Hey Patriarch,
It's 1 shelf book case that has 4 sides and a back. The only difference
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"patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> > I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood.
> > Do I need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and
> > 11" deep?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
>
> Please define 'wall-mounted' for us. In fact, maybe a clearer description
> of what you'd like to do would be helpful.
>
> I had a response all written, and then re-read your post, and seen that
I'd
> made a bunch of unjustified assumptions about what you wanted to
> accomplish.
>
> Patriarch
Hey Patriarch,
It's single shelf book case that has 4 sides and a back. By "wall mounted",
I mean that it will be attached to framing studs on a wall and won't be free
standing.
Sides are attached to top/bottom with 1/2" deep rabbets. All material is
3/4" birch plywood. Here's some crude ASCII art of what a front view of
the bookshelf will look like if I don't make any modifications for sag:
36"
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I'm considering adding a vertical support on the bottom shelf:
36"
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Your thoughts?
Nathan wrote:
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do I
> need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
>
>
if you can support the rear edge of the shelves, no need for
vertical supports. does the cabinet have a rear panel??
Google on "sagulator". it's a cool webpage to give you sag
statistics on shelves supported only on the ends.
dave
Yes. As Nathan said, use some hardwood face frame, but also place stiffeners along the back of the shelf. You also want
to make sure that the stiffeners you apply to not cause the next shelf down to bend also.
JAW
Nathan wrote:
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do I
> need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
>
>
"Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood.
> Do I need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and
> 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
>
>
Please define 'wall-mounted' for us. In fact, maybe a clearer description
of what you'd like to do would be helpful.
I had a response all written, and then re-read your post, and seen that I'd
made a bunch of unjustified assumptions about what you wanted to
accomplish.
Patriarch
"Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
> Hey Patriarch,
>
> It's single shelf book case that has 4 sides and a back. By "wall
> mounted", I mean that it will be attached to framing studs on a wall
> and won't be free standing.
> Sides are attached to top/bottom with 1/2" deep rabbets. All material
> is 3/4" birch plywood. Here's some crude ASCII art of what a front
> view of the bookshelf will look like if I don't make any modifications
> for sag:
>
> 36"
> =======================================
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> =======================================
>
> I'm considering adding a vertical support on the bottom shelf:
>
> 36"
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>
> Your thoughts?
>
>
>
OK. Good thing I didn't send what I wrote earlier, because I had
envisioned this thing somewhat differently. But, hey, it's not MY shelf.
Were I to build YOUR shelf, I think I would add a face frame, like one of
the other posters mentioned, and I would add horizontal cleats (3", 3/4
ply, mounted flat against the back somehow, on the outside. These would
have two functions:
* stiffening the shelves against sag
* functioning as a french cleat, for hanging on/against the wall
Of the two, the french cleat is probably most important. The 3/4 Birch ply
is a pretty substantial backer. If you need explanation of a french cleat,
googling this group archive will give you all sorts of excellent
references. IMO, there are few better ways to hang heavy things on walls.
And by the time you're done, this piece will have most of a full sheet of
birch ply in it. Maybe 60 lbs, empty?
If the vertical piece you have drawn adds apparent strength, then go ahead
and add it. You could mock this up pretty easily, if you do the joinery
with pocket screws, or screws with the intent of covering the heads with
plugs. Then you could test the apparent strength of the construction in
your intended application, and make any adjustments you felt were required.
We live in earthquake country, here in Northern California. I have a wife
who is 'concerned' about bookcases. Hence, the ones I build aren't
particularly dainty. I built a bookshelf of similar scale and construction
last month, but mine has 4 shelves, and sits on the floor, on a 5/4
hardwood base, to be loaded with engineering texts this week. Your needs
may vary greatly.
Enjoy the discovery. Plan and work safely. Take pictures. Share.
Patriarch,
whose father, again yesterday, said 'It may not be pretty, but it's hell
for strong.' Some lessons stay around a while.
Hi Nathan,
I just built a bookshelf last week using cherry ply for my office. I wanted
it to fill a specific space so I made it 37 1/2" wide. The shelves
themselves are exactly 11" ax 36 inches. You can see the shelf at
http://www.redway.com/shelf/
I have a lot of heavy EMS and Firefighting textbooks and they caused a
slight bow in the shelf. The picture shows a more pronounce bend, but that
is exaggerated by the camera lens. I have lighter books and software boxes
and there is no bow at all. So I guess it all depends what you are going to
be putting on the shelf. A 32 inch shelf would probably have been better,
but I wanted the larger size. I think I will spread out the books a bit so
that the bend is reduced, and there will be no need to insert vertical
braces.
James
Makers of The Small Table Making program
http://www.knightlite.com/creative
"Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do
I
> need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
>
>
John wrote:
> 3/4 ply should do fine on a 36in span
>
> John
>
> On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 09:25:37 -0700, "Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do I
>>need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>
>
do you know how much weight he plans to carry on those shelves?
dave
Yes, or reinforce the shelves, especially if you plan on putting books on
that book shelf.
"Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do
I
> need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
>
>
3/4 ply should do fine on a 36in span
John
On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 09:25:37 -0700, "Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do I
>need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
>Thanks
>
"Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do
I
> need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
> Thanks
If I was doing it, I would attach a 1" hardwood strip to the front to a)
hide the side of the plywood and b) add stiffness.
todd
On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 09:25:37 -0700, "Nathan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm building some wall mounted book shelves out of 3/4" birch plywood. Do I
>need to add vertical supports for spans that are 36" wide and 11" deep?
>
>Thanks
>
36" span is a lot for books. Put a 1.5" solid wood lip on front and
on the back of each shelf. This will make the shelf appear thicker.