My First World shelf problem. Please help.

[Diggs]

Well, if the tall compartments contain the heavier items, then you'd want something like this, I guess:

+-------+-------+
| light | light |
+-------+-------+
| light |       |
+-------+ heavy |
| light |       |
+-------+-------+

In other words, heavy down the bottom, light up near the top where it doesn't get squished.

When you say heavy, does that mean that Ulysses and À la recherche du temps perdu have to sit in the bottom right hand corner?

 

[hopless500]

Large stuff at the bottom

 

[threebikesmcginty]

What if the large stuff is bubble wrap and the small stuff is blocks of osmium?

 

[hopless500]

What if the large stuff is bubble wrap and the small stuff is blocks of osmium?

Osmium is a tad less likely.

 

[Aperitif]

What if the large stuff is bubble wrap and the small stuff is blocks of osmium?

Donny Osmium - might be a 'shelfie' - not sure.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Heavy stuff, and bulky stuff in the middle at waist height. That way you don't need to bend down, or stretch up to lift heavy stuff in or out. Then lightest stuff at the top, the other stuff towards the bottom

 

[Bazzer]

You need to think about what is going on the shelves. You don't want to be going for top shelf material everytime you use the shelves. a) it's a PITA unless you are so tall, or your ceiling is so low, you can easily reach the top shelf and b) you are more likely to hit yourself with whatever you were putting on or taking off the shelf; unless you are so tall....etc..
We have floor to ceiling book shelves; Unless there is an oddity in a set or topic, in which case it stays with the ones with which it belongs, heaviest books on the bottom, regularly used ones in the middle and rarely used at the top.

 

[Fnaar]

You should build it in such a way that you can re-enact this scene:

 

[Salty seadog]

Osmium is a tad less likely.

This is @slowmotion, I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[Salty seadog]

Heavy stuff, and bulky stuff in the middle at waist height. That way you don't need to bend down, or stretch up to lift heavy stuff in or out. Then lightest stuff at the top, the other stuff towards the bottom

This makes too much sense and therefore has no place on cc.

 

[slowmotion]

Thank you for your advice. I'll make the shelves progressively less tall the higher they are off the floor. It looks as though I'll have to have removable shelves in order to keep the weight down when I put the bookcase in position. It's going to weigh about 57 kg when assembled.....and that's with empty shelves.

BTW, here's The Sagulator.
http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/
It allows you to calculate the deflection of shelves.

Edit: Glossy magazines weigh in about 20 kg per foot run. I weighed my copies of Fine Woodworking earlier today. Spare me the comments @Fnaar...

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

You don't need shelves, what you need is a large walk-in cupboard; chuck everything in, close door. Sorted.

 

[slowmotion]

You don't need shelves, what you need is a large walk-in cupboard; chuck everything in, close door. Sorted.

I'm not at all concerned about tidiness, but your suggestion would block the well-trodden path to the beer fridge.

 

[EnPassant]

Put it where you like.
Watch tv? Rather you than me.

 

[PeteXXX]

I suggest a Risk Assessment be done before even getting to the planning stage..