laminating oak and particle board

allen levine

Member
Messages
12,340
Location
new york city burbs
I need to build trestle style legs that are 2 inches thick.
Id like to use up all the short pieces of oak I have instead ofcutting away from the solid 3 inch thick pieces.
Will I run into any structural weakness or lack of integrity if I glue up 2 pieces of 3/4 inch white oak with a 3/4 inch piece of particle board in between them?(sandwiched, oak on the outside, particle board on inside)
Ends wont be seen, so that isnt important.
 

C'mon Don, you're gonna have to try harder than that. ;) An oak/particle board/oak sandwich might not be as strong as an oak/oak/oak sandwich, but without a bit more info about how it's being used, how can you unequivocally dismiss the idea?
 
this is exactly how its being used, only its going to be approx 24-30 inches wide, 27 inches high, and be supporting a much heavier table top.I could also use ash in between as the middle board.
 

Attachments

  • bed 260 (Medium).jpg
    bed 260 (Medium).jpg
    42.4 KB · Views: 39
Looking at those legs, I don't see any reason not to use particle board (or better yet MDF) in the middle of the sandwich. You'll have plenty strength. I think I'd put a rectangular hardwood "plug" at the bottom to cover the exposed core material and keep it from getting wet (from spills and mopping and such).

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure you'd have more than enough strength if the legs were hollow, too. Do you really need the extra weight?
 
Allen,
From your picture, I don't think you'd even need the particle board in the sandwich.

Just fasten the two sides to the front and back - sort of a hollow box, or tube.

Standing vertically, the oak will have plenty of strength, and you won't have to worry about the differing expansion rates of the oak and PB.
 
another vote for hollow legs and plugged bottom, its on the same idea allen as rennise lecturn with the dove in it.. think the egg shell physics and then stand it up on edge you will never crush it:):thumb::thumb:
 
understood, but Im going to have a top that is pretty hefty.
Its going to be 1.75 inch thick oak, 41x78, and Im quite sure that will weigh in at close to 200 lbs. I like the hollow idea, save some wood, less glue ups.
 
allen a tube leg system made the same size as your other table would hold up 600lbs with a good strecher to hold it together from racking.. vertical pressure on oak is amazingly strong.
 
understood, but Im going to have a top that is pretty hefty.
Its going to be 1.75 inch thick oak, 41x78, and Im quite sure that will weigh in at close to 200 lbs. I like the hollow idea, save some wood, less glue ups.

Allen, you could darn near park your truck on a pair of those 'tubes' without collapsing them. They're VERY strong in the vertical.
 
Top