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picking lumber from home center

3K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  wjfeeney@hotmail.com 
#1 ·
I am wanting to make a couple of torsion boxes, one for a desk top and one for a nice flat sturdy bench top in order to make model airplanes. I never have made a torsion box before and I was thinking of using 1 X 4 by ripping them down to 2" to 3". I do not have a planer or jointer so making things square is tough. So my anguish is that I go to Home Depot and could look through a pile for an hour and never find even one straight piece. It does not matter if I look for 1x4 or 2x4, etc. I need straight pieces for the torsion box and not having the tools to make the pieces I need so I need some advice. The desk top needs to be 24" x 72" x 2" and then the workbench top 30" x 60" x 2".

1) How do you get good pieces of 1x4 or 2x4, etc.?
2) Am I using the correct material for the torsion box?
3) Thought about 2S wood but the HD near me does not carry 2S wood. Do I need to look for 2S or 4S wood?

-Scott
 
#2 ·
Ive seen a few designs using cabinet grade plywood.

You could cut the plywood into strips to use as the frame members. You can even have Home Depot use there panel saw for you to get the plywood to managable sizes. The dont charge for it. But most wont cut smaller then 8 or 12” sections for safety reasons.

Or you could use poplar or other surfaced on 4 sides hardwood, which is also sold at the Depot near the trim usually.

Ive made several work bench tops and desk tops prior to having planers and such from rough cedar that turned out well.

Just takes more time with a sander.

Another option would be a butcher block style countertop which would be pretty much ready to go.

Hardwood flooring, prefinished or not, and hardwood stair treads would also be options requiring less surface prep.


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#3 ·
you buy the best pcs you can find.
put them in the shop.
wait two weeks.
slice/dice them to 4S.
for a torsion box, a straight table saw rip is entirely sufficient. no 5000" joiner required.



a store brand credit card often gives you more days to return lumber (and products) that have gone bonkers.
you cannot trust any of it.
buy it.
store it.
then see if it's still suitable.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Plywood for the top and bottom? The only pieces that have to be absolutely straight are the edging pieces. 3/4" plywood for the top, 1/2" ply for the bottom, and 3/4" ply or 1 x material for the internal honeycomb.....to get to an approximate 2" thickness. The ends of the honeycomb pieces should be square so that the butt joints are tight. You can attach the honeycomb pieces together with staples....you don't need to half lap. The glue is what secures the top and bottom to the internal honeycomb. Wrap the edges with a hardwood. The edging will cover the edges of the top and bottom plys. Rip the edging to exact width or attach overwidth and flush trim with a router.
You didn't mention what you have for tools.
Another option is to make the internal honeycomb from a sheet of plywood. Just make a bunch of cutouts in the sheet to reduce the weight. The cutouts can be any shape.....cut them with a hole saw or make plunge cuts with whatever tool you have.
 
#5 · (Edited)
My plan was to use 1/4" plywood with 1x4" pine trimmed down to do the torsion area with 1x4 frame around the torsion area then add 1/2" plywood on top. Use a router with a flush trim bit around the edges. Then take some maple or walnut glued to the sides like a frame around the whole thing. At least for the desk, the bench does not have to be so fancy.

The 1x4's bother me because I have never been able to find a 1x4x60" straight and without having a planer or joiner getting straight to do mating notches for the torsion part. I know where HD keeps their 4S boards (not sure if it is really 4S) but it is rather expensive to use as filler material. I watched Steve Ramsey on You Tube make a frame 3/4" and then put the 4" face to make the torsion part. I wish there was someone around me who could help me with this. I will figure it out. Hopefully find a way to get a planer then figure out how to plane parallel faces.

One thought is to use 1/2" or 3/4" MDF as the torsion section. It really needs to be flat and strong.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Got any reputable lumber yards near you? I really don't like box stores for lumber beyond just a few boards not to mention they overcharge for most of it and it's often been picked through until all that's left is junk lumber. Ever seen a customer buy a truck load from Lowes and know they won't be able to use half of it? I needed a piece of oak plywood, went to lowes and had to dig down 4 sheets to find one that wasn't damaged. Two had screws in the middle of the sheets..The other two had been dropped on edge..
It took me awhile, but I finally found two very good sources for high quality lumber. They're not the cheapest in town, but I know that pretty much anything I buy from them will be useable and they're going to stand behind whatever isn't useable.
I know that doesn't help you for the task at hand, but it's something that you should look into for future purchases.
 
