"Greg Guarino" wrote in message

I'm still musing on how to build several things for the
living room. I think I'm mostly settled on the end
tables, but I've just drawn what must be at least the sixth permutation of
a set of
shelves for cookbooks. I guess that's what Sketchup is for, right?
Drawing six times as many things as you'll actually build?

And this one has an extra added concern: stability and
strength. Most of what I've built up to now has been 3/4"
plywood boxes with face frames and backs. Those were all
obviously several times stronger than they needed to be.
But I saw something in a catalog that gave me an idea:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...n/photostream/
(scroll left to see a front view and a side view)

The unit as drawn is 5' tall.

My original idea looked like the one on the left. But I
worried that since it wasn't as overbuilt as my usual
practice, it might not be stable enough. Each side is effectively a big
open
rectangle with only a 2.5" high slat to keep the shape from racking.

So I modified it, resulting in the drawing on the right.
That adds another 1x3 in the middle, around all four
sides.
I think the left-hand drawing looks more graceful, but
will it hold up when full? I also haven't decided on how
to attach the shelves (except the bottom one, of course).
My first thought is some sort of supports in the corners.
If I go with the left-hand design I figure to fasten the
middle shelf to the side slats as well, to keep them
straight and aligned.
Thoughts?

Either way, I wouldn't worry about racking assuming top/bottom/shelves are
reasonably well attached. Standing up is another matter...pretty small
footbrint for five feet of books.

--

dadiOH
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