13
votes
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Type of wood for bending into an arch shape?
I am designing a home theater that will have a small "stage" which will need to have a long (~8ft) piece of wood that is bowed slightly. I want to know what types of wood (e.g. MDF, certain ...
- 12.1k
13
votes
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Why S4S boards sold at Home Depot aren't straight?
The boards did have 4 smooth surfaces, all perpendicular to each other, and were straight. That was when they came off the mill, though. Since then, they've been exposed to the elements, shipped to ...
- 2,602
11
votes
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What is the difference between MDF and MDO?
MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard and it's made by essentially combining resins with sawdust and compressing it into a fairly dense, extremely flat and smooth sheet. In general it can be worked like &...
- 1,446
10
votes
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Wood with good thermal insulation
The answer depends on which wood species are available to you. With that being said, you can easily calculate it yourself with a formula and the wood database.
Theory
You can calculate the R value of ...
- 2,420
9
votes
How is playground wood treated?
The equipment in your picture may be coated with a couple coats of an oil-based, penetrating stain. Or it may be just bare wood. Cedar and redwood, for example, stand up to weather very well on their ...
- 1,446
8
votes
What is the type of wood that is often purchased in bulk at the hardware store?
Dimensional framing lumber is often referred to as SPF which stands for Spruce, Pine and Fir.
You will likely also find cedar and pressure treated lumber in the green or brown variants
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8
votes
Why do I need to use mutliple narrower pieces of wood when I can just use one wide piece?
You can just use one 12 inch board. As long as the timber is seasoned properly, and at a suitable moisture level when you use it, it'll likely be fine.
That said, there are some benefits to using ...
- 3,938
8
votes
How is playground wood treated?
Much construction of playground equipment uses pressure-treated softwood (wood from conifer trees).
Current treatment of choice is ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) but there is also CA (copper azole), ...
- 2,119
7
votes
Wood to use for case holding Lionel train set
Pine is easy for me to work with, but might be too soft. What wood would be light enough to be very portable, but strong enough to stand the test of time? Also avoiding the most expensive wood.
...
- 12.1k
7
votes
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What would be the UK equivalent of the common US 2 by 4 (not just by size)
Does the UK have a piece of wood that is universally commonly used for hobby / domestic projects that it is simple referred to by a common name and is this typically a suitable substitute for the US 2 ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Using Balsa for Wood Slat Wall?
In addition to being lightweight balsa is also soft, really soft. It makes pine seem tough, that soft.
Balsa is either the softest or second softest wood known to man!
While there are many woods soft ...
- 64.4k
6
votes
Accepted
What woods take stain well?
The obvious best resources here are the wood-database.com, The Real Wood Bible (book), and Minwax's staining guide. All are excellent sources of information. I would start with Minwax's guide-- it has ...
- 176
6
votes
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What kind of wood blanks should a beginner use for bowl turning?
If dollars is your biggest concern, (and with the cost of some blanks, it should be!) I would recommend firewood. If you have access to a bandsaw then this is doubly easy. The majority of the wood I ...
- 15.7k
6
votes
Wood to use for case holding Lionel train set
It depends on what you have available for tools. Assuming a minimal set of tools, and limiting myself to commonly available stuff, I'd recommend using 1/4" plywood for the top and bottom of the case, ...
- 8,036
6
votes
Good wood for beer pong table
15/32 (1/2") construction plywood is really cheap at North American big box retailers. The surface is rough and thus makes the game harder. If you're not into challenge, you can get smooth ply for ...
- 3,831
6
votes
Accepted
What wood/finish would hold up to use in a video game controller?
I've worked with redwood in the past, and it seems like it would hold up well for the grips both from past experience and from some articles I've found.
In woodworking circles you'll generally be ...
- 64.4k
6
votes
Cost-effective wood selection for outdoor craft project
Exterior grade MDF is available here in Europe, but in US I don't know about cost or availability. It is very durable with finish applied, but cost is high.
Exterior grades of plywood should be ...
- 2,119
5
votes
Type of wood for bending into an arch shape?
There is a type of plywood called bending plywood. All (or at least many) of the plys are parallel in grain not cross grained. It's pretty floppy. Glue several pieces to build up your arch. It's ...
- 489
5
votes
Best wood for table saw cross cut jig
As a rule there is no one best material for anything, although for jigs it's almost universal that plywood or MDF are recommended these days for the major elements, but they are not the only options. ...
- 64.4k
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 ...
- 64.4k
5
votes
Cherry wood for dining table - Strong enough or should I consider Walnut?
Cherry wood for dining table - Strong enough or should I consider Walnut?
SPF (spruce, pine, fir) would be strong enough! That should pretty much tell you all you need to know here :-) People ...
- 64.4k
5
votes
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What kind of wood is thin enough to cut with a knife, but strong enough for doll furniture?
You can usually buy various sizes of balsa and basswood from the craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.). Balsa will be softer and easier to cut, while basswood will be a little harder, and also ...
- 1,828
5
votes
What wood type is suitable for a childrens toy?
Take a look at what woods are commonly used for children's toys, and you'll see that a lot of the things made to be mouthed are made of maple or beech. These are both hard, fine grained, and are less ...
- 2,416
5
votes
What kind of wood is appropriate for a cast iron bench?
What type(s) of wood would be appropriate for this use
The usual answer to this commercially from back in our parents' day to recently has been one of a number of tropical hardwoods, including teak ...
- 64.4k
5
votes
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What is a good choice for wood to build painted vanity cabinet doors?
You can use anything, pretty much. I mean you wouldn't want to use balsa but anything you'd typically find for sale in a lumber yard that you might consider making furniture from — including pine and ...
- 64.4k
5
votes
What is a good choice for wood to build painted vanity cabinet doors?
Since you intend to paint it you can use whatever is cheapest. The caveat is the cheaper stuff is usually the softest (e.g pine, poplar, etc.) and isn't necessarily the pretty stuff. Although it's a ...
- 1,446
5
votes
Accepted
Can I use pine and poplar together in trim?
Every piece of wood will expand and contract at somewhat different rates. Even two pieces of pine from the same tree will likely be different.
Old furniture (like a chest of drawers) used to be made ...
- 6,296
4
votes
Accepted
What wood should I use to build my Custom Bike Frame?
Bamboo
My first thought would be to use bamboo which is a hardwood but mostly hollow so it would also be light as well. Plenty of plans out there that involve hybrid bike frames with bamboo. Like this ...
- 20.2k
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 ...
- 3,895
4
votes
Considerations when making my own threaded dowel for a vise
Excellent answer already from grfrazee, just wanted to add some practical options.
The tool to use would be one just like this (but not necessarily this one):
I see in the Comments that you say ...
- 64.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible