Functionality And Style With Oak Bookcases

Books become friends once read and are often referred to and reread for years. A collection of books, whether they are romance fiction or non-fiction reference books, textbooks, philosophy, science fiction or a combination of every genre, is a valuable thing and deserves to be protected from insects and dust. Some collections contain first editions or vintage children's books. Some reflect a lifetime of reading for every member of a family. Many of these books are also heirlooms to be read to several generations of children.

Inexpensive bookshelves are often made from particleboard with a plastic veneer. Medium density fibreboard with a genuine wooden veneer is also used to manufacture bookshelves. These products may not be suitable for a book collection because they are not strong enough to bear the weight of books and are meant for display of figurines, plants and other objects. Their joints may be glued or nailed. If used to display a book collection, they will eventually sag in the middle and break.

A solid oak bookcase will hold its shape for as long as it is being used. There are many examples of solid oak antiques that are just as strong as they were when they were new. Shelves made out of good quality wood can be joined with English Dovetailed joints that are strong and used in the manufacture of all high quality furniture.

Solid oak bookcases come in styles that will harmonise and enhance any interior décor. Tall and narrow to fit in a small space in a small house or flat, medium height for placing near a work station and small for a children's room are just a few of the possibilities. Beautiful solid oak bookcases with a large collection of books add warmth to a living room or family room. The colour can vary from natural wood to a lighter or darker stain. In any case, when the wood is polished it will glow as only oak can.
 

Oak bookcases may be simple shelves or have carved borders. They may have a solid back or be open. The room where the bookcase is to be placed needs to be determined first then the style can be selected. The style of the other furniture should also be considered. Simple shelves have a more modern look and any ornate carving will look vintage. Bookcase Walls that are open may be used as room dividers with artfully chosen areas left empty where a small ornament or photograph can be placed. If drawers or cupboards are required, their position should also be considered. Each shelf will not be of equal height so many different sized books can be accommodated. Usually the larger sized books fit on the bottom, and the smaller books are put on the upper shelf.
 
High quality Wooden Living Room Furniture always looks good even years after it was new, and light oak living room furniture is one of the best for durability and attractiveness. These pieces will be handed down for generations if they are well cared for, and give the same beautiful, genuine wooden glow.

Types of Wood For Your Bookcase Plans

         

Once you've gone through the task of selecting your bookcase walls plan and you've spent a little time learning the basics about the tools you'll require to build your bookcase then it's time to make some important decisions about the wood you wish to use for the project.
Some of the main issues to consider in selecting the wood you use include the colour, quality and price.

Often the decision on colour is based upon the decor of the room in which your bookcase will be situated. matching the colour of wood to the furniture of your house is an important design consideration. Knowing whether you want a stained wood type look or whether you will be painting your bookcase can also impact upon the type of wood you will select. Generally speaking, most people will match dark furniture with a dark wood or paint a dark colour and conversely will match light furniture with a light wood or paint a light colour. Then again - your bookcase may be a feature and you may choose to have it 'stand out' from the crowd!

Quality and Price vary based upon whether the wood is a softwood like pine, a hardwood such as mahogany or oak or a manufactured type wood panel such as MDF, particle board or plywood. Both softwoods and manufactured woods are relatively cheap and easy to work with but can be damaged easier and may not wear as well. Most hard woods look fantastic, are hard wearing but also cost more to use.
If you are a beginner, you might want to start out on the easy stuff and select a softwood like pine or a a manufactured panel like MDF to work with. This will be less expensive, easier and require just the basic tools to work with.

A Simple Way of Building a Corner Bookcase

Woodworking projects can be really interesting but if you have always thought they are too complicated for you, it is about time that you know they are not. Woodworking projects are not as difficult as they seem, especially when you have the right kinds of woodworking designs and plans within your reach. If you are new to the world of woodworking and you are still not comfortable with your do-it-yourself skills, you can try building your own corner bookcase as a start.

It is relatively simple to build a corner bookcase. What you need are 2 pieces of half-inch plywood cut into 4' x 8' plywood, a tape measure, a pencil, gloves, protective eyewear, a jigsaw or table saw, sandpaper, nails, a hammer, and some wood stain or paint. The first thing you would want to do is to locate a corner in your room or house where you would want to place your bookcase. Once you have chosen a spot, take some measurements so you can determine the height, width, and depth of your bookcase. You can download a corner bookcase plan online to make the whole job easier.

You will then need to mark out and cut at least two triangles from one of the pieces of plywood that you have, following the measurement of your desired bookcase depth. These triangular pieces of plywood will become the shelves of your bookcase. You will then need to mark out and cut twp rectangular pieces from your other sheet of plywood. These will form the side panels of your bookcase. Their length should follow the measurement of the desired height of your bookcase while their width should be of the same measurement with the two legs of your inside panels.

Once you have cut out all the pieces, it is time to nail them together to form your bookcase. Take the inside panels and nail them on one of the side panels, working the nail from the outside. Once done, nail the other side panel to the half-finished bookcase walls. After this, it is time that you nail the top and bottom panels in place.
To complete your corner bookcase, you will need to sand down all the rough edges. After sanding, it is time for you to apply your kind of finish to your bookcase. You can choose any color of paint of you like. If you prefer a more natural look, you can use a certain tint of wood stain.

Solid Wood Bookcase Wall

If you plan to buy a solid wood bookcase wall, there are some things that you should know and consider such as price and weight.

Usually a bookcase like this is very pretty in an old library or in a classic living room but if you don't have any of those don't be worried because it can still look good in your house.
Oak bookcases are much demanded in the bookcase market and they are an excellent choice that can usually be bought at a good price. Despite the obvious fashion trends, an Oak bookcase is already a classic when we are talking about bookcases.

Solid wood bookcases are usually very good supporting heavy books since they are made in noble materials and with a superior quality of construction; however the weight of a solid book bookcase can be bad if you want to transport it once in a while, but has I said if you want to support heavy books you will have to buy an heavy bookcase.

  

Other thing you must consider is the price of your bookcase. If you need a really big solid bookcase you should expect to spend a good amount of money. What I recommend you is to look in stores that sells used furniture. If you don't want to buy used furniture you can still look in the good old furniture stores or go see a carpenter and make one as you wish. As you must imagine this type of bookcase can be very expensive, but it's worth to give it a shot.

If by the other hand you don't need a big bookcase, perhaps looking into cheap furniture stores could be the solution for you. IKEA, for example is a very good place to start looking for a bookcase. There you will be able to find bookcases of all sizes and shapes and always respecting your price tag. Of course, if you go to one of those stores you'll not find the same quality as in a handmade bookcase, however sometimes and the furniture market the price means a lot.