Materials

The process requires some HEAVY books, a screw driver, lots of "no more nails" and whetever suitable fasteners you need for the wall. You will also need some small "assembly joints".

glue: http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=14761&ts=81971
Assembly joint: http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?ts=82070&id=18587

The vast majority of the work requires a good, FLAT, surface, that is big enough to hold the backplane.

Timber

If you have a good supplier of timber who is willing to cut to size, this is much easier than cutting your own. Our local DIY shops cuts mine to my specifications.

The backplane is made of a single piece of plywood, the size of the area you want to use for the shelf. In my case I tend to just buy a standard size one of 48" by 36". The plywood I use nowadays is painted in white on one side. This treatment helps with the glue fix firmly.

The frame is pine wood, 1/2" by 1 3/4". This is arranged so that the the top and bottom pieces are the full width of the backplane. The vertical pieces (left and right) are therefore shorter by 1" to fit inside the top and bottom pieces.

The shelves are, again, pine wood, 1/8" by 1 3/4". These are cut 1" narrower than the full width of the shelving unit.

Using these guidelines, a 48" by 36" unit with 12 shelves (excluding the bottom shelf) would require the following timber:

1 Backplane 48" by 36", treated white
2 pieces of 48" by 1/2" by 1 3/4" ("top" and "bottom")
2 pieces of 35" by 1/2" by 1 3/4" ("left" and "right")
12 pieces of 47" by 1/8" by 1 3/4" ("shelves")

Assembly

Lay out the backplane on your worksurface and wash down the treated side with slightly soapy water and dry off.

Ensure that the frame is the right size (always worth checking now) and that at least a couple of the shelves will fit inside it). Do this by laying the frame over the backplane, and then putting a couple of shelves in situ. Assuming all is well..

Note about Gluing

This is the key to a good unit. Make sure that you have a continuous flow of glue. Not too much, but definitely always there. If you fail in this, you can add some later in the process by squeezing some into gaps, but this doesn't give the same strength.
 

Use "no more nails" glue to attach the "top" to the backplane. Make sure this is snug against the backplane edge. Glue the "left" piece in situ by putting glue against the backplane AND the end that will attach to the "top". Place "left" in situ and press against the backplane AND (carefully) against the top. Repeat this for the "right" side.

Before this starts drying, place some glue on an "assembly joint" and place in the inner join of the "upper" and "left" frame pieces and squeeze into place. Repeat the process for the "right" and "upper pieces".

Next, attach the "bottom". Put some glue on the "left" and "right" pieces at their bottom ends, such that they will bond against the "bottom" piece. Also put glue on the "bottom" piece and put in situ - carefully pressing against the "left" and "right" frame pieces. Glue "assembly joints" in place in the inside corners, between "left" and "bottom", and "right" and "bottom".

Get hold of books and place 10lbs over each corner so that the pressure pushes the frame against the backplane. I suggest laying the books diagonally across each corner. Leave to dry for 20 mins.

"Resting Point"

When you return, carefully remove the books and check that the frame is fairly solid. At this point the unit will feel fairly flexible and worryingly fragile. Don't worry - the shelves will gradually strengthen it and make it more rigid. The period between placing the books and returning I call the "resting point".

Shelves

Again, check that the shelves will fit snuggly within the frame. If they are too short the unit will be too wobbly and the shelf won't hold any weight. If it is too tight, the shelf will need to be shortened just slightly so that is will fit snuggly.

Measure out the spacing between the shelves. For small figures (e.g halflings and goblins) I use 1 3/4" spacing, for medium I use 2 1/8" and for large ones - e.g. LRDs - I use 3". Mark off the locations of the shelves on the frame (ensure you are consistent - i.e. mark against the TOP of the shelf when it goes into situ).

Aim to glue 3 shelves into position between each "resting point". Glue each shelf into position, ensuring that there is enough glue to hold the shelf constantly across its entire length. Ensure also that the end of the shelf is properly glued to the frame. Run a wet finger along the whole length of the glue joint to ensure that there is a smooth joint, and that there is a constant amount along its length.
Do this on both sides of the shelf (over and under it). Also do the ends in the same way. This process is important to success. In addition, if you are doing a large unit, such as the one I have used as an example, you should place an "assembly joint" under the shelf, half way along it, for added strength. This is done by gluing it into place in the join between shelf and backplane. Once you have done 3-4 shelves, place at least 10 lbs of book over the shelves to push them against the backplane. Put the books in several places over all shelves, ensuring that the shelf stays perpendicular to the backplane.

Repeat the process until all shelves are in place.

Drying

Leave the unit to dry for another 30 mins or so at this point. When done, check each shelf is glued firmly in place. Add glue where you can hear creaks and looseness and let dry.

Lastly - hanging up!

I have a drywall, so I used two screws for the large unit. Ensure that the screw has a large head. Make two pilot holes in the backplane - about 10" from the top of the unit and about 10" in from the side - and place against the wall where you want to hang it. Mark the wall through the pilot holes. Remove the unit, prepare the wall for the screw (plugs etc.), then lift the unit into place and screw in through the pilot holes.

Easy - takes about 4 hours from beginning to end.

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Last modified: 02/09/06