Question on bookshelf and torsion box

Trace Wilson wrote:

> I've gotten the 1/2" ply for the bottoms of the desktops, but when
> trying to find 1/2" oak ply for the top skins, I can't find it in my
> home center, and the other suppliers are asking more than I WANT to
> pay. Now, my local home center happens to have some pretty nice 3/4"
> oak ply right now, (and it's less expensive than the other supplier's
> 1/2" oak ply), so I'm wondering if there is any reason that I can't use
> a 1/2" bottom skin and a 3/4" top skin. It seems to me that it should
> still work fine, but I just wanted to double check and see if there
> were any 'gotcha's' that I don't know about.

The only problem I know of is that the inexpensive plywood carried by
home centers tends to be notoriously crappy. After doing a search here
on "Borg" and "plywood," I decided that I would use that stuff for jigs
and fixtures only. For 3/4" cabinet-grade oak ply, I'd go to my lumber
supplier and pay $65 or $75 per sheet.

I've heard that a Borg will sometimes get the odd shipment of decent
stuff, but it seems to be accidental.

Jim wrote:
<SNIP>
> What the borg sells is cabinet grade (good enough for cabinet sides and
> drawers). What the other place sells is furniture grade which meets a
> higher standard.... So, you get what you pay for.
> Jim

Thanks for the thoughts on the wood, and yep, I understand the possible
risks. Since no one has made mention of any structual issues with the
designs, I'm assuming I'm good to go there?

Thanks again,

Trace Wilson

"Trace Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi all,
>
> I'm in the middle of designing a bunch of furniture for my office (3
> drawer boxes, 2 desktops, 2 bookshelves, 3 wall cabinets).
>
> I got the basic ideas from a book I bought on office furniture. The
> authors basic desk design was to create torsion boxes for the desktop,
> and lay them across drawer boxes. His design for the desktops was a
> torsion box with 1/2" skins and 1" ribs, making them a total of 2"
> thick. The drawerboxes will be a total of 28" high, so the total desk
> height will be about 30" high.
>
> I've gotten the 1/2" ply for the bottoms of the desktops, but when
> trying to find 1/2" oak ply for the top skins, I can't find it in my
> home center, and the other suppliers are asking more than I WANT to
> pay. Now, my local home center happens to have some pretty nice 3/4"
> oak ply right now, (and it's less expensive than the other supplier's
> 1/2" oak ply), so I'm wondering if there is any reason that I can't use
> a 1/2" bottom skin and a 3/4" top skin. It seems to me that it should
> still work fine, but I just wanted to double check and see if there
> were any 'gotcha's' that I don't know about. I'm still planning on
> staying with the 1" high ribs, so the overall height will increase by
> 1/4", but I'm kind of a tall guy, so a slightly higher desktop won't
> hurt.
What the borg sells is cabinet grade (good enough for cabinet sides and
drawers). What the other place sells is furniture grade which meets a
higher standard.... So, you get what you pay for.
Jim

"boorite" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Trace Wilson wrote:
>
>> I've gotten the 1/2" ply for the bottoms of the desktops, but when
>> trying to find 1/2" oak ply for the top skins, I can't find it in my
>> home center, and the other suppliers are asking more than I WANT to
>> pay. Now, my local home center happens to have some pretty nice 3/4"
>> oak ply right now, (and it's less expensive than the other supplier's
>> 1/2" oak ply), so I'm wondering if there is any reason that I can't
>> use a 1/2" bottom skin and a 3/4" top skin. It seems to me that it
>> should still work fine, but I just wanted to double check and see if
>> there were any 'gotcha's' that I don't know about.
>
> The only problem I know of is that the inexpensive plywood carried by
> home centers tends to be notoriously crappy. After doing a search here
> on "Borg" and "plywood," I decided that I would use that stuff for
> jigs and fixtures only. For 3/4" cabinet-grade oak ply, I'd go to my
> lumber supplier and pay $65 or $75 per sheet.
>
> I've heard that a Borg will sometimes get the odd shipment of decent
> stuff, but it seems to be accidental.
>
>

"notoriously crappy" often, sometimes, usually, means that there are
voids under the veneer. In many applications, this isn't a huge
problem. In shelves and desktops, it is a failure waiting, sometimes
not very long, to happen.

The desktop holding the computer monitor I'm looking at right now has
two of these void blowouts, patched poorly with a filler putty. The
only good part of this is that I didn't build the desk.

A sheet of glass made to fit is a LOT more expensive than a sheet of
good quality plywood from a professional supplier.

Patriarch