To use 100% of standard panel without wastage was what, in the end, determined the crate sizes. A 5’ x 5’ panel produces five crates measuring 30 x 61 x 25 cm deep. A 4’ x 8’ panel delivers six crates 30 x 61 x 27 cm deep. I opted for the 5 x 5’ Baltic Birch plywood, preferring less depth, and ordered three panels for making 15 modules, as well as a sheet of ordinary 1/4” (6mm) plywood for the bottoms, or backs. · Working in the woodshop of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture, I cut the three 5 x 5’ panels into six equal strips on a table saw (4 x 8’ panels can be cut into nine equal strips perpendicular to the long edge), then cut each strip into the differently-sized sides of the crates. From the sheet of ordinary plywood, I cut 15 crate bottoms. I used Rabbet joints throughout, though Box joints can also be used. The longer side pieces are trimmed on their short edges to be Rabbet-joined to the short edges of the shorter sides, after which all bottom edges are trimmed so that the crate back is inset and unseen. Before assembling the modules, four circular recesses are routed on the outside of each long side. Pieces of hardwood dowel are inset on one of the sides to form Lego-type connectors for stacking. Oval recesses are routed on the small side pieces to act as carrying-grips. Assembly involves wood glue and quick clamping of the birch side pieces before inserting and gluing the bottom, pneumatically gunning a few finishing nails into each joint before the glue set. The Lego connectors are inserted and after a light sanding, each crate gets two coats of matte varnish. When the crates were stacked two crates wide by seven high, the maximum height that my ceiling permitted (the 15th crate became a nightstand), and after filling them with books, the two columns of crates deviated slightly from one another, so shims were inserted. It also became apparent that a toe space was necessary, so in subsequent assemblies the bookcases were stacked on strips of lumber, which also ensures better alignment between stacks on uneven floors. Although then I had no plans to move, I was accumulating so many books that I had another 15 crates made by Winnipeg cabinetmaker Garry Dehls. · Five relocations, including a trans-Atlantic move, and 23 years later, the nomadic bookcase system is still in use. It makes moving books easier, but one thing hasn’t changed: I still dread moving.
rafael gomez-moriana
Rafael Gómez-Moriana is an architectural designer, writer and educator who, after criss-crossing Canada several times and living out of a suitcase in Amsterdam for two years, finally ended up settling in Barcelona, where he directs the Barcelona Program of the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. https:// rafagomo.com @rafagomo
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