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...one final question for thoughts on flatness versus smoothness. This project is just a load of 'flat looking' surfaces but actually there are several places where I sanded out tears from my poor planing etc. The final surface is smooth but not flat - I can feel it but not see it. It's...

Thank-you and well spotted - they're actually in another bookcase that is right beside my computer desk (in the same room) that I can reach without getting up.

Now complete and loaded with room for expansion (though a couple of metres of books did go to the charity shop as well!) Next project a single bed base ...

Nearly there. A bit more finishing to go ... Very pleased with the way the finish goes with our other furniture in the room. There's a very large area to finish, and one problem I did have early on was trying to do too much in one go, rather than finishing a layer on a smaller section at...

Having investigated various widths of oak for this bookcase, solid wood gets very expensive as the width increases. I ended up laminating three narrower boards to give me the width I needed. The main reasons I went for solid wood was to match other furniture in the room and, especially when...

The real question is going to be whether it is big enough!

I'm not sure that being likened to upgraded Ikea furniture was a design goal :-(

Progress has been slow. It's been a repeated case of a few steps forward and then one back! Latest problem is due to using old oak floorboards from the reclamation yard. One long board, which was used in the lamination of several shelves (lots of character!) has started to crack. I have...

Started final assembly with the central module. Fairly straightforward construction in the garage including backing - but a heavy lift into position :-( The next modules would all be inverted 'L' shapes with the backing tacked on top and one side and then slid into position behind an...

The bookcase frame is now coming together, still dry assembling, and the smaller back panels are loose (having been just been slid into place from the widest module). I have a slight (2mm) bow on two of the uprights which I'm hoping to be able to correct when the back panels are fixed...

Very nice project Andy - appreciate everything being done by hand from the the ripping of the original stock! Must make you feel even happier the end result!

Central module now dry assembled (not doing the backing yet - trying to make life easier!). Only two mistakes so far: Since I had the void above the bookcase, I decided not to use a blind dado for the top (it's not load beariing), but instead to fix a block to the uprights (in the void) to...

Andy - I've already been acclimatised to that view. SWMBO wanted me to build it on top of the carpet and underlay just in case ... fortunately I was able to justify why that was not practical :-)

construction has finally started! The base is now assembled. The plinth underneath is just B&Q CLS (took a while to pick the straight ones - must have been less than 1 in 10 of them). The plinth needed to be constructed to give me a good straight edge along the front since the oak base is three...

Backing for the shelves has now been added back into the design. My concerns about rigidity and Andy's comment that even a thin back will help, together with laying out the base and discovering how 'unflat' the back wall is - up to 1cm gap off the best straight line. It would look very messy...

Andy - because of the method of assembly I cannot see an easy way to include backs. However, I had thought of adding some backing in from the front at a later date if we wanted but wouldn't trust it to be structural. ... Colin

Thanks to everyone for your responses - it's been really helpful challenging my original design for all fixed shelving. I'm now convinced to float as many shelves as possible. I would still have follow the assembly process I outlined in an earlier post since the top is constructed just like a...

Andy - I did say they were too expensive - given I would need up to 100 (depending on fixed versus floating) I would be looking for packs of 50 at that price! The old thread on pins was useful - thanks ... Colin

Jacob - I would probably have seriously considered this if I had faces/pilasters on the verticals (already have a small freestanding bookcase with these supports) but with six verticals, i feel it would look too busy/heavy to have faces/pilasters on all. Thanks, Colin

SWMBO (who commissioned the bookcase) already has a Kindle so it hasn't helped :-(