Replies

1. 
   rob_ss | Oct 20, 2020 03:24am | #1

   The obvious answer is sliding tapered dovetails. These joints will hold tightly but be easy to dismantle. They are in theory not too hard to make. In practice, getting a top and a bottom one to match exactly is really quite hard.
   The usual trick of cutting the upright a little long and then trimming to length after fitting is not so easy when you have to get two to match. Doable, but not easy.

   Instead, I would create dado/housing joints. Stop them just short of the front. Use screws (three per upright) through the shelves into the uprights to secure them rather than glue. No-one will see or care (look at how well Ikea do)
   Without glue though this unit will be more prone to racking so putting a back on it made of clear polycarbonate or fixing it firmly to a wall would be safest.

2. 
   lat_axe | Oct 20, 2020 03:25am | #2

   If you want it knock-down, the obvious break-apart joints would be the long horizontal shelves. If you could live with those horizontals being two-piece, you could make five of the long box structures and place one on top of another. That would also allow you to swap them about a bit in the "pile" of shelves.

   If you used some sort of loose pegging, such as a few dry dowels, to locate the five horizontal sections one atop another, you could disguise the double horizontal rails with a single piece covering the joint, perhaps kept in place with a few of the knock-down Domino inserts or similar.

   Personally I'd let the two-plank join show, with perhaps a small decorative element such as a small chamfer between them (making a small V groove where they meet).

   ******
   The case work itself is also a good candidate for dominoes. All the grain (assuming its solid wood) runs together except the front-facing panels here and there, which could be attached with unglued dominoes in wider slots, to allow for any slight expansion & contraction. The rest of the construction would keep them in place.

   Lataxe

3. 
   john_c2 | Oct 20, 2020 04:19am | #3

   Anything that comes apart is going to be very rickety. And every time you take it apart and put it back together, it's going to get more wobbly.

   Diagonal are crucial for stability, and that whole unit only has three small squares to add rigidity.

   You could maybe make two permanent sections that are joined in the middle with bolts and threaded inserts. But making it to be taken apart is going to result in something pretty weak.

4. 
   _mj_ | Oct 20, 2020 08:12am | #4

   First, I don't think it's totally open, it looks like half the boxes face east and the other half west, with a few open spaces in between..that's why it doesn't collapse. Looking at the edges and thinking about the budget, it is definitely plywood or a veneered panel construction.

   Dominos are a fine idea. Build 3 full length sections (top, middle, base) and a bunch of boxes with set-back tops and bottoms where you can screw through to tie them together. You'll be the only one that notices the little steps inside.

5. 
   john_c2 | Oct 20, 2020 10:18am | #5

   Ah. I saw the backs on the near side, but didn't notice the backs on the far side.

   This project would be the one to justify buying a Domino.

6. 
   bilyo | Oct 20, 2020 02:09pm | #6

   I agree that it looks like there are front and back facing box like structures. if not, there could be and they would add greatly to the rigidity of the unit. For movability, you might consider making each tier a separate unit with it's own top and bottom and include one or two of the box like structures. Most any joinery method for these tiers including dadoes, sliding dovetail, dowels, and others mentioned, would be fine as each tier would be it's own structural rigid and movable unit. These units could then be stacked to make the configuration shown in the picture. A few screws through the top of one unit into the bottom of the next would hold it all together and make assembly and disassembly easy. You might also use threaded inserts for this. Of course, this would mean that each shelf would have a double layer. There are several ways that this could be either masked or accentuated.
   My main concern is stability as a free standing unit. As pictured, I hope the base is securely anchored. I can imagine what might happen if someone bumped into it on the way to the kitchen in the middle of the night. As a movable unit, it definitely needs a broader more stable base.

7. 
   esch5995 | Oct 20, 2020 02:36pm | #7

   The shelves definitely seem to be randomly faced in either direction and some even seem to have black back panels versus woodgrain but I don't think they are truly open.

   While I'm not as familiar with the Domino system as some others here, I'm not sure it's the best option here. I don't feel unglued conventional domino's would provide the stability needed and as far as I know the Domino knockdown connection system all has visible components.

   My choice to make a truly invisible knockdown assembly would be to use the Lamello Simplex connector. These can be installed with conventional biscuit joiners which can be purchased for less than $200 compared to a $1,400 Domino joiner and would permit a totally invisible knockdown connection. The key would be to insure all the connectors are located and orientated correctly. The connectors on the top and bottom of the vertical dividers should be symmetrically installed but with the hooks facing in opposite directions. The connectors for the back panels need to be asymmetrically installed to allow two back panels to connect to the same vertical divider. In other words, one edge of the back panel should have the slot start 1" from the bottom and the second start 7" from the bottom and on the opposite edge measurements the same but starting from the top. (these measurements are assuming a 12" vertical height adjust accordingly) The hooks also need to be orientated in opposite directions. This will permit you to connect successive
   panels together sliding each one down until the entire vertical assembly is complete. When this is done you could then slide the entire assembly onto the connectors on the top of the first shelf. After all the vertical panels on the first shelf would be installed, you would the slide in the second horizontal shelf these hooks should be orientated such that sliding them in secures the lower shelves not loosens them, so the hooks on the vertical dividers would face in opposite directions.

   Doing this is immensely easier than writing it once you understand the concept.

   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006N2OPK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RzYJFbGG6EEC1

   The biggest drawback I would see to this system would be that the metal hooks would be permanently protruding, especially from the horizontal shelves making handling and packing them somewhat tricky.

   Lamello does make a Camex system that eliminates this problem and is simpler to install but requires a proprietary machine that is another $1,500 investment and more specialized than the Domino.