From: brianw@writer.yorku.ca (Brian Whittaker)
Subject: Re: Bookcases
Summary: Low-tech construction with corner cleats 
Keywords: bookcase, low-tech, cleats
Organization: Computer Assisted Writing Centre, York University, Toronto, Canada
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 03:12:29 GMT

About a week ago I submitted a suggestion for quick bookcase
construction for those who own a router and have the skill to cut
dovetails quickly with saw and chisel. 

We now have a request for a bookcase design that can be executed with
a power drill and limited skill. The secret weapon here is the use
of cleats to join the horizontal and vertical pieces:

               _
               v
               *
               *
               *
       ____    |                                           ____  
       |  | ______________________________________________ |  |
       |  ||                                              ||  |
       |  ||______________________________________________||  |
       |  | ______                                  ______ |  |
       |  ||      |                                |      ||  |
|>****-|  ||      |\                               |      ||  |
       |  ||      | \                              |      ||  |
       |  ||______|  \                             |______||  |
       |  |           \                                    |  |
       |  |            cleat                               |  |
       |  |                                                |  |
       |  |                                                |  |


NOTES:

1. The cleat is made out of 2" x 2" wood. The screws are large
diameter with coarse threads, say #12 or #14 with pine cleats. A
thinner screw would work with a hard wood like birch. Flat-head screws
countersunk into the sides and shelves could look quite neat. My own
preference would be for Roberstson screws (the kind with a square hole
for the screwdriver to nest in), but a recent thread suggested that
they are somewhat harder to find in the U.S. than in Canada.

2. The sides project above the top shelf. Not only does this feature
stop things from rolling off the top, it reduces the level of
precision required in the fitting. If you use plywood for the sides,
shelves and back panel, you can have the pieces cut to size by the
plywood shop. The cleats are easily cut to length with any handsaw.
Drilling the holes and driving the screws can be done with a power
drill (or with a hand drill and a screwdriver if you have the
stamina). Remember that the holes through the sides and shelves should
have a large enough diameter to let the screws slip through without
binding; the holes in the cleats should be of a smaller diameter so
that the screw will really bite and hold.

3. This method of construction, with cleats at both ends of both
shelves (and a back panel) should be strong enough that you could make
a really fast job of it by using prefinished particle board. However,
particleboard book shelves do tend to sag under a full load of books
when they get to about 3' long.

Brian

------------------------------------------------
Brian Whittaker
English Dept., Atkinson College, York University
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Newsgroups: rec.woodworking