I'm planning to build two sets of matching bookshelves using a bunch of leftover tongue and groove floorboards from my home renovation. Each bookshelf will be about 1800mm wide, 2500mm high, and 360mm deep. I'm going for a rustic look with these 90mm x 25mm Sydney bluegum floorboards. Although I'd like to route the visible edges, I'm actually leaning towards keeping the T&G visible since I don't own a router and I'm not experienced with one. I want to have vertical edge boards with shelf pin holes, assembling the T&G boards to create 600mm shelves to prevent sagging. This means I'll need four vertical supports with drilled holes for the 1800mm wide setup, and I'll make sure to secure the unit to the wall for safety. I plan to finish it with pure tung oil. How would you approach this project?
2 Answers
You could also consider trimming the tongue off the back of the boards and then gluing it into the groove at the front. I've done this before, and it turns out pretty nice. Plus, you can stain that front piece a darker shade for some contrast. What do you think?
A neat way to tackle this would be to add front edges to your shelves. That way, you could extend beyond 600mm without worrying about sag, and it will also cover the T&G edges if you want that clean look. Just a thought!
That's a solid tip! I might just try that.
I've heard that gluing T&G isn't the best practice, though. Do you run into any movement issues with your shelves? I'm thinking about using 4x90mm for each shelf.