around a lot creates. I'd suggest using either plywood (if you don't mind using it) or building a frame and panel with an additional center stile.

Re: What kind of back should I put on my bookcase

ThomD

>Those are a lot of good points, mark.

Here are some other examples to think about. Sharpie skiffs often containing many pounds (tons?) of oysters just have boards nailed across the bottom. Of course there is the boyant counterforce of the water... But still.

Also in RU's opus the WW Workbook, are plans for a toolchest, weighty item that. The bottom is either nailed in or a let in panel. Obviously the latter is best, but they were nailed.

What about the Japanese toolbox, bottom nailed on those. It's basically an artful crate. Crates are nailed or screwed together and did a wonderful job tranporting all the ammo over to the europe during the WWII.

I think modern sport woodwork has thrown the nail into disrepute, and for that mater the wire nail is not always very grippy and is strutural mostly in shear. Certainly when a nail is used because the builder doesn't know joints, it's not particularly artful, though the reverse is also true.