How to build a bookshelf?

[thepollis]

Hi, I would like to build a bookshelf

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @thepollis,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Your inspiration image is a fairly bespoke bookcase that even an accomplished furniture maker would be proud of. If you weren't experienced in construction or furniture making, it would be extremely difficult to replicate without a well-equipped woodworking workshop. Depending on your confidence levels, something a bit simpler might be more achievable, but I'm happy to offer guidance if you'd like to give it a shot.

It looks like they have used a number of different timber mouldings, alongside timber boards, possibly plywood, MDF or chipboard acting as the shelves and frame. The frame is likely screwed together, with brad nails used to attach the decorative mouldings. They would then fill any gaps and nail holes and sand everything before painting.

If you have some idea of the dimensions that you'd like your bookcase to be, I'd be happy to offer you some guidance on selecting hardware and materials.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @Noyade and @Jewelleryrescue for their advice.

Let me know what you think. I can't wait to see what we can come up with.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @thepollis 

Welcome to the bunnings community page It has solved a lot of questions for me so hopefully you will find a way to with building a bookcase

As @JacobZ a furniture maker would be happy with a build like that My first bookcase was nowhere near as fancy tho its still standing today! Probarly close to 30 years ago I built it from pine slats woooooo Hasnt been oiled or painted. However the ones I want to show you are definently doable and really you could "claim" to have built them. I just say I retrofit ex grey work laminated bookshelves.

Bookcase retrofit to create a garage library is the project where I take some old bookshelves that were goingto the crunchie truck and renovate them and add trim to them. They come up really nicely. 

I am currently redoing my foyer and it has two of these in it going through the process, hopefully this weekend I will be putting the timber trim on them plus some existing cabinetry with lights. 

I have seen some very nice retrofitting the old pine styled ones from the 1980's that so many people have thrown out. They whitewash them and really it gives it a new life. Here a few

Upcycled Pine bookcase - Close to your idea pic.

Home library with floor-to-ceiling bookcases kind of like your idea pic but black shelves like mine.

Upcycled bookcase - Even closer to your idea pic.

Modding an old one helps you in figuring out how to put one together and also what style you can convert a tired looking bookcase to.

Dave

[Noyade]

@JacobZ seems to have a good grasp of the construction. 👍

I can't see a lot of detail of the bookshelf on my monitor.

Does that desk move in and out? Is it floor to ceiling?

Cheers.