The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Woodworking => Topic started by: johnd23 on May 26, 2010, 12:14:19 am
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I was walking around Lowes today trying to find a decent quality 19/32 or 5/8 plywood for my slim cabinet and I came across these edge glued panels that caught my eye... did a quick search on here and didnt get any hits. These panels come in 12", 16", 20" and 24" widths and 48" and 72" heights. 3/4" thick.
Now i originally planned to build my cabinet 26" deep but after seeing these panels this is what i've come up with. I'd like to laminate these and use 3/4 tmolding. I have access to a 12" planer. So i could buy 2 of the 12" wide x 72" high panels, plane them down to 5/8, then use a biscuit joiner to make 2 pieces 24x72 and use these as my sides. I figure these pieces would be easier to work with than plywood and i dont have to worry about voids etc. Plus i can only find 19/32 low quality plywood sheathing around my area. I suppose i could even add a 3rd piece to come up to my original size of 26" deep if i wanted to.
I plan on using an LCD so the depth shouldn't be a problem... ive attached 2 quick mockups i made in sketchup. Any opinions on this? or see any issues with my plan? Has anyone worked with these panels before to know their strength? Here is a link to them:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_71597-99999-1034147_4294934154_?productId=3196043 (http://www.lowes.com/pd_71597-99999-1034147_4294934154_?productId=3196043)
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I've only used those type of boards for shelving. But they did work fine.
The only concerns I'd have though is whether building with those vs plywood would be, would they tend to warp more or expand/contract more? I'm not sure of the answers, but that's what I'd be worried about.
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I also would be worried about the strength.
And like Syph007, I would also be worried about the expanding/contracting of the wood using it for a cab. You will need to plan for that.
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I mean i could even use regular pine 3/4 x 12 x 72 pieces of wood joined together. I would imagine solid pine would be stronger than plywood? I wouldnt know anything about the expanding contracting characteristics of it though.
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Solid pine is stronger in certain situation. But Plywood is designed for stability of characteristics. By glueing multiple layers in different directions, the material gets kind of homogeneous, so it is less affected by humidity levels or temperature. Everyone who has an el-cheapo table of glued massive wood knows the problems of solid wood.
Other problem of pine is its softness. Not so big a problem with laminate though.
Oh, and reconsider the extending CP. Try to make one shape. Not one with a box on top.