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Cake day: February 15th, 2024

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  • For bookcases in particular, the weakness of OSB is going to be a problem when loaded. Its rough surface could also play havoc with the bottoms of books. OSB is not really intended to be a project for cabinetry or furniture, so its qualities are not optimized for those uses. I suspect your carpenter there was overstating things, but I won’t fault a professional for not wanting to use it.

    Size-wise, I might recommend the next step up for either material, 18mm I think, for both sides and shelves. For the back, go the other way. 9mm is overkill for the back, and even 6mm is probably more than strictly necessary. 3mm will be more than fine, as the back is there for aesthetics, to keep the books in, and for avoiding racking (big concern on a bookcase). It will relay on the strength of the carcase and the nails/screws/glue holding it, and doesn’t need as much intrinsic strength.