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#11 ·
Yes there is one good lumber yard about an hour away. I usually get Baltic Birch Plywood from them because HD or Lowes do not carry Baltic Birch only Birch and is not very good. A lot of voids from the box store birch. I do not want to use good Baltic Birch for torsion box filler.

Thanks.
 
#9 ·
If you want to use the 1x4

Then buy longer then 60”

Buy 8 or 10 ft boards.

Usually you can find at least 2/3 of the board will be strait, then just cut off at the good sections, use the cut offs for non critical parts or some other projects.

Also there are ways to use a table saw alone to true up a board. Just look up “straitening a board with a tablesaw” on youtube.

A bunch of videos will come up with ways to manage without a jointer.


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#13 ·
I have looked at a couple of the You Tube videos for truing up without a joiner. There are a couple of jigs you can make. Part of my problem is using those methods for the 3-1/2" face. The jigs I have seen would not accommodate a 1x4, along the 3-1/2" face. Just too thin. I want to keep my fingers.

I would entertain the MDF as a torsion box but the top would be heavy. I am looking for something not quite so heavy. I guess I will need to look into maybe walnut 1x2 or 1x1 strips. Maybe even use poplar.

Thanks for the advice.
 
#10 ·
Jointer Plane -

If you can stand it, you can use a non-power tool to make boards straight.
Like many tools, buy it for the current task and it will just continue to be useful.
A jointer plane is the classic way to make straight edges and helps make flat faces.
Great investment, used ones with a good sole can be tuned and used for life.

I bought a low cost 6" power jointer. It's great for preparing stock. If I didn't
have it, I'd consider using the tablesaw or router or circular saw or even a hand-rip saw
with a straight-edge like a piece of aluminum, a salvaged desk or table-top, or even the
one good straight board I was able to scavenge. Once you get one straight edge, you
can use it to make others. But if you're going to keep woodworking it does tend to
require a certain minimum of tools -- or at least good technique!
 
#12 ·
If you can stand it, you can use a non-power tool to make boards straight.
Like many tools, buy it for the current task and it will just continue to be useful.
A jointer plane is the classic way to make straight edges and helps make flat faces.
Great investment, used ones with a good sole can be tuned and used for life.

I bought a low cost 6" power jointer. It's great for preparing stock. If I didn't
have it, I'd consider using the tablesaw or router or circular saw or even a hand-rip saw
with a straight-edge like a piece of aluminum, a salvaged desk or table-top, or even the
one good straight board I was able to scavenge. Once you get one straight edge, you
can use it to make others. But if you're going to keep woodworking it does tend to
require a certain minimum of tools -- or at least good technique!
I do have a couple of hand planes, no jack planes. I do not really know how to use them plus I know I have to sharpen them and so far sharpening stones are rather expensive. Plus, I do not really know how to use them.

With my tablesaw, I did make a small jig to give me a nice joining edge but nothing as long as 60". I tried cutting a couple of 2x4 by ripping them along the 3-1/2" face by raising the blade height and go down one face and flip and repeat. I did not exactly get a real good face the was flat. I need a planer but slowly working up to that. My income is no unlimited...yet:smile2:
 
#14 ·
I have always used MDF for torsion boxes. The end grain of ply soaks up a lot of glue and a good joining is not always possible. Not a problem with MDF. Only down side to MDF is the weight.
Pine from a big box store is always a gamble as to whether it will stay straight. I would not even consider it.
 
#15 ·
Use a Cheap Door

Use a cheap door for a really flat surface to work off of to make your torsion box table top.
When I get ready, I will buy a solid core door for around $40 and build my torsion box on top of it. The door will always come in handy so it's not a complete loss.
I will probably just glue down some 3/4" ply y\to both sides and use it as a spare work surface.
 
