[PLUG-TALK] Woodworking?

[Keith Lofstrom]

... doors for furniture, cutting doors, etc ...

Before getting too deep into the "how to make a Lowes or Home
Depot door into furniture", consider some alternatives, which 
I discovered while fixing up the house we moved into:

1) Parr Lumber.  A regional chain, but their lumber prices are
   sometimes half the prices at Lowes Depot, they have a lot more
   sizes of dimensional lumber,  they cut to size for a dollar a
   cut, and they deliver and stack for $35.  Much easier than
   getting a door home in your Volkswagon.

   1a) Ditto for other local lumber stores.  Most are closed
   sundays and evenings, and open at dawn.

2) The Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  Doors, but also furniture
   like objects.  Ditto for some varieties of thrift store.

3) Make your own, with stacked plywood or oriented strand board,
   and covered with veneer, which can be purchased in adhesive-backed
   rolls or sheets.

4) Boxes with stringers are usually stronger and lighter than solid
   wood. Two panels of 1/2 inch doug fir plywood, spaced with a 2x2
   frame, assembled with glue, deck screws and strong-tie, and
   veneered with something nice, will be far stronger than a 1.5
   inch solid door.  Perhaps not quite as axe-resistant.  That is
   what high voltage is for.

5) Crosscuts on NW Front Avenue.  http://www.crosscuthardwoods.com/
   If you want to make something Really Nice, they have a gigantic
   assortment of furniture grade hardwoods, veneers, and tools,
   from $$ to $$$$$.  This is where Stradivarius shops.  A nifty
   place to visit and look at, smell, and stroke wood.  Kinda like
   a petting zoo for tree skeletons.  Before buying something exotic,
   it might be prudent to check the sustainable harvesting record
   for that species - the crosscut folks have such a wide variety
   of stuff, I doubt they trace provenance for all of it.  

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs