DIYers: Help me build a bookcase

seeker

Thu, Dec 29 2016, 10:48 pm

Why don't we have a DIY forum on here? I wasn't sure whether to go to hobbies and crafts with this...

So I have concluded that building a bookcase to my specifications will be quicker than buying one, and need a few tips from people who are good at these things. I don't want to start googling and end up digesting a woodworking encyclopedia.

Let's suppose I spend tomorrow morning, or maybe Saturday night, at Home Depot.

I'll need some wood cut to size.
>> What type of wood?

I'll need some screws, I guess.
>> Nails? Screws? Both?
>> What type/size?

Some wood glue would probably also help.
>> Is that right, and is there a right or wrong on that?

Most important:
>> Anything else I won't think of?
>> Is this not as simple as it looks? 2 vertical boards, and as many shelves as I want in between them, and just bang them together? Am I missing something?

And I'll be going for it anyway, but out of curiosity
>> How much time and money do you estimate this could take? (time excluding the shopping, note that I'm fairly efficient when I'm not at the computer but have never done this before. Built a bookcase, I mean; not left the computer Wink

)

MagentaYenta

Thu, Dec 29 2016, 11:19 pm

This should give you an idea.

With regards to wood cost, #1 pine or fir (good for painting) will cost you $25 (min) for a single 6' 1x12. You will also need a level, a good power driver, some sand paper, a carpenters square will be helpful as well. The example above shows routed insets for setting your shelves. If you want moveable shelves you will need to make a jig so that the holes on both sides line up. You will also need a workspace to lay out your work. If you want routed, figure $125 for a decent router and 9 for a decent bit.

seeker

Thu, Dec 29 2016, 11:30 pm

Oh man. That's like minimum $100 just for the wood. Can't I use something cheaper? At that price I could go with the $120 Pax at IKEA. Though I was warming up to the full-custom idea. DH is already balking at the trip to Home Depot part... but who needs men, anyway.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Dec 29 2016, 11:37 pm

seeker wrote:

Remember too that HD will only give you one free cut per board. Building stuff out of wood costs money. And HD only has #2. Wood prices are up. You can certainly attempt it with MDF but then you have a weight issue and it doesn't forgive like wood. It will eventually sag as well.

I have 4 of these and they are about ten years old. They have held up well. Mine are in a faux mahogany color. They are joined alder.
https://www.amazon.com/Casual-.....T6K7C

seeker

Fri, Dec 30 2016, 1:23 am

Thanks. You've saved me a lot of time fantasizing about how I'm going to make over my room. Sigh.

I was starting to entertain this idea of having the first shelf a couple of feet off the ground so I could slide laundry baskets underneath instead of always shuffling them around or bumping into them like I do now. I can't think of where else to put them!

ra_mom

Fri, Dec 30 2016, 3:26 pm

seeker wrote:

I fold mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.....lSrch

ra_mom

Fri, Dec 30 2016, 3:33 pm

BTW, do you know about the watsap furniture gemach group? You can join and keep your eye on incoming furniture pictures and wait around a couple of weeks until you can snap up the right piece of furniture that works for you. Or snap up shelving units and take them apart to make your own customized piece without having to shell out $ for wood.
They have a few groups, in a few areas within the NY / NJ areas.

rachel6543

Fri, Dec 30 2016, 5:35 pm

A FYI in case you might be interested, but Check out the Container Store for shelving ideas. Their ELFA shelving is great and they are having the best sale of the year right now through the end of February. It's not the cheapest, but I like how it's very versatile and easy to change depending on your needs.

seeker

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 8:43 pm

Huh? If you fold the hamper then what do you put the laundry into?

I tried the whatsapp group and left in frustration. Like a thousand messages per day, and the 1% of posts that were relevant the item was gone while I was still asking "where is it?" I left.

Container store is so over my budget it's dangerous to even walk in. And if elfa is the one that hangs on the wall, it's not happening. I can't hang things from my walls, it just never works.

ra_mom

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 9:15 pm

seeker wrote:

The clean laundry only sits in the laundry basket until I fold and put away. Then the basket gets folded and put away too.
You wrote laundry baskets which is why I posted the link. Did you mean hamper?

seeker

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 9:30 pm

I guess I was thinking something in between. I don't have anything separate, I put my laundry in large shopping bags to and from the communal laundry room. So right now I have a hamper that is largish but not large enough, so I thought maybe I'll get some smaller baskets but like 3 of them, so we can sort the clothes right when taking them off. Right now my hamper floats around the room because there is no one spot of floor that is not needed for something else ever Sad

ra_mom

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 9:34 pm

So get a narrow 3 section hamper on wheels that has removable bags that you can take out and transport. It will be less messy if it's all in one apparatus and not actually sitting on the floor in bags, and also easier to move on wheels.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s.....=3+se

seeker

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 9:48 pm

That's what I was going to get until I got the brainstorm of trying for something that could go under the clothes shelves, and it looks like I'm going to go back to that concept after all.

I don't have things sitting on the floor in bags. I have a hamper that gets shuffled around the floor and tends to overflow, whereupon I sort the laundry into bags and bring it down to the laundry room.

So for now I made room for four cube-bins on DH's bookshelf and we'll see how they work and then decide whether to go for a whole bunch more of them or work with drawers. But my drawers are lousy anyway. Sigh.

ra_mom

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 10:00 pm

seeker wrote:

Have you tried KonMari in your drawers?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpc5_1896ro

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tglp9eWQEhY

seeker

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 10:43 pm

The main issue with KonMari is that I'd have to do it all myself. I am not interested in spending the rest of my life folding stuff while everyone else undoes it every time they want something. I'm cool with the idea of shirts standing up instead of piled but after that you've lost me. And even the shirts thing I'm a little skeptical about - again, I'd have to do all the folding, and secondly how do the rest not fall down once you take some out?

seeker

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 10:48 pm

OK now I went ahead and clicked through those videos just in case there was something I'd missed in the past. The lady looks like a doll, is as skinny as one, and uses black magic to make spineless clothes stand upright. I think that means we have to hate her.

LittleDucky

Sat, Dec 31 2016, 11:44 pm

seeker wrote:

Agree

. I can't seem to wrap my head around it either...

Have you tried ikea billy bookcases? You can adjust it all except top, bottom and middle shelves. While they warp easily ( and don't get them wet!!) you can fix this easily by:
- rearranging the weight load on them and flip it upside down to rebend to flat. Eventually I forget and/or they just don't bend back anymore.

- screw in L brackets to support the most weight bearing shelves.

byisrael

Sun, Jan 01 2017, 2:36 am

Have you thought of doing built in drywall shelving?
It comes out cheaper because you only need the wood for the framing and you can use metal framing if that comes out cheaper.
I happen to think its a nicer look as well - its a method really comman here in israel so most of the videos I found where in hebrew...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....=123s

Also have you looked on craigslist? You can probably find on bookcase that you can use as wood and customize. There are a TON of examples of this on youtube and pinterest...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....t=32s

byisrael

Sun, Jan 01 2017, 2:44 am

Seeker don't remeber if you are in the new york area but here is an example of some of the awesome free stuff you can find on craigslist
https://newyork.craigslist.org......html
https://newyork.craigslist.org......html

I would take on of these- suplement with wood and moldings from HD+ paint= custom bookcase for dirt cheap