Too much plywood

Hi Kevin,

Nine times out of 10 it's not.

Nigel

I'm lucky with that.  I work in MDF and I've found a timber merchant up near Sol's who has a table saw and who keeps it serviced.  It's 80 km round trip, but it's worth it.

He will cut 8' x 4' boards into strips for me very accurately.  Then I have a compound radial arm saw for cuts up to a foot long.

With the saw, 16 mm thick MDF can be cut into blocks for holding things square while glue sets up.  Working on a piece of 1/4" plate glass helps as well.

Same here, my first choice "lumber store" is a wood shop that stocks pretty much every hard wood and veneer there is, and a small selection of Baltic birch ply (used in cabinetry). The owner knows how to cut accurately. Second choice is a 100km round-trip. Bigger store, catering to the trade, but they will sell retail. Again, the staff know how to cut.

The staff at my local big chain hardware store may or may not know how to the use the equipment. Last time I was there I had to show the "associate" how it was done. He'd never heard of a squaring cut.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.   This is my second reply. The current “ Project “ baseboard / fiddleyard, is on 3mm ply, and now that I have begun working on it I have discovered that the veneer is absolute rubbish . I had better search for a decent timber merchant, which is unfortunate as I have been using the local ( Peckham ) firm and the quality seems to have fallen. It is just as well that the fiddleyard isn’t going anywhere .  Best wishes. Kevin

3mm ply seems very thin to me Kevin ............have you got it well braced ?

Hi Petermac    Thank you for your reply. Yes , but , I am leaving out the braces until I have fitted the points. Then that way I won’t have any trouble faffing around to fit in the wiring.   Best wishes. Kevin

Hi Andrew. This is another reply regarding my “ over engineered baseboards “ , and no it is nothing to do with Exhibitions , it is that the baseboards are so big and awkward that they take up a lot of space. If I had put my thinking cap on? I would have taken a different route. And now I have made lightweight baseboards they sit on the originals. I should have made wooden trestles, equaling less cost, less weight, less space taken up.   Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Bill. This is another reply, of an old thread “ Baseboards “ and now that I have settled for “ Planks/ modules “ I am uncertain about legs. I have been considering a wallpapering table, or two? If I could build sturdy lightweight wooden trestles, all the same height that would be superior. The ones sold by Screwfix are “over the top “.  They don’t have to be very wide, just steady. But then I would be able to lose the overweight benches that take up so much room. A sort of decluttering, and it would make the room look bigger.  Best wishes Kevin 

I use these Kevin      Link      Sturdy, light weight, fold away and £10 off at screwfix at the moment. I know you say you dont need them too wide but you can always put another board behind or in front of your plank to rest tools, stock or even your cuppa tea on ! You can get even cheaper on Ebay but I know you dont like shopping online

Cheers


Matt

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Bill. This is another reply, of an old thread “ Baseboards “ and now that I have settled for “ Planks/ modules “ I am uncertain about legs. I have been considering a wallpapering table, or two? If I could build sturdy lightweight wooden trestles, all the same height that would be superior. The ones sold by Screwfix are “over the top “.  They don’t have to be very wide, just steady. But then I would be able to lose the overweight benches that take up so much room. A sort of decluttering, and it would make the room look bigger.  Best wishes Kevin 

Surely you're not really going to scrap all your baseboards and start  over from scratch Kevin? Considering how long it's taken to get to the stage where everything works and you've started scenic work and now considering buildings, it would be a waste to throw it all away for the sake of finding a few decent trestles.

Forget folding wallpaper tables. They're not stable and will support hardly any weight. I buy folding timber trestles from local DIY stores from 5 to10€ and find them fine for all sorts of jobs, from supporting baseboards to a heavy 4 metre long table-top we use for seating a dozen people for outdoor dining in the summer. I have folding plastic ones as well, but timber is far more stable and therefore safer.

Timber trestles seem to have been largely superseded by the horrid plastic ones in UK DIY stores, but alternatives to everything in life can be found with simple internet searches.

Take a look at IKEA for instance, who do a range of timer trestles and there will be a shop not too far from you:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/desks/table-tops-legs/lerberg-trestle-white-art-50165003/

The one above are just £5 each and the photo shows how they are correctly used in pairs, or:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/desks/table-tops-legs/oddvald-trestle-black-art-10118971/

This is of more traditional design and still inexpensive at £10 and will be build to IKEA's exacting standards. Both types are 70cm / 27" high.

Bon courage,

Bill

Hi Bill.  Thank you for your reply. The baseboards were made so quick and early on, before I had settled on a plan.And the combination of 2” x 2” square legs, 1” 1/2 x 1” , frame , and twelve mm ply, even though I reduced them to three foot eight inches, they are still too heavy for me. And one is stood against the wall, the other one is covered with tools.
I believe that there is a new lkea opening nearby? The only other one I visited was in Croydon , a train and tram ride away. But I will investigate the possibilities.  Best wishes Kevin 

Bill is correct its mad to scrap what you have already done.
If cost is an issue go to a local charity shop who does furniture im sure one of them will have a folding leafed dining table  which will be fine for your baseboards at a very small cost.

Brian

Hi Matt.  Thank you for your reply. The trestles look good, if a bit low? I looked for them in the latest Screwfix catalogue, but couldn’t see them. Would you please please tell me how high they are.    Best wishes Kevin 

I Think Kevin is talking about getting rid of the OLD boards he is using as benches rather than his current planks ? Seams he is looking for an alternative light weight option so he can get rid of the old heavy benches and also create more space, hence my suggestion of the Stanley saw horses from screwfix, yes they are plastic but that keeps the weight down and they fold up and are easy to store away. the Stanley ones are actually quite robust (I've got several pairs in regular use, one for over 10 years
Cheers 

Matt

Hi Bill.  This is a second reply. Have I got this correct? 70 cm about two foot five and half inches? Best wishes Kevin 

Sizes here Kevin       Open W x D x H: 570 x 380 x 790mm. Folded W x D x H: 570 x 105 x 818mm. Weight 4.9kg

Thank you Matt. I am still “ an Imperial Measurement Man “ let me find my steel tape, and I will know what everyone is talking about. Old Age is getting ( near old age???’). Best wishes Kevin 

21.5" W 15"D  31" H    ish . . . . or knee high to a grasshopper

Hi Matt.  Thank you for your reply. My heavyweight baseboards are walking stick height, depending on how tall someone is? Or about door handle.   Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Brian.   Thank you for your reply. Last November I demolished a a gateleg table when I tripped over on one of the legs, I believe? Getting past ones prime is a PITA .    Best wishes Kevin