Timber for alcove shelves

[lmsava]

I'm going to fit some shelves into the alcove of my living room but I'm unsure which is the best timber for the job. My preference was to use oak because I like the way it looks but I thought it might be too heavy. The shelves will be 1620mm x 200mm (30mm thick) and will be used for books so they will be carrying a lot of weight. The shelves will be supported by battens running the full length of the shelf.

Would oak be suitable for this or would people recommend something else? I used pine for these shelves in my previous place but as I said, I prefer the look of oak.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Burnerman]

Go for oak if you can get it, but otherwise it would be pine boards for me!
John

 

[Dave54]

Hardwood doesn't generally come "Planed All Round" (PAR) as pine or other softwood does. It comes in either square edged (imported) or wany edge (from UK source) sawn boards. In either case the timber will need planing, so you will end up with smaller dimensions. It's usual to allow a minimum of 3mm a side for planing. ie 6mm per dimension. 32 mm thick will end up as approx 26mm.
There are firms online who offer supply as well as machining services.
Oak is going to cost considerably more than pine, but it would be my first choice too.

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

I find the sagulator web site useful for working out the right thickness