Ladder Rack Bookcases

Three separate but matched ladder racks to hold books.  The "ladders" lean on the wall and are held in place simply by the weight of the books acting through the main uprights and leaning on the wall.  Just like a ladder.  Consideration was made to make sure the tops were leaning on the wall where the studs were behind the sheetrock.  One shelf was made larger to act as a printer table.  It was also left as a taller space so it is now a small desk with a computer and monitor on it.  (Not pictured).  The height of the "side" shelves was driven by the need to get the adjacent clost door to open and so this drove how much the shelf could "stick out" on the floor.  Shelves were constructed as trays with three stiffening edges to prevent the ply warping under the weight of the books.  The front edge also has a stiffening timber edge - though it is flush.  Uprights were constructed from two boards glued together with angled slots left where the shelves would fit.  Shelf edges match the depth of the slots so they fit flush.  The biggest challenge on this project was managing to stain the complex edges and intersections evenly!

 

 

Red Oak
Red Oak veneered plywood
Epoxy
Walnut Stain
Clear Polyurethane Varnish