Questions tagged [strength]
Use for Questions where the strength of the materials and/or the overall design is of primary importance.
100
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How can I increase the resistance in an adjustable scissor-lift?
Recently I built a scissor-style laptop raiser and book lectern. It works fine, but the weighty laptop requires much tightening of the wingnuts, making me fear that over time the wood will crack (they'...
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Would a 2 Pass Dowel Glue Up For a Hung Door Be Stronger and Reduce the Fall
I recently had to rehang a laundry door as it had dropped over the years. As I was squaring up the door and redrilling the dowels I wondered whether the door would be stronger if I drilled and glued ...
- 23
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55
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Recommendations for making bench more sturdy?
My first home woodwork project was this bench/bookcase. It is pretty sturdy but wobbles a little. I would like to reinforce it on the back but would love some guidance on what would be best. It ...
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97
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Is this a valid way to brace a garden gate?
I am planning to replace a wooden garden gate which has rotten over time. Lacking much experience myself, my first thought was to copy the existing design. However, I don't know who made it or what ...
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151
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Grain direction for ends of a wooden tool tote
In a typical wooden tool tote, the sides have grain running horizontally, but what is the best way to run the grain for the ends?
It seems like it would be better to make them with vertical grain ...
- 21
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72
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Box to cover consumer unit flush with wall - Backless with cutouts possible?
I have a consumer unit that is perfectly flush in the corner of my hallway, and I am wanting to build some kind of full height storage cupboard around it from 18mm melamine chipboard.
I was initially ...
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107
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What is a commonly available wood that will be strong enough for this thin piece?
I am trying to make a center console for my car. The piece in question looks like this:
You can see that one side of the smaller cupholder hole was broken just by the activity of handling the piece ...
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131
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Calculation of the strength of a wooden beam
I'm designing a wooden structure for Shibari purpose and I need to calculate the maximum load capacity of a beam at the midpoint. I've tried using various calculators, but I don't fully understand all ...
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Bookcase mounting question
I am planning to build a bookcase inside an alcove, on top of some base cabinets.
The bookcase is to take up the entire alcove width and remaining height of just over 1500mm, and it will be ...
- 381
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164
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How to attach legs to a custom torsion box
I am making a table for my dungeons and dragons group. This is the second version of my table, here was my first.
https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZzmPA.jpg
For my first table I used 3.5" fence post ...
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1
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Do I need any support for 2x8' shelves jointed with dados?
I'm want to make some 8 foot shelves with 2x8s. I want to set them in a 2x8 on each side with dados. It's my understanding that an ideal depth for the dado is 1/3rd of the thickness, so I would cut ...
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How to determine drawer weight capacity?
I am fitting my pantry with custom drawers, and I am worrying a bit about the weight capacity of one drawer in particular. The drawers are 14" wide and 21" deep. I've constructed them with ...
- 145
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60
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Using a tabletop as a shelf?
I am wanting to install a shelf above a washer and dryer. Seems like a lot of the DIY videos involve buying 3/4 plywood and cutting it to size and then various other steps to take it from the rough ...
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Posts on inside vs posts on outside of corner -- is there a difference in strength?
I'm working on a lofted bedframe design.
Currently, I'm planning on creating the main frame using some wide boards (10"-12") joined with cross laps, leaving some overhang (from which I can ...
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Building a sturdy kinda narrow and tall freestanding shelving unit for boardgames
I'm very new at building and working with wood in general. Had 1 project before this one but it was just a bunch of acoustic panelling frames.
I want to build a shelving unit for boardgames similar to ...
3
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142
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Support needed for "butcher block" cart top?
Building a wheeled table or maybe better called a cart/bench that will slide back and forth over my washer and dryer. I can leave in place to fold on, or pull it out to have an additional table in the ...
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How do I securely hang heavy closet shelves?
Original Question
I recently built a pair of custom shelves for a closet remodel. Ideally, I would like to float these shelves by securing them to some studs.
Shelving dimensions are 72"x32"...
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Estimate leg width for router table
I'm making a table to hold my router. The surface will most likely be plywood but I'm wondering how to make the legs and attach them so that they're strong enough and the table is stable.
The table ...
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Wood grain direction vs. strength
I'm cutting some shelf supports, and am curious which grain direction is optimal for holding a screw + load.
(Of course this is negligible in the given context, but I'd like to know for reference)
I'm ...
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3
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762
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Reinforce bunk bed
I built the below kit bunk bed for my kids and interested in reinforcing the posts to deal with some horizontal sway. It is constructed out of pine and connected with screws, barrel nuts and dowels. ...
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1
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970
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Board strength of true 1"x4"
I am trying to make a king-size bed frame. I have 2"x6"x80" pine boards that were free (always best). I planed them down to 1" thick to use for the head/foot/side rails. If I rip ...
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143
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Floating (kinda) book shelf support
I'm planning to make a bunch of shelves in-leu of a bookcase (see picture). Individual shelves will be attached by a small corner bracket to the wall and to two support posts approximately in the ...
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136
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Reinforcing fragile wooden pendant?
With help from these boards I was able to reattach the broken-off wing of this wooden owl pendant using wood glue and some clamping power. However, I'm not sure I completely trust this little guy to ...
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Strengthened leg miter joint with spline [key]
I'm building a coffee table with legs that are sub-assembled with a miter joint. See photo. The plans call for a Domino or dowels in addition to a spline [edit: key, see link below] for added strength....
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Pull-Up Bar - Wooden dowel - 1.25" actual diameter
I searched but I couldn't really find this answer. I want to use the linked wooden dowel as a pull-up bar. 1.25" oak (not specified which). Is this gonna be strong enough across a roughly 30"...
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373
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Can I use paracord to prevent a Large desk from racking?
