Rob B.
Mainstays 3-shelf bookcase (from Walmart)
For the $30 price, this product is well worth the money. I'd like to provide a few tips for anyone purchasing this flat-pack item. (flat-pack is an industry term used to denote products which need assembly by the consumer). FYI- I spent 40 years in the building industry, and my primary specialty was cabinetry. The assembly instructions are first-rate. They are easy to understand and the drawings are very accurate. Anyone who can read and has a moderate level of mechanical ability, can assemble this cabinet. There are a number of suggestions I have which will make the unit much stronger than designed. That being said, the engineering of this product is excellent. All the pieces are precision cut and fit together well. Now for what you MUST do if you want the cabinet to stay together, even if you move it from place to place. You MUST use carpenter's glue (yellow glue made by many companies), in the dowel sockets. Use it in both holes for every dowel you insert. This will produce a strong bond which will increase the cabinet strength. There are no instructions regarding the use of glue in the assembly details. Probably because glue can be messy if you're not used to working with it. A warm, wet, rag will clean up any excess glue, but do it without much delay or it will be harder to remove. Most yellow glue will dry within 2-4 hours, and will cure in about 24. Take the time for the glue to set, it will be worth it. Don't move the finished cabinet too much before the glue is dry. The one element that is worthless in this cabinet, is the back. It's less than 1/8" in thickness, and is folded in thirds for packaging. The folds produce a crease which will split apart easily. DON'T USE THE BACK SUPPLIED WITH THE CABINET! Instead, go to Home Depot (my preferred vendor) and have them cut you a piece of 1/4", finish-grade plywood. They will cut it to your specifications... just measure the height and width of the assembled cabinet (on the back of it). Home Depot sells 1/2 sheets of plywood, so there will be little waste. Before you secure the back to the cabinet, use walnut wood stain,(or paint if you prefer) on the side which will be visable once installed. Use yellow carpenter's glue again to secure the cabinet back. This is important because the cabinet back racks the cabinet into square and keeps it that way. Do not use the nails provided in the kit to secure the back. The cabinet frame and shelves are made of particle board, and nails are useless in it. Instead, use 1" pan-head wood screws (#6) will be fine. Space them about 4" apart. I used 50 screws to secure the back on my cabinet. Trust me, you will never regret taking the time to install a proper back on this cabinet. That's it. A well-engineered product, with precision-cut pieces, and an easy-to-understand assembly process. With only one major flaw- a worthless back you'll need to replace with a suitable one. Have fun and may it perform as you hope it will!