Help, Home Depot of Makerspace

With my limited vision, I am not safe with most saws, I need to get a piece of 3/4 in I think
plywood cut into 4 pieces 42 inches x 16 inches and some 2 2ft by 6 in and maybe 2 3ft by
6 in boards These are to be uses as temp table top for my jewelry display. I will be placing
them on top some plastic storage shelves

Now my quesitons

  1. is 3/4 in the right thickness?
  2. what quality plywood they will be painted
  3. where should I get it cut, Home depot or see if someone can help me
  4. If the later when would be a good time, I need them the first weekend in March
  5. anything else I forgot or problems with my idea

Thanks

  1. If they are just going to be holding up jewelry, they could be thinner. 0.25 inch would likely be sufficient (and cheaper).
  2. If it is being painted over, I would go with pine. If you want to save some money, consider looking at medium density fiber board (MDF). Would work great for a little project like this.
  3. The price for having wood cut at Home Depot is $0.25 per cut (first two cuts are free, however). So that means that your project would probably cost about $4 altogether if you cut everything at the Home Depot. If I were you, I would just get it done at Home Depot. If you did that, you also wouldn’t have to worry about hauling the raw board (4’ by 8’) back over to the Maker Space.

Of course, if there was someone at the Maker Space that would be willing to do it for free, I would get them cut here. I would offer to help but I need to take the woodshop basics class before I’m allowed to use the saws. :unamused:

Good luck with your project!

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The only problem is that HD won’t cut accurately and they tend to pull the saw through very fast leaving you with splintered edges. :frowning:

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Hhhhmmmm. In my experience, Home Depot has always made very accurate cuts. I agree 100% about the splintered edges, though. I usually sand down/router the edges so it doesn’t bother me. However, if you would like to forgo that process, that would be another reason to have them done at the Maker Space.

I have found in the past if I go to Home Depot during a weekday when they’re much slower, I’ve had some helpful folks make nice cuts for me that were accurate and probably done with much more care than the way they’d have to rip through it on a busy weekend

If you decide not to have them done at Home Depot, (which, to me, would be worth the $4 to have them cut down right where you buy them), then I will help you get them cut to size. PM me when you’ve made your decision and if you want, I’ll meet you up there on my way home from work one of these nights.

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I have found that often times Home Depot will not even worry about charging for the cuts, and I have asked them to cut up some decent stacks of plywood before… They normally do a good job with it, but on occasion I have had things happen, like one piece ends up being a different size then the previously cut, matching piece, or the time that they somehow got the panel saw to cut a noticeable curve over the length of a sheet of plywood.

I think I will try Home Depot, not the one nearest me, It has bad help, just like the Wal Mart across the steer for it and the Target across the street

I have another question, weight is an issue, so the particle board is not a good idea, but what about Masonite?

If I stick with plywood, I think I will go down to 1/2 inch

Thanks for you kind offer, I will see what I can do at Home Depot

Masonite is going to be really, really flimsy. If you’re going to use it, you’re going to have to make a frame for it with plenty of support.

Also, it absolutely falls apart if it gets wet, so you need to consider that part as well.

For the sizes you’re considering, I’d really consider using 1/2" MDF. It’ll look much nicer, particularly painted, and won’t require nearly as much prep time from a sanding and priming perspective. A 4’ by 8’ piece is $22, as compared to a 4’ by 8’ piece of 1/2" paint grade pine plywood for $28.

Don’t forget if doing outdoor craft shows and it’s a rainy day, you want material that wil stands up to getting wet

And that won t be so light that it try to fly of the table

Is MDF what I call particulate board? The sort of stuff that flat packed
furniture is made from? It does sound like it would be easier to use

No, particle board is more sawdust. MDF is Medium Density Fiber board. It is made of fiber. Still you don’t want to get either wet.

How much will paint help it? If I do an outside shaow, it will be under a canopy, but rain can blow in some, before I get the sides down and I have had rain or hail collapse one, Talk about a mess

MDF is what you would call particle board, and it is what they make Ikea furniture out of.

Painting it with a good (not latex!) paint will make a huge difference, particularly with the possibility of water blowing in. You just need to be sure that you do an EXCELLENT coverage job, as the water will find whatever crevice it can to soak in.

Here is a picture of the difference between them.

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I’m wondering for your use with craft shows if pine board wouldn’t be the safest. I’m visualizing packing up with boards having to stand in wet grass or avoid puddles, or heck, just blowing rain or someone dumping a drink over. My crap is under a roof in my renfair shop, better than a tent, and between blowing rain and customers, they get wet regularly, and that doesn’t count you doing setup/teardown and having to watch where they get sat until loaded. Just sayin.

That is whet I really want, but I need some 15 -16 inches wide. I thought about glueing some but Sue felt that would not stay togethere,
I will likely change to that if I keep doing a lot of show, Between my eyes, her back issue and my hubbys stroke
I am not sure how many show I will be doing,

They sell ‘shelving’’ board in those widths. They are glued up panels from narrower pine. They come in lengths of 4’, 6’, or 8’ No cutting necessary.

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Thank you, I will have to check those out, I still will need them shorte, but that should be a lot easier