Dave Liquorice coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:56:22 +0100, Tim S wrote:

One 2" screw and a wallplug - probably 1 quid even if you have to buy
a pack.

When was the last time you bought any packs of screws in a shed? £5 for
screws and plugs might be pushing it... Certinly £1 for a pack of 2"
screws...

No idea Dave, I try not to buy screws in a shed these days - but for an odd
job...

Anyway I wouldn't trust a single 2" screw with may be only an 1" of that
in the wall (thickness of bookcase and gap taking the other inch) and 1/2"
of plaster so only the 1/2" tip of the screw standing any chance of
holding much pull. Remember we are talking tension here, not shear which
is the force most fixing screws are under.

Probably fine just to steady the bookcase case but not if little Johnny
decides those nicely spaced shelves make an ideal ladder...

OK - fair enough. Apply common sense to job in hand...

The folded over webbing strap with a good firm fixing into real wall (not
plaster or plasterboard) is the better method IMHO. Hook eyes generally
don't have a long enough thread to fix into a wall securely.


I used some substantially heavy duty eyes - about 1.5" long, very thick
metal and you will *not* pull them out of the wall easily - thread looks
well on the way to a No 10 screw. Think they came from B&Q.