Barrister book cases.

I saw ol' nail gunner Nahmie build some just the other day (most likely a repeat).

Not to shabby neither! Give em' a glance.

There's a plan in Popular Woodworking, April 2007. Post back with what you find - I'm interested in building some nice bookshelves at some point in the near future. Good luck, Andy

Check out NYW.

Lew

Lee Valley has some plans for them.

The hardware for making the modern version is something that I haven't been able to source out locally yet. The antique one I have, I could fashion the hardware myself if I was so inclined.

As others have mentioned, Norm did one. Episode 13, season 13, I believe. That ought to be enough to scare you off.

Hi Rob,

Woodsmith Volume 23/No. 134 (April 2001) has the modular Barister's Bookcase plans. You can go to

Regards,

Rick

"Robatoy" wrote

Issue 149 Wood magazine

There are three sorts of barrister's bookcases. Decide what you really need first, because the effort involved varies dramatically between them.

Barrister's bookcases are demountable stacking individual shelf units. Usually open-topped and with a hinged glazed door panel to the front. The top lid, and plinth are usually additional components.

The true form is designed to make moving between chambers easy (hence the name). Each bookcase shelf is separate and forms its own shipping container. There are handles (or at least graspable mouldings on each end) and most importantly the construction is strong enough to hold the weight of books when the separate shelves are apart. This style is commercially quite rare. Usually the door is an "up and over" which stows in the open space above the books, but below the shelf unit above it. Typically there's a crude steel strip X-linkage here to stop the door panel from skewing and jamming (you can make this yourself, I've not seen them for sale). When making this sort, dovetail the carcase. The end panels are only attached on two edges and a top corner so they're almost an unsupported cantilever.

The most common form is demountable but _shouldn't_ be carried around when full of books - they'll break.Typically you can spot these because they don't have a top rail along the top front edge - they rely on the shelf unit above for support. I've seen them fail at the joints by racking stresses on the cantilevered end panels and even by twisting of the door causing the glass panes to crack.

The simplest form is just a bookcase with individual doors over each shelf. It looks cute, but it's extra work to make and a pain to use, compared to a simple bookcase with a single glazed door. They also waste height, as each effective shelf thickness must be thick enough to store a door panel.

I am starting to see that.

Separate pieces... for sure. That's what I'm after. Kinda rough and crude, functionality generating their form. Handles, yup, that's what I remember. The ones I saw, were like 'church-pew-oak'...if you know what I mean. I want to make them out of cherry though.

I'll make the hardware if I have to, but I need some good photographs or books ( not looking for freebies either)..I'll figure it out from there. So far, DAGS has yielded very little, so I appreciate your input. That helped quite a bit.

Thank you,

Thanks for all the input, Wreckers... I appreciate it... I have a better idea what it is I'm after...I need pictures of genuine antiques..I'm DAGS-ing as much as I can....

Robatoy wrote: | I want to build a six-pack of barrister book cases. I have found a | few plans..but looking for more. They don't have to be free plans | either. I simply don't have the time to design anything.

I have a catalog from VanDyke's Restorers

No affiliation, etc, etc.

HTH

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

Ohhh, Andy.. what is that 'snake-like' pattern on this picture? Is that something done with paint?

If all else fails, I own a stack of those. I didn't build them, they're genuine old-school. I'd be glad to photograph and measure them.

Barry

A very generous offer, thank you. Andy Dingley mentioned dove-tailed sides. I don't own a dove-tail jig, but I do have a Leigh DVD here...what to do...what to do... Also, our friends at LV have an up-and-over-slide-hinge-thingy which might work for me....although hardly authentic. (watch the wrap)

onward and upward goeth I.

Rob... I have that exact bookcase in my home. i inherited it from a great aunt. If you want additional pic or measurements email me

That's mine, TOO! Same labels, too.

I have the same cases & top, but a different base.

Macey's. I've no idea why, but half the barristers' bookcases I see are that same pattern (note the clips on the end for locking adjacent columns together).

I've even got a stack of three myself, and I'm in the UK.

Thos clips and strips are steel, electro-plated with copper to allow an easier and more attractive patination. They're very sensitive to environmental conditions over time, greasy fingerprints, polishes, smokey rooms.