# Things to do with books... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550 "2008-11-13T16:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/1 "2008-11-13T16:48:58Z")
…[besides read them.](http://www.offbeatearth.com/dont-like-reading-other-uses-for-books/) ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/2 "2008-11-13T17:06:30Z")
I like the stack sculptures, but I’m unsettled by the carved-up books. Maybe if I pretend they’re all copies of _The Da Vinci Code_. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/3 "2008-11-13T17:11:27Z")
Very cool. If I ever take up a creative hobby, I might try book art. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/4 "2008-11-13T17:18:55Z")
Love the shelves - wish I could read all of the titles: Off Balance Out of Control Out of Order It’s Fun to Make it Yourself Measure Twice, Cut Once The practical Home Handyman Anybody can do? ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/5 "2008-11-13T18:27:08Z")
Sweet. I’m totally going to make me some of those bookshelves. I wonder if there’s a brace inside. There would have to be, how would you glue the books together? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/6 "2008-11-13T18:39:58Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I like the stack sculptures, but I’m unsettled by the carved-up books. Maybe if I pretend they’re all copies of _The Da Vinci Code_. …or Hannibal. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/7 "2008-11-13T18:46:33Z")
They could be landfill fodder of a number of different kinds – outdated tech manuals, etc. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/8 "2008-11-13T19:14:30Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Sweet. I’m totally going to make me some of those bookshelves. I wonder if there’s a brace inside. There would have to be, how would you glue the books together? My WAG: Glue the pages of the book together, leaving it so that you can open at about half way. Open it, drill countersunk holes, and bolt together. Once you get the shelf formed, glue books completely shut. As for braces, once the pages are glued together, the book are plent stiff enough. I’d rip strip of wood thin enough to fit inside the book, then cut it at an angle a few inches down. Mount the long piece on the wall, and the short piece in the book with the angle such that the shelf is forced toward the wall. You’d have to glue the pages of the book together and rip out the thickness of the board from the edge opposite the binding before gluing the brace in and covers down. Kind of hard to explain, here’s an ASCII side view: | | |This part monted in book | |/ | |/| | |This piece mounted on wall |\_| ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/9 "2008-11-13T21:41:26Z")
> [@masterofnone](#): > > Kind of hard to explain, here’s an ASCII side view: > > | | |This part monted in book > | |/ > | > |/| > | |This piece mounted on wall > |\_| Um, that didn’t help too much. Could you sketch something and post it in your Photobucket account? ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/10 "2008-11-13T22:06:25Z")
I’ve been trying to draw you a better picture, but having no luck coming up with something more clear. I’ve got to run now, but I’ll work on it and get back to you. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/11 "2008-11-13T22:16:05Z")
Wow… book\_15.jpg is my favorite. Wonder how that was done. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/12 "2008-11-14T02:21:01Z")
OK - Here are some photos. I’m eliminating the step of cutting the book into a triangle to make it easier to explain how it’s mounted to the wall. This will mount the book as if you held the book against the wall straight out in front of you with the spine facing you. Glue all th pages of the book together, but leave it so you can open both covers. Rip a piece of wood to the thickness of the book minus the covers. Cut at an angle a few inches down. [![](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0752.jpg) ](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0752.jpg) Cut the thickness of the wood out of the book opposite the spine. Glue the small piece of wood into the book with the point out and down. This picture shows it part way in to show how it should be oriented, but it should be flush with the edge. [![](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0753.jpg) ](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0753.jpg) Screw the mounting strip to the wall with the point out and up. Use cabinet screws and be sure to hit studs. [![](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0754.jpg) ](https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk261/Vermontfarmer/?action=view¤t=IMG_0754.jpg) Now you can just grab the book by the spine and drop it over the mounting strip. A couple of these should support several hunderd pounds if you use cabinet screws and hit studs. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/13 "2008-11-14T04:18:09Z")
I love the shelf, the light and the book fort. My daughter made a sculpture like those with curly pages (numbers 7 and 14) for a project in art school. She bought a couple of books from Goodwill to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/14 "2008-11-14T05:13:23Z")
Personally, my preferred (imaginary) book fodder are the various manuals on how to ace the SAT I had to choke down. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/15 "2008-11-14T05:54:42Z")
Love the octopus one. Captures the point of reading, perfectly, for me. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/16 "2008-11-14T14:36:29Z")
> [@masterofnone](#): > > OK - Here are some photos. I’m eliminating the step of cutting the book into a triangle to make it easier to explain. Very clear! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/17 "2008-11-14T15:09:44Z")
> [@masterofnone](#): > > My WAG: > Glue the pages of the book together, leaving it so that you can open at about half way. Open it, drill countersunk holes, and bolt together. Once you get the shelf formed, glue books completely shut. The way I was thinking of doing it was taking the end books, cutting out the pages except for an inch or so near the end that will be sticking out, and then gluing them around a board cut so that the width of the books hides it. From the front it looks like 3 books stuck together but it’s got the the strength of the board to hold it up. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/18 "2008-11-14T15:20:31Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Sweet. I’m totally going to make me some of those bookshelves. I wonder if there’s a brace inside. There would have to be, how would you glue the books together? There are instructions for those shelves out there; I’ve been planning to make some. Mmmmmm, check the Make blog? I’d look it up for you but I have to run to work; but there are instructions! ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/19 "2008-11-14T15:47:31Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > The way I was thinking of doing it was taking the end books, cutting out the pages except for an inch or so near the end that will be sticking out, and then gluing them around a board cut so that the width of the books hides it. From the front it looks like 3 books stuck together but it’s got the the strength of the board to hold it up. For the shelf that is 3 perfectly aligned books, this is surely a better way than what I suggested. I was referring to the next one, where “Off Balance” and “Out of Order” are on the braces, and “Out of Control” appears to just be sitting on top. There you cannot have a continuous board through all 3 books. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550/20 "2008-11-14T16:09:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Things to do with books… > > * * * > > …besides read them. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! You don’t do anything with a book except read it! Never, never, never. Never! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-with-books/472550.md?page=2)