I'm designing a secret bookcase that will be about 34" wide x 80" tall, the shelving will be between 8" and 12" deep - the client hasn't made this final decision yet.
I'm going to use pivoting hardware (as opposed to hinges) to allow this to open. I'm thinking of using 6/4 cherry, so the case sides will likely be about 1 1/4" thick. One shelf will be fixed in place so it can be pulled to swing the bookcase open, the others will be moveable (unless this is a bad idea and they all need to be fixed in place to add rigidity).
My main concern and question is about the strength of the bottom case member (rail?) that takes the weight of the whole bookcase on the pivot - how do I make sure it doesn't deflect under the strain? Do I need to make a steel brace to span underneath the bookcase and catch the stiles?
If I don't need the brace is 1 1/4" cherry strong enough, or should I look at starting out with 10/4? I could also suggest using plywood (cherry veneered show face with BB multiply layers to get to the desired thickness?) if that would be structurally better, but this client loves real wood.
My other concern is that this hardware is designed for doors, and doors are trimmed to fit the framed opening, unless they are metal of course. I will have very little room to trim the bookcase sides, and I'm wondering if any of the pivot hardware out there has any adjustability built into it?
If anyone has any experience working with this kind of thing and has any pointers for me I'd very much appreciate anything you can tell me.
I also figured I can hold of on tying the framing to the house studs until the bookcase is installed and this will allow me to manipulate the gap to where i want it (the framing that takes the top pivot will need to be secure from the get go).