I plan on making a large l-shaped desk out of an ikea counter top and a desktop then making legs out of 2x4s. I was planning on integrating shelves onto the desk legs as regular drawer unit can get ...
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276
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Are 1.5"x1.5" poplar legs strong enough to support a 3'x2' hardwood top?
I'm building a mobile (not on wheels) kitchen island for my partner in our new apartment, as a first woodworking project. A 3'x2' top is about right for the space, and she'd like an overall height of ...
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91
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Produce long, strong, flexible shavings
Ainu people (indigenous to Japan) use long wood shavings as a material to weave or braid into headpieces. The movie Ainu Mosir includes a scene that demonstrates the process of shaving down a green ...
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277
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Back panels for wide cabinets
I want to build a free-standing cabinet for the kitchen but since it is my cabinet build, I am not very sure about being able to make a solid/stable cabinet without back panel. It will probably have 4 ...
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444
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Building a sideways bookshelf
I am trying to build a sideways bookshelf. The space I have to fit the bookshelf in is:
Depth: 13.7 inches
Length: 87.5 inches
Height: 35.5 inches
When I looked online for store-made bookshelves, none ...
- 109
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254
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Hardening wood arrows
I just bought wood dowel (beech, to be precise) with a diameter of 8mm and length of 100 cm.
I am planning to use them as arrows but there is a problem: my archery skills can be terrible sometimes and ...
- 101
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544
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Do I need the front apron piece in a desk with a 3/4" plywood top?
I'm planning to make this desk for a person who has asked to leave off the front of the apron. She's very short and has difficulty with most desks being too high, and the ones that aren't too high don'...
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234
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Minimum leg dimensions for pine stool
I would like to make a wooden stool, but I don't know how thick the legs need to be for it to be safe and sturdy.
I have 70x35mm pine and I plan on resawing it to get ~30x30mm legs.
Is that enough ...
- 109
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51
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Wood sag question
I used a 2ft. piece of 2x12 Doug Fir as a small ramp for truck.
When truck weight was on the 2x12; the 2x12 flexed (sagged) a little and when the weight was removed the 2x12 went back into its regular ...
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124
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Stability/joinery method for melamine
I'm building a book case out of melamine. The drawing below show the normal and exploded view. Dimensions are 110cm wide, 30cm deep, 126cm high (~43"x12"x50")". I'm worried about ...
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287
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Using plywood for vertical shelving?
I want to build some shelving (actually, on wheels, for use as a rolling cart) and I'd like to use 3/4" hardwood plywood for the whole thing, because it's cheaper than wood boards and I'm going ...
- 291
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149
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Strengthening plant stand butt joints
I want to start working on my first woodworking project: a plant stand. It's quite a large project (for being first project), but my neighbor has worked on some projects and he can help me to some ...
- 103
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75
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Flexing in middle of 3/4" walnut table top
I am building a table made out of 3/4" walnut. Right now, I have it on saw horses but will soon be attaching legs via cleats. The problem I am having now is that I'm noticing a bit of flex in the ...
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Building a Rolling Wall, Step 1 The Base
I am working on a project to create a rolling wall for a local art gallery.
Wall will be 8ft wide, 7ft tall and 1-1/2ft deep. I'm planning to frame it with 2x4s as a standard wall, mounted on top of a ...
0
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1
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272
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Strength of plywood walls for built-in bookshelves
I am planning on building built-in bookshelves that would span the length of a wall. Each unit would consist of a cabinet base ~2' across with a set of bookshelves mounted on top. The depth of the ...
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How to decide upon leg placement
I have prepared a 7.5 ft x 2.5 ft piece of monkeypod wood that is approximately 2 inches thick. It will serve as a computer desk. The heaviest object on it will be my desktop tower (~25-30 lbs). You ...
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Bookshelf with cutout
I've built a bookshelf that is basically just glued wood with notches cut in:
With the vertical struts 50cm apart, this is ideal for just about anything: it nicely fits 40cm Euroboxes and 19 inch ...
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How thick to make toddler bed slats
I'm building a bed for my toddler out of pine, and wondering what dimension wood I should use for the bed slats, and how many. Toddler mattresses are generally on the order of 52" x 27" or 28", so I'm ...
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How to build a stable heavy bag stand for kickboxing?
I am trying to build a heavy bag stand. I am going to place it outside in the car shed (which is open from three sides). I am wondering what is the best way to give it a strong base. The heavy bag ...
- 103
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142
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How can I replicate this joint?
The picture looks like simple miter but how can I make this a strong miter myself?
- 103
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2k
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Weight capacity of cabinet made of 1/2" plywood
I would like to determine the weight capacity of a cabinet made of 1/2" plywood which is 18" deep and 60" long, 37" high.
The cabinet has 2 sides and 2 uprights spaced about 20" from either end. The ...
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Which shelf holds the most weight
I am new to this forum so please bear with me.
My wife wants a "retro" shelf in the kitchen and wants it as figure B on the image.
Is there a difference in "strength" (i.e., able to hold more or ...
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1k
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Is a single dowel strong enough to resist sheer forces on a bed frame?
I am building a new bed for the missus for Christmas. She liked this bed from ikea:
The problem is where the headboard connects to the legs. The legs/headboard piece are both 1.5 inches in diameter. ...
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Back nail or face nail. Which is stronger?
Say you have the opportunity to nail a piece of trim in from the back with an 16-18ga finish nail on a barn door (so all wood construction). You were smart about it and made sure it wouldn't bust ...
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529
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Wooden dowel rod for wall hangings
I'd like suggestions of what size (diameter) and wood type to use for a project I'm considering. I want to make macrame wall hangings that incorporate plant holders, so the rod would need to be strong ...
