Questions tagged [strength]
Use for Questions where the strength of the materials and/or the overall design is of primary importance.
85
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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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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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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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123
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 ...
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140
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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190
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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 ...
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139
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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?
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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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988
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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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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 ...
3
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answer
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Is support on three sides of a long poplar bookshelf enough?
I'm hoping to install a 94" wide, 8" deep, 1/2" thick bookshelf made of poplar in a location surrounded by three walls.
Thanks to the three walls, it would be painless to support the shelf on boards ...
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How Much Weight Can a 1inch x 11inch Dowel Hold/Support?
I am asking about the 6416U 1 in. x 1 in. x 48 in. Hardwood Round Dowel they sell at Home Depot.
I plan to join 3 4x4s and use the middle one as a swivel, the middle one will be under load and the 2 ...
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Best way to scab joists for bridge
I'm building a bridge across a ditch in my nephews front yard. Shown here is an elevation of one of the four joists that will support 2 x 6 redwood treads, width of 5.5'. To achieve the curve, I will ...
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Looking at attaching metal legs to a table top
Basically I have some standard metal tubing square legs which I want to affix to a table base. Hopefully the pics attached below show my idea but I am thinking of attaching a wood block on the ...
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Which way of joining is stronger?
I have to build a box to extend the length of a projector bracket:
The projector bracket weighs 7kg and has an arm of about 500mm. The projector weighs another 5kg.
The box has a depth of 140mm. ...
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Dovetailed spine?
I snagged the image below while looking online for dovetail examples.
Instead of two boards coming together, it appears that the joint, what I called the spine in the title, is a third piece to ...
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Flower Press with 1/8" thick plywood
I am making classic flower presses with children.
We'll be sandwiching from top to bottom: a plywood sheet, cardboard, paper, flowers, paper, cardboard, and a plywood sheet.
Each corner of the ...
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Which weight bearing knockdown joints
I'm building a Murphy bed with 18mm plywood.
I would like to use knock-down joints for the sides of the base (outer-frame). My research led me to cross dowels (see below)
When doing some tests ...
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If I make a stool from this composite (?) wood, will it end in tears?
I want to try making a stool based on this video series by Paul Sellers. Unlike Paul, I will use some power tools (power drill, oscillating tool for sanding/cutting, maybe rotary tool for sanding). ...
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Reinforcing chipboard
I'm not a woodworker of any kind but I am building a desk from a laminate kitchen worktop measuring 3000x600x38mm (L x W x T) but I only want the legs on the side. I don't want to have to put an ...
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Endgrain screw withdrawal force
The engineering toolbox has a screw withdrawal strength calculator but it assumes the screws are perpendicular to the grain.
I could not find a calculator for screws installed parallel to the grain, ...
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Trying to determine support weight
I have 3 2X4 walls 16" high 30" long and 3/4 inch MDF plywood top. How can I figure its load support capabilities? What I'm doing is building a platform to put a washer and dryer on and need this to ...
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Sealing and reinforcing particle board
I am making some picture frames from an old table. The table top is oak slats on top of particle board. I’ve sliced the table and trimmed the slices with walnut, and cut rabbets in the frames. Like ...
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Is this frame design sturdy enough for a window seat?
Hope that this is the right forum for woodworking design critiques. I'm experienced with plywood but this is my first time attempting 'sturdy' furniture. I'd like to make sure it's going to be strong ...
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Is this shelving wall mounting idea stupid?
I am quite an amateur when it comes to woodworking, but I am very pragmatic and have done as much research as I can think to do so I don't mess anything up. But I can't really find anything to suggest ...
