Plywood Book Shelves advice please

£200! That's a fortune! That would have paid for over 1 and 2/3rds of our new bookcases! All of our bookcases were made with real wood shelves and a plywood outer shell/wall/box to hold the shelves in place. Most people think real wood is always more expensive, but when you think about the amount of work that goes into making MDF and plywood then the costs usually outweigh the real thing.

Just find your local good timber merchant and get some quotes if you don't believe me.

Pffft those things are pretty feeble imo. Especially if you are going to be making the shelves out of MDF.

Here's how we mounted our bookshelves. These are made from two lengths of 2x1 with teeth cut in and the supports then slot right in. These are also fully adjustable and when we were happy with the position of the shelves screwed them into place. The supports (we call them spacers) where then screwed into the plywood wall. This idea has been used for yonks, well before the days of MDF and Ikea came along.



I'm not suggesting you do this idea but you could do something similar but without the shelves being adjustable, but you would have a lot more strength as a result.

Same. We should all be supporting our local businesses anyway.

 

The supports are as good as the material they're fitted into. A good solution for a time sensitive project.

Nice, but time is JWKs issue here.

 

This is what it is all about these days, our local skips used to be piled up with unwanted kitchen units, most in perfect condition.

 

I know a kitchen fitter. Quite often people move into new builds and get the kitchen (and bathroom) redone straight away. I've refitted several rentals out over the years using these cast offs.

 

So did @JWK ever build his bookcases in the end?

 

you have probably built a few bookcases by now (eh eh) but nevertheless I found this informative video:

 

JWK while you are organise all work I`ve made mine

9:00 coffee down my local
9:30 local wood mercant
10 am at home with 6 boards payed £80



by 12 o,clock



quick break then work by 2:30 , outside rain



by 4 o.clock , done and ready to be paint

 

no , glue and 4 inches screws , as simple as that , i`ll paint with water base color , sanding the lot with 180 grit and polish with matt floor clear , it will be easy to clean and super smooth

 

WOW sal, what a craftsman you are!! This is beautiful.