[Lucky]

I am a newbie when it comes to carpentry. I have been asked to build a changing table for a daycare at a church. I am very handy at a lot of things, but I haven't done much wood work if any...

Here is a pic of what one looks like. The one I will build will have more storage.

Here come the ?'s.

What type of wood would be best?
1/2" ok?

What type of sealant, or wood treatment do I use to finish?

What type of fasteners or nails?

If I want round edges for safety reasone, which is the best way? With a shaper? Or can it be done with a router and a table?

Does this design look hard? I don't think so... I will have some help building it. Is there any other tips you could give me? Maybe a tool list to get?

THANKS!

 

[aclose]

for a project like this that will probably get a lot of use (wear & tear) i would probably use Baltic Birch. 1/2" will probably work fine, but 3/4" would be a better bet, especially since you're going to be putting kids on top of it.

finish: depends on the look you want. you can paint it to match the surroundings if you like. you may need to prime first, and use latex water based paint. if you like the look of wood, just go with a couple coats of polyurethane.

fasteners: glue & screw. if you use 3/4" ply then screwing will be easier than it would be on 1/2".

rounded edges: router

good luck and post picts of your final product!

 

[LarrySch]

I agree with aclose - Baltic Birch in 3/4". The plus of Baltic Birch is that you can use dado and rabbets in it and will not run into any void spaces. Also edging can be fasten to the raw edges of the plywood with little hardship. Also at least around here - Baltic Birch is sold for some reason in sheets larger than the standard 4 X 8. It cost a little more buy you will be well pleased with the results.