Bookcases

[kengr]

An idea that I had many years ago and have refined somewhat since.

"Modular" bookcases. I'm thinking something along the lines of 2' by 3'. They have a slot in the sides on the front, so you could slide a sheet of plywood/masonite/plexiglass in to keep the books from falling out while moving them.

Slot would be angled so you could slide the sheet in/out while the modules were assembled. With plexiglass or the like, that'd be a way to reduce dust, and keep books from getting messed with by small kids, but still see them to search for a book.

Size is intended so that you can just slide the sheet in and pick up the module without it being horribly heavy. Being books they are gonna be heavy regardless.

The original concept had them just stacking and maybe having keyed post/hole bits to hold them together. I've reconsidered that and they'd probably need a "frame" to attach to. This should be something that can be easily broken down *and* be capable of being fasten tto a wall (earthquakes and the like, y'know?).

Probably need at least to kinds of modules. One for standard paperbacks, and another for trade paperback and small hardcovers. Large hardcovers and "coffe table" books are a pain to deal with regardless. *sigh*

For those of use with *lots* of books, these would make life so much easier.

Oh yeah, another advantage of the "frame" would be that you could swap in/out modules without having to deal with the other modules.

This would be good for those of us who don't have room for all our books. Grab a module with stuff you've read thru recently . Go to the storage locker, grab a module with stuff you haven't read for a while and swap them.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

I'd suggest corner bracing, a frame of thicker material or stiffer/stronger stuff along each 'edge' and some kind of latch or fastening so that they can be locked together to form a over-all frame, with attachment points for walls.

Hmm.. basically a cube made from aluminium slide rails with a 'key' that locks them together, panels that fit into the T slots and some sort of lug so you can screw them tot he walls.

[kengr]

How about using the "tracks" for the bracket & track type shelving as the part that attaches to the wall, a custom bracket that the slide rails attach to, And something in the frontthat acts as supports for the slide rails at the end away from the wall. The modules would hace some sort of lugs that key into the side slots of the slide rails.

and the "front" supports key into the top/bottom slots on the slide rails.

[siliconshaman]

yeah that'd work, you could build the tracks and slide rails so they were modular too.. sort of a grown up version of Fischertechnik system, so you could build the frame to fit the space.

[stickmaker]

My home office has two walls mostly covered with wall-attached bookshelves.

I screwed bracket support strips to the studs (not easy to find through panelling plus plaster and lath) put shelf support brackets on those and then boards (the early ones were painted; the later ones left bare).

The brackets can be adjusted about in increments of about an inch and if mounted properly the system is very sturdy. It does put holes in the wall and scratches on it and is a bit slow to put up or take down.

One caveat: Use real boards. Composites - even wood-and-glue - tend to deform under load through what is known as plastic creep. (No, I'm not insulting the salesman.)

[kengr]

Yeah, known-to-me problem. I've got a number of particle board bookcases.

The one set of brick & board shelves I have uses real boards.

And I've got a desk that is two 3 drawer file cabinets with a door blank across the top. *much* easier to move than a "real" desk.

Aside from the stud finding problems those board and bracket shelves have another one. a friend was living in a mutual friend's attic for a while and he made use of the exposed studs to set up that kind of shelving to put his comic collection on (no boxes just stacks of the various titles).

One night, a track failed and he wound up half-buried in comics (he was sleeping in a sleeping bag under the shelves).

And, of course, the main reason for my idea was to avoid having to move all the books from shelves to boxes and back again when moving.

Though the tracks might make a starting point for the "frame" to hold the modules...

[siliconshaman]

I'd go with 2mm aluminium panels, with enough of folded 'rim' to give it rigidity. Lightweight, and strong enough to survive anything.

[alatefeline]

Handles!

And locking thingies like they have on clear plastic filing cabinets.

[kengr]

Handles would interfere with locking them together or to the "frame".

*light bulb*

Maybe the handles could lock on to the attachment points for the frame?

[siliconshaman]

Hey yeah! and coasters too! Heck, you could fit slide rails and turn the shelves into pull out drawers...

Actually, once you've got a 'tac-rail' system, you could fit anything!