# Building shelving, newbie questions



## ghostee (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi,

I'm building a small shelving unit that I'm going to use to hold my A/V equipment (cable box, receiver, media center, etc). I'm building it to fit a small nook I have that's around ~40" high and 22" wide. The shelf will be about 20" deep. I'll be adding wheels to the bottom to allow it to pull out for rear access. I'm building it out of 3/4" birch plywood, and will be adding a face frame of poplar. I've already picked up the wood from a local lumber yard and have the frame pieces cut and dados routed. I'm planning to start the joinery tonight.

This is my first real project, so I have a few questions for the pros out there.

1.) I've cut dados into the sides to receive the shelves, and plan to glue them in place. I will clamp them and allow them to set. Is it also necessary to nail or screw them, or is glue sufficient? If it is, will finish or brad nails work?

2.) Is it ok to glue and finish nail my face frame onto the shelving frame piece by piece, or does it need to be assembled seperately and than attached as a whole?

3.) For rear access and ventilation purposes, I do not want to put on a plywood backing. I've read that without one, racking can be an issue. Is there another method to help prevent racking?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Tony


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

ghostee said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm building a small shelving unit that I'm going to use to hold my A/V equipment (cable box, receiver, media center, etc). I'm building it to fit a small nook I have that's around ~40" high and 22" wide. The shelf will be about 20" deep. I'll be adding wheels to the bottom to allow it to pull out for rear access. I'm building it out of 3/4" birch plywood, and will be adding a face frame of poplar. I've already picked up the wood from a local lumber yard and have the frame pieces cut and dados routed. I'm planning to start the joinery tonight.
> 
> ...


You should also nail the shelving. I use a 16ga 1 1/2" nail.

I work in the other direction. I build the faceframe first. Then I measure and cut the parts for the box off the faceframe. I then assembly the box piece by piece onto the faceframe nailing through the faceframe. I sometimes also dado the stiles on the faceframe to accept the sidepanels. This makes it stronger as well as puts the nails on the side rather than the front. 

I nearly always put a back on the cabinet. Most electronic equipment vents from the sides and top anyway so having the back open won't help that much. There will have to be holes drilled for the wiring anyway. You could just cut a larger hole behind the equipment where it doesn't show. That way you will get your ventilation and have the stability of the back also.


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