9 votes

8 to 12 mm plywood box joints: brackets vs glue(box joint) vs screws

The box size would be height=400mm, length=800mm, width=400mm, made of 10mm plywood. Say the max load on boxes when used as benches = turned open side down is 200kg and the load when used as a box is ...
grfrazee's user avatar
  • 12.1k
8 votes
Accepted

Supporting a level box on an uneven surface

I would build the support frame for under the boxes, just the frame (out of treated 2x4's). Then find your where you want the boxes to rest. Then you scribe your 2x4's with a compass. You get your ...
bowlturner's user avatar
  • 15.7k
7 votes
Accepted

Is this frame design sturdy enough for a window seat?

In terms of compression strength, I wouldn't want to park a big car on top of it - but even a couple of drunken teenagers jumping up and down should be fine. As others have commented, racking side-to-...
Martin Bonner supports Monica's user avatar
6 votes

Where should the trademark be placed on a baseball bat?

I've just done a bit of research (OK... I did a google image search, but the results seem to be consistent) and it seems like the logo is always burned into / painted onto the same part of the bat, in ...
WhatEvil's user avatar
  • 3,938
6 votes
Accepted

Where should the trademark be placed on a baseball bat?

Is there any truth to breaking a bat by hitting on the trademark Yes there is. Traditionally the logo or label is located in a specific orientation to the grain in the wood, leading to the guideline ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
6 votes

Should I orient the cupped sides toward each other when laminating boards?

Honestly if the glue-up is done right I don't think this is going to matter much, or at all. Following on from the same principle as sprung-jointed edges (where a very slight hollow is deliberately ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
6 votes

Strong method for bottom of a box

I think the most sturdy way to put a bottom in a box is to capture it with grooves on the sides. With a rabbet the glue joint is holding the bottom on, while in a groove the structure of the wood ...
SaSSafraS1232's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Plywood Bunk Bed

I do not recommend simply screwing this assembly together. There are a variety of ways to attach the members such as glueing, glue and screw, metal angles with screws, specialty hardware etc. Before ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,274
5 votes
Accepted

Make a bunk bed

Is spruce wood a good choice ? Or maybe I should choose a stronger one ? Wood species Spruce is one of the strongest woods in the world for its weight. Beds of a similar design to yours have been ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
5 votes
Accepted

How to determine drawer weight capacity?

Is the Sagulator a reasonable way to figure out drawer weight capacity? No. Does a glued dado count as 'fixed ends'?. If you glue in yes, but the dados front and back change things completely. You ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
5 votes
Accepted

What is a commonly available wood that will be strong enough for this thin piece?

Plywood, particularly high-grade plywood, will be a lot stronger than OSB. But as Graphus said, you are stretching what wood will do. Cutting the hole first, then cutting the straight edge (very, very,...
Martin Bonner supports Monica's user avatar
4 votes

Make a bunk bed

I am personally not a bit fan of spruce (or pine, or anything the like) for anything but a tool shack in my garden, or similar. But sure enough, spruce is quite resilient. You can most certainly ...
Damon's user avatar
  • 3,895
4 votes

Shelf made of 1x2 pine boards. Stable?

Each shelf is capable of holding the load that you are intending with shearing or sagging. Where this design fails is in racking, both front to back and side to side. Traditional shelves are built ...
Jacob Edmond's user avatar
  • 1,828
4 votes

Shelf made of 1x2 pine boards. Stable?

The weakest part of the design is how your substantial load is being carried to the uprights. There's not that much you can do for those joints as drawn... I'd suggest you add actual 1x2 members ...
Aloysius Defenestrate's user avatar
4 votes

How might I design a "quick-breakdown" feature to allow easy assembly and disassembly of this floating beds frame supports?

For starters I would look into half lapping the interior cross members. This way you can have just two supports running the length of the bed, as opposed to ten small pieces running between each cross ...
Jacob Edmond's user avatar
  • 1,828
4 votes

Strong method for bottom of a box

As SaSSafraS1232 mentioned making a box for the purpose you stated is much like making a drawer. 1. Groove all sides, front and back of the box/drawer, then glue the sides to either the front or back ...
Rollin Shultz's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

How to stop cat shelf split

That's a cantilever design It looks like someone (or somecat) has put more weight on it than it is capable of supporting (was it located somewhere a child might have been tempted to try it?) After ...
RedGrittyBrick's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Endgrain screw withdrawal force

The resistance of screws to being pulled free has been studied widely and for a long time (1920s or earlier), both by individual companies testing their own and competitor products and by government ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
4 votes
Accepted

Best way to scab joists for bridge

Like you, I have built a great deal, but I am not a structural engineer so my recommendations are more intuitive than definitive. I would recommend extending the length of the scabs as much as ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,274
4 votes

Is support on three sides of a long poplar bookshelf enough?

Is support on three sides of a long poplar bookshelf enough? Yes, but see note. Unless you expect to heavily load only the front edge of the shelf (seems unlikely!) it should be OK. Shelves ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
4 votes
Accepted

Which shelf holds the most weight

If this is going into drywall the weakest point is probably the attachment of the wall flange to the wall. With regards to this joint design B is substantially better than design A, since in A the ...
SaSSafraS1232's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Do I need the front apron piece in a desk with a 3/4" plywood top?

3/4 plywood over a 3' span is likely to be fine as long as she does not sit or climb up on it, or leave heavy objects near the edge for long periods of time. I am sitting at a desk, as i right this ...
Alaska Man's user avatar
4 votes

Building a sideways bookshelf

Your main issue is the large span for the shelves. Plugging in your dimensions into The Sagulator gives a sag of over 1/4" with pine, a tad under 1/4" with oak and around an inch for ...
Eli Iser's user avatar
  • 3,565
4 votes

Strengthened leg miter joint with spline [key]

The plans call for a domino or dowel, plus a spline for added strength. Just so you know, this is probably overkill. Many such legs are reinforced by just one means, not two, and the tables survive ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
4 votes

Building a sturdy kinda narrow and tall freestanding shelving unit for boardgames

"Boxthrone" is a brand name for a modular steel shelf unit designed specifically for game boxes. It has shelves that can be adjusted to fit different sized boxes. Since each game box has it'...
David D's user avatar
  • 586
4 votes

Grain direction for ends of a wooden tool tote

It seems like it would be better to make them with vertical grain strength-wise Yes it makes most sense to run the grain vertically on the sides for strength and this is one reason this is the ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 64.5k
3 votes

Lumber Dimensions for Brachiation Ladder (Monkey Bars)

First, my flat answer: For a 12' span backyard monkey bar set I'd use four clear (no knots) 2x8's - two each side. Use threaded pipe flanges screwed to the inner (hidden) face of the inner 2x8's (in ...
111936's user avatar
  • 96
3 votes

How can I strengthen my 3/4" Plywood Bunk Bed Plan?

The easiest way to prevent racking would be to replace the slats at the head and foot of the mattress supports with a solid piece of plywood approx 1' wide that is solidly connected to the three sides ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,274
3 votes

Where should the trademark be placed on a baseball bat?

That is correct, the trademark side of the bat should not be used to hit the ball. The trademark is stamped on the weakest part of the bat - notice it's always in the same position with relation to ...
Nuclear Hoagie's user avatar

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible