This piece of furniture is seen in so many forms that a volume would be
necessary simply to catalogue them. The essential features are strong
ends or sides, usually a solid back, a base, shelves, often adjustable
as to spacing, a top more or less ornamental, and often glass doors.
Perhaps the most important point in the construction is strength. A
wobbly bookcase is an abomination, and the weight to be carried is
frequently enormous.
A typical case without doors will be taken up and this may be modified,
used as a unit and doubled or trebled at the will of the young
carpenter. (Fig. 193.)
If it is made to occupy a certain space in a permanent home, it may be
built in and made solid with the wall, but this is not often desirable,
particularly in America, where people move frequently. As a general
rule, two small bookcases are better than one large one. They may be
easily shifted, changed from room to room, and are more apt to fit
between windows.
[Illustration: Fig. 193. The bookcase]
The uprights 4 feet 4 inches long, 8 inches wide and 7/8 inch thick,
are rabbeted at the back so that the joint will not show from the side.
The back is to be of 1/2-inch white wood stained the same colour as the
sides. The under top piece and bottom are gained into the sides, both
joints being hidden by the later construction. The 3-inch bevelled
base is mitred at the corners and cut off square at the back, covering
only three sides, as the back is to be flush from top to bottom. The
top is to have a moulded edge on three sides, and to be fastened
to under top piece by flat-head screws from the under side through
countersunk holes.
The four solid shelves are made adjustable in their spacing by the
old-fashioned method of sawtoothed strips in each corner. Strips 7/8 ×
1/2 inch are made to fit in the toothed spaces, and the shelves rest on
these strips, of which two must be provided for each shelf.
The four toothed strips should be laid out and cut together to insure
the shelves being level. The dimensions for all these pieces are given
in the detailed drawings.
The front edges are covered by 1/2-inch strips, beaded if desired,
mitred at the top and cut to fit the bevelled base below. Nailed on
with brads, these are set and the holes filled with putty, coloured to
match the finish.
In the mission style, the shelves are frequently mortised through the
sides and secured by pins or wedges. In this type of bookcase, a solid
back is rarely used, and base and top are omitted. In a design of this
kind, the top shelf becomes a book rack with ornamental ends. Often
only the upper and lower shelves are mortised, the others being gained
into the sides as described under wall racks. The lower part of the
side is frequently modified to give a wider base and to make the case
more stable. One objection to this is the amount of material wasted in
cutting out, as the stock for the sides must be the full width of the
base.