Suitable wood for a long shelf

[sonofwan]

I'm planning on building a shelf spanning over 4 meters & am looking for advice on what material to use. I think I've solved the issue of how to mount the shelf thanks to replies to my question in general questions. A quick run down is that I think i should be able to carry the weight across the span using 250mm/200mm fluted angle brackets fitted every 300-400mm apart with the shelves split into 2 sections of around 2 m.

My question is what type of wood would give the best rigidity? I'm not too concerned about the finish as I plan on finishing it to look like the wall. Would I be best of with blockboard with a finishing strip to the edge or a solid plank of wood? I intend to use the shelf to store magazines & books so the weight will be sustantial: I measured a 200mm high stack of magazines & it came in at 11kg so 55kg per meter.

Cheers

 

[Tom.]

Hardwood, the thicker, the better. You'd probably be best searching in woodyards.

Have a look around some reclamation yards, you might find a whacking great big piece of skirting board that with a bit of modification, would suit you.

 

[singalong]

I am in the process of doing something similar, but having three shelves.
I used MDF and had it cut to size out of a 8 x 4 sheet (Homebase and no charge)
I have run my router along the edge to give a more elegant finish