I'm thinking of building some solid wood bookshelves with a really minimalist design—basically just a back and shelves, no sides. I know this might not be the best idea, but here's what I'm planning: the back will be a 1" thick solid hardwood and will be screwed into the stud for support. The shelves will also be hardwood and likely an inch thick. I'm using a through dado joint with horizontal wedges on both sides of the shelves. My main concerns are whether this joint will be strong enough to support a standard bookshelf load and if it's a bad idea to put that much weight on the stud. I'd appreciate any suggestions or insights! Thanks!
1 Answer
To really make sure your shelves can handle the weight, consider what hardware you plan to use in addition to the dado joint and screws. It sounds like a pretty minimalist approach right now, but you might want to add brackets or some kind of support to help carry the load.
That's a good point! Right now, I was just planning on the dado joint and the screws holding it to the stud. Guess I should think about extra support.