bookshelf help

I have all of the Woodsmith magazines in PDFs, so I’m looking at the issue you’re referring to. To answer your question, yes the biscuits will be strong enough.

Since you have that issue of the magazine with excellent step-by-step instructions and detailed cutlists, go ahead and build that project. It’ll work. The biscuits will give you all the weight-bearing strength you need for the shelves, and the back will make it solid so it won’t rack. It’ll be a bookshelf that your son can pass on to his kids.

-- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

I agree with Rich, biscuits will do well. You can add a decorative element and some strength by using a dowel all the way through the side into the shelf. No needed but would add some flair so to speak to the project.

-- Live to tell the stories, they sound better that way.

Dados will always be stronger. And with grain going the same direction in the boards (I mean wide grain is going the same way as wide grain… But, I know the end grain meets face grain).

But, I would wager biscuits would hold… It’s not the first way I would choose. But, it will help align things nicely.

My first choice, for strength and appearance would be sliding dovetails. My first choice most of the time for general construction would be dados. My third choice might be biscuits for alignment with screws with dowels or plugs to cover. Although, depending on the final customer, pocket holes screws (and possibly plugs) might fall higher in the pecking order.

-- John F. SoCal transplant, chewer uppper of good wood