Catskill Craftsmen Bookmaster Rack with Tilted Shelves, Walnut Stained Oak Grain

I like that this Catskill Craftsman book rack is USA-made out of solid birch, large wheels glide smoothly over carpet, and the piece is beautifully finished. The slant of the shelves is convenient for music selection, and the rack sits piano-side and swings back when not in use. The 15 inch space between shelves was important since I mark music books with tabs that extend beyond the top. Most other offerings had 13 inch shelves and/or flat rather than slanted shelves. The product arrived on time, undamaged, with clear assembly instructions and all hardware necessary for assembly. Assembly took about an hour. Two observations: 1. Simplify assembly by including a gizzmo to allow proper alignment with the screw and the nut to get it started. Also, the screws for the wheel brackets are slightly too short which would compromise the sturdiness under heavy use (which won't be a problem in my case). In summary, nothing less expensive met my requirements, so the Craftsman was the most expensive by far of the options I considered; most were more utilitarian and made of metal or plastic. I'm sure I paid a premium for a product USA-made of solid wood and is a lovely piece of furniture in it own right.

Very attractive, real hardwood, piece of furniture. Looks good in the living room, as well as a library. Good value, but allow couple hours to assemble. Sturdy, and very good craftsmanship went into it.

I gave high marks to one of these carts in the past because of its solid construction and finished surfaces. I did not find it hard to assemble. I bought a third cart thinking it had the same dimensions after measuring the two I had bought in the past. However, 13 x 27 x 31 inches does not mean the shelves are 13 x 27 x 31 inches, which are the dimensions of the older shelves. The end pieces of this one do measure 27 inches in height with a width of 13 inches. However, the length of the shelves is 25, not 31, inches. if the wheels are included in the height, the overall height is 31 inches, but the shelves are still only 25 inches long and not 27, although with the thickness of the end pieces, they reach roughly 27 inches. So while this was my mistake because I measured the shelves and not the cart, the seller could be a little clearer by providing the length of the actual shelves--just over two feet. If you bought one of the larger shelves in the past, note that difference. Compared to those shelves, this one seems a lot smaller.

This is a sold, well-built bookcase. Perfect for moving books around your house or just to keep in a convenient location and pull closer to you as needed. It does need to be put together. Getting the nuts screwed onto the bolts takes a bit of patience and having an extra person to help is good. BUT, I put mine together with no help. When I put the bolt just barely through the hole, it gave me more room to get the nut screwed on to it, then I could tighten the bolt fully. This is my second such bookcase to buy from this company!

Very high quality cart made out of solid oak but they failed to include the 8 nuts required to attach the casters. Not a problem to buy them at the hardware store but I shouldn't have had to. I would have rated this item a 5 star if the parts would have all been there.

I read several reviews on this before purchacing and there werer a couple that said don't purchase it. I am glad that I decided to purchase it any way. It is a very nice and very sturdy (heavy) piece of furniture that will get a lot of use. Love, love, love the look of it. I ordered the Birch Walnut Finish and it looks exatcly like I was hoping it would. Hope this review helps others make an informed decision.

What a wonderful product. Solid wood, and beautiful color. Have so many books and this did an amazing job of handling ALL books of all sizes.

I bought and assembled this bookcase about two years ago. It is loaded with heavy books and shows no warping/sagging. It's a great case designed for shipping. I built a similar case using mortise and tenon, and this is a very solid design. I would definitely buy it again. The birch stain is a little muddy compared to the beautiful stained oak grain due to natural wood properties.