Plywood benches

Thatgirlagain · Post by **Thatgirlagain** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:09 pm

Ok, I've searched all over Eplaya for the cool plywood furniture that goes together without nails, etc. etc. Will someone pleeeeze point me in the right direction?

bigbluedoggy · Post by **bigbluedoggy** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:11 pm

http://www.playatech.com/

Enjoy!

Thatgirlagain · Post by **Thatgirlagain** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:14 pm

Thank you!

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:15 pm

Thatgirlagain · Post by **Thatgirlagain** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:15 pm

Thank you!

Thatgirlagain · Post by **Thatgirlagain** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:24 pm

That chair rocks!

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:27 pm

bigbluedoggy wrote:http://www.playatech.com/

Enjoy!

I just got their instructions for the bed. I'm waiting for a quote from the lumber yard for doing all the cutting. I'm thinking of using particle board rather than plywood. Any reason this wouldn't work?

JK

Post by **Sham** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:40 pm

jkisha wrote:I'm thinking of using particle board rather than plywood. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Plywood is much stronger than particle board. The plywood is made from thin sheets of wood glued in opposite directions. Plywood is also lighter than particle board, so transport would be much easier. Particle board would possibly break under the weight of a person sleeping on it and plywood would have a little bounce to it.

bigbluedoggy · Post by **bigbluedoggy** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:50 pm

Particle Board has little to no structural integrity, especially under load or stress. On the playa or in any dry climate for that matter, it quickly dries out and starts to disintegrate. Plywood is the way to go and even that dries and gets brittle after awhile. Several of my couch and futon pieces have broken off "joining ears" after two or three playa trips, but not enough to warrant replacement yet.

bigbluedoggy · Post by **bigbluedoggy** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:51 pm

JK, save the cutting fees and invest in a circular saw! It's not hard to make the cuts!

trystanthegypsy · Post by **trystanthegypsy** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:59 pm

jkisha wrote:
bigbluedoggy wrote:http://www.playatech.com/

Enjoy!
I just got their instructions for the bed. I'm waiting for a quote from the lumber yard for doing all the cutting. I'm thinking of using particle board rather than plywood. Any reason this wouldn't work?

JK

the glue in particle board, especially brand new stuff, is really bad for you too. I've owned enough Ikea furniture to know that it doesn't stand up to anything. go with the plywood

swampdog · Post by **swampdog** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:59 pm

particle board = sawdust + glue.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:16 pm

http://www.greydragon.org/furniture/chairs/index.html

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:31 pm

"particle board" is utter crap. Plywood is pretty good. OSB (Oriented strand board) is really what you want.

A good guide:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... atalogId=2

-Badger

Playa Foot · Post by **Playa Foot** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:34 pm

Find a copy of [b]"Nomadic Furniture.[/b]

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:37 pm

capjbadger wrote:"particle board" is utter crap. Plywood is pretty good. OSB (Oriented strand board) is really what you want.

A good guide:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... atalogId=2

-Badger

Except that stuff is pretty rough. What do you think about:

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
MDF is made by breaking softwoods down into individual fibers, which are then glued and pressed together. MDF is denser than particle board and has a smooth finish that takes paint very well, making it a great choice for interior projects. MDF can also be used for built-ins, cabinets, raised panels, or simple furniture.

JK

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:41 pm

MDF can be nice, but is heavy shit.
OSB is strong and light(er). Just make sure to seal it up against the wet.

-Badger

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:45 pm

bigbluedoggy wrote:JK, save the cutting fees and invest in a circular saw! It's not hard to make the cuts!

I have a circular saw, but I really don't have the place to use it for a project like this. Hell, we have to move our furniture and make our your in our dining room! I don't want all the sawdust mess.

So, it's worth it (it's almost a necessity) to me to pay the extra money.

I'm thinking I'll definitely go with plywood. I'm a bit disappointed the lumber yard hasn't called back with the quote. I'll have to get back to them again tomorrow. We're renting a pickup on Thursday to do all of our large item shopping; so it's got to be ready by then.

JK

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:06 am

yeah, OSB raises, it seems, some flakes on the surface unless really well painted/sealed.
Plywood my be more expensive, but, a good grade (even marine) will last a very long time. Just polyurathane it, and, it'll be great. You can even stain it.
and, you can get "A" grade on one surface, to look just like a slab of wood, instead of having those football plugs. If, that matters.

I bet, someone on playa, would have a jigsaw for making notch cuts........

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:16 pm

Just offer to clean up the sawdust up front. Cleaning up sawdust on playa is a pain in the ass.

You're in L.A. There's no locals with a saw? 0_o

-Badger

swampdog · Post by **swampdog** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:51 pm

Huh, I thought plywood was stronger and more stable than OSB? When I considered making some playa tech out of OSB I was emphatically told by local burners that it just shreds. The note referred to above says you can use it "where you would use C-D grade plywood." which implies to me that it's somewhat but not very inferior. And heavy!

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:53 pm

swampdog wrote:Huh, I thought plywood was stronger and more stable than OSB? When I considered making some playa tech out of OSB I was emphatically told by local burners that it just shreds. The note referred to above says you can use it "where you would use C-D grade plywood." which implies to me that it's somewhat but not very inferior. And heavy!

The OSB is a tad heavier, but then there's no voids all over it like plywood (unless you get the really good/pricy ply).

And we all now badgers abhor a void.

-Badger

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:49 pm

All I know is that Flake Board is notoriously unreliable.

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:30 pm

ygmir wrote:yeah, OSB raises, it seems, some flakes on the surface unless really well painted/sealed.
Plywood my be more expensive, but, a good grade (even marine) will last a very long time. Just polyurathane it, and, it'll be great. You can even stain it.
and, you can get "A" grade on one surface, to look just like a slab of wood, instead of having those football plugs. If, that matters.

I bet, someone on playa, would have a jigsaw for making notch cuts........

Jig Saw...thank you Ygmir, I never would have thought about that. I'll bet I can pick up one at HD for not too much money. (Just checked--B&D hand model is only $30.00 bucks.) (Twice what I paid the lumber yard for making all the big cuts.)

I think if I have time, I might just try priming and painting it. If not, then that might be a project for next year.

JK