Advice about bookcase back

[Anonymous]

Hi all

i am knocking up a couple of bookcases to compliment the bedside cabinets I made a while back.

The sides are made of ash and have two ash panels with a gap of about 1.5mm between their (raised) edges and the frame.

Not sure how to make the backs. Changed my mind loads of times.

The back will be in two sections (upper and lower) with a piece of ash in running across the back in line with the cross member in the sides. Cabinets are only 600mm wide.

Well, my options are:

Option 1
Solid ash panels - ship-lapped. Uses a lot of wood if it is 12-15mm thick. I think thinner wood might bow and move too much.


Option 2
MDF or ply with 'false' panels of thin ash on them to appear ship-lapped

Option 3
Ply back using the ply shown below which has a similar colour to ash. I am tempted by this as my main weakness in life are books. I love 'em and so does mrs T, and so the cases will be pretty full.

What do you reckon?

 

[jasonB]

Have you considered ash veneered ply? say 6mm thick will look better than the ply in your pic.

Or deep cut your shiplap out of 32mm boards then you will get two boards per thickness and less shavings assume you were talking of planing 25mm board down to size.

Jason

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Tony
Ply, ply and ply.
Lke you we have books (if you want an image of my wife, think of Emelda Markos in Waterstones...) and I bet I've made more bookcases than any other single piece of furniture.
The backs of cabinets NEVER get seen. The only exception is if they are situated not against a wall, which, I think, is rarely the case (pun intended) in a domestic environment.
Use ash-faced ply, centre the veneer seam down the centre of your back (so on the Haley's-Comet-rare occasion that it does get seen it looks good) and forget it. No shrinkage, cheap, easy and no-one will ever say "Tut-tut, look, he's not used solid wood for his cabinet back". if the back does get seen, use 3mm ply and glue it back-to-back to make 6mm It will still look good fromt he back.

BTW, I heard a good one today. A friend of mine has a new mother-in-law, who pronounces the blue-and-yellow shop as "Ickier". Oh, how perceptive.

 

[Anonymous]

Ickier :lol: :lol:

I like the sound of the ash veneered ply- thanks Jason and Steve

So, where do I get some in the midlands area (say, near leicester for instance :wink: )?

Or Nottignham where I could drop in and visit a couple of mates after picking the ply up :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

102 views and only 2 people offering advice?

A little disappointing. I was rather hoping that people might be interested and offer an opinion on the direction for my project.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Tony,

I agree with Steve and Jason - ash faced ply. The most appropriate material for the job in my view and if you have as many books as you say it will be full up and the back not seen anyway :wink:

Paul

 

[mailee]

Just got to this posting myself and can't offer any better advice than the previous ones. Veneered ply is the best bet and will remain stable. Oh and by the way Steve, My wife IS Imelda Marcos you should see her collection of shoes! I am sure I have married a centipede! :roll:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Tony, you will get what you need at Nixon & Knowles. And I'll put the kettle on!

 

[neilc]

Tony I completed a couple of ash bookcases myself a while ago. I agree with the previous comments, I also used ash faced ply. I could only find it in 3mm at the time so I just doubled it up. Hope this helps.
Neil

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Neil

Nice bookcases by the way. Sides are similar to mine but i won't have the glass fronts.

I guess I will have to try some ply then. Never purchased ash (or other) veneered ply and am hoping it does not come as too much of a shock.

Must admit to still liking the idea of panelled back..

Cheers
IndecisiveTony

 

[dedee]

Well if I were making one I'd go for the ply.

Having said that I bought an oak bookcase some years back which has a solid oak panelled back. We tend to leave at least one shelf in a book case free of books to show off the odd nic-nak & hence the back is visible.

Andy

 

[Alf]

Must admit to still liking the idea of panelled back..

Then do a panelled back. There's no rule that just 'cos you can't see it that you don't have to make it as well and as nicely as you want. I imagine in 100 years someone'll be pretty impressed that the "craftsman" who made it took the trouble and didn't use veneered ply - I would be. That is, if you really mean a panelled back and not option 2... 8-[

Cheers, Alf

 

[Roger]

Treat yourself like a customer .... if your budget covers it, go for the panels. If not, then don't. I'm always inclined to go the panel route, but for no other reason than it sort of 'feels' better to do it that way. But smaller bookcases for the bedroom ..... is it worth the extra outlay?

You know you're going to go with your own feeling anyway!

 

[wachenga]

Hi Tony,

If you deep cut 32mm boards to get your shiplap try and get quarter sawn material. I deepened some 50mm thick x 130mm wide ash boards (all I had at the time) to make some 20mm thick shelves, the through and through boards moved a lot after deepening and resurfacing, some had to be discarded for that project.

An alternative to pre-veneered ply is pre-veneered MDF, see here: http://tinyurl.com/y8owhe

Veneering and veneered boards are used by craftsmen too ;-)

Cheers

Liam