#20 ·
Use a cheap door for a really flat surface to work off of to make your torsion box table top.
When I get ready, I will buy a solid core door for around $40 and build my torsion box on top of it. The door will always come in handy so it's not a complete loss.
I will probably just glue down some 3/4" ply y\to both sides and use it as a spare work surface.
I was looking for solid core doors at Home Depot but none of them with flat faces. It never occurred to glue plywood to both sides to it. That wouldn't matter if it had panels or not. Good idea for making a quick assembly table.
 
#23 · (Edited)
David Marks has an excellent video on building a torsion box.

https://vimeo.com/5082731

He teaches woodworking and makes furniture for a living. He uses MDF throughout for his torsion box. The good news is that it's inexpensive. The bad news is that it will be really heavy.
I like Marks but it is heavy. You can use an inexpensive plywood as long as its consistant in thickness....
 
#25 ·
in a very limited capacity, I would rough cut the 4x8 into manageable
pieces in the driveway on sawhorses.
then - the fine cuts on the table saw. just be careful and plan accordingly.
if you over think it ~ it will surely be over thunk.

.
 
#26 ·
Home depot will not cut that narrow. I think around 10 inch is as narrow as they go. Your mileage may vary. I think it depends on whom is cutting. I think I had them cut 8" strips for me once. But that was many years ago.

But they would definitely cut it to a manageable size.

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#28 ·
I would not use plywood for the torsion box slats. A torsion box design is based on good glue contact with the slats. Plywood just don't cut it on end grain. MDF will, but much heavier.
I would use at least 1/2 ply for the faces although I never used less that 3/4". The box itself will be heavy if you consider 3/4 ply weighing in at around 70 lbs per sheet and 3/4 MDF coming in at around 90 lbs per sheet. the torsion box will remain stiff regardless of the what it is resting on. Any irregular corners could poke through 1/4" ply for sure.
 
#30 ·
I have now attached my design of what my torsion box workbench top will look like. The one thing I did not add is a frame of either walnut or maple going around the outer edge. I am not sure why the image looks rotated; it does not look that way in my pictures folder.

This coming weekend, I am going to get the materials I need and hopefully I do not ruin anything. Doing this from scratch without anyone around to help or give advice kind of scares me. I look at videos of others making these things and love thinking that I can do it but I am not exactly a self-confident person when it comes to working with my hands. I can design anything you want but getting my hands to work at the same level as my mind...we usually spend a lot more for a less quality looking project.
 

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#34 ·
You can use the factor edge of a piece of plywood as a circ saw guide to rip the strips.

You can establish a flat working surface with a couple 2x4's across sawhorses, levelled and made planar using string & shims. Then lay a sheet down and start building. Cover with wax paper or plastic to keep glue from sticking.

After the top/bottom is secured, flip it over and do the reverse side.

If you're using MDF, its a good idea to size the ends of the parts before gluing, then apply another coat right before nailing.

MDF can get very heavy. That's a consideration if you're working by yourself. I've built a few using 1/2" ply for the web and top/bottom can be 3/4.

IIRC Marc Spagnolo aka The WoodWhisperer has an good video on setting up check it out. Also Mike Farrington he uses MDF.
 
#35 ·
I am wanting to make a couple of torsion boxes, one for a desk top and one for a nice flat sturdy bench top in order to make model airplanes. I never have made a torsion box before and I was thinking of using 1 X 4 by ripping them down to 2" to 3". I do not have a planer or jointer so making things square is tough. So my anguish is that I go to Home Depot and could look through a pile for an hour and never find even one straight piece. It does not matter if I look for 1x4 or 2x4, etc. I need straight pieces for the torsion box and not having the tools to make the pieces I need so I need some advice. The desk top needs to be 24" x 72" x 2" and then the workbench top 30" x 60" x 2".

1) How do you get good pieces of 1x4 or 2x4, etc.?
2) Am I using the correct material for the torsion box?
3) Thought about 2S wood but the HD near me does not carry 2S wood. Do I need to look for 2S or 4S wood?

-Scott
Scott, I have ordered online from Home Depot Red Oak 4S wood as I have been reluctant to go to the hardwood retailer in Las Vegas due to Covid-19. They actually deliver FOR FREE via UPS.
 
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