Today My Bookcase Collapsed Under the Weight of My RPGs

[Nellisir]

I...really haven't got anything to add. I don't buy bookcases, I build them.

 

[pawsplay]

I suggest stronger bookcases. My gaming books inhabit two two-shelfers from an office supply store.

 

[atom crash]

I'd suggest going to your local unpainted/unfinished furniture store and checking in their kids' furniture section. Something like this one or that one should work nicely, for example (though that Amazon item is way too expensive).

I'm using something similar to the first link -- a series of narrow box shelves -- for my RPG books. They're about 5 feet tall (with 4 shelves, each one perfect for RPG books) and about 2 feet wide, and I've got several of them set side by side. Since they're designed for kids' rooms, they're built sturdy to withstand the weight of kids climbing on them. And because they're unpainted, they're a tad bit cheaper.

The trick is to cut down on the span of the shelf, because the heavy books are going to warp and eventually break your typical 4-foot shelf.

 

[pawsplay]

From my one experience in buying furniture from IKEA, I would advise against it. The laminate on it is paper thin and the wood feel so lightweight that I really wouldn't want anything with much weight on the shelves.

Olaf the Stout

From my limited experience with them, they are adequate bookcases, but you might want to replace the backing with real plywood. I had a toddler destroy the back of one by jumping on it... And it wasn't even my toddler!

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Some of the Ikea stuff is very flimsy, but some of it is extremely tough. One of my bookcases is strong enough that I could hop up and down on top of it without any problems at all, and it would hold up.

Another recommendation - sometimes the plasticthingies they use to hold the shelves up are to blame - you can get strong brass hradware for cheap at home depot and that will help immensely. Also, when you're attaching that cheap plywood backing to your cheap $100 bookshelves, go ahead and take the extra 15 minutes to nail in all of the 50 or so mini-nails they give you. It will look better and last better.

 

[replicant2]

That story is why I love this web site.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I hand build all my own bookcases. Haven't had one fail yet. But I'm beginning to worry about the floor. So I always place them along the edges of rooms and shift them around every once in a while.

 

[Ranger REG]

Either way, let my life serve as a warning to you all!

Don't buy from Wal-Mart?

Watch the New Yankee Workshop so you can build a better bookshelf?

 

[rgard]

When I was single I used cinder (breeze for you folks in the UK) blocks and 2'x4'x8's. Usually put 3 cinder blocks as a base evenly spaced out along 8'. Then lay 2x4x8's enough to cover the cinder blocks. Then repeat the process. It's sturdy as heck.

Couldn't get away with that now as my wife's sense of style wouldn't suffer the look.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Ranger REG]

When I was single I used cinder (breeze for you folks in the UK) blocks and 2'x4'x8's. Usually put 3 cinder blocks as a base evenly spaced out along 8'. Then lay 2x4x8's enough to cover the cinder blocks. Then repeat the process. It's sturdy as heck.

Meh. It's called a poor man's bookshelf. Don't know what's a 2x4x8 (only know 2x4) but you can make do with a 1/2-inch thick plywood 9 inches wide, 24 or more inches long.