I am planning a built-in desk, plywood (3/4") with a plastic laminated
top and solid wood edging. The top will be fully supported along the
back and one side, and one leg to support the open side. The
dimensions are rougly 33" x 84". I have seen other discusions here
about plywood bending and support requirements(ribs,) but not for this
case, where it is fully unsupported along only one edge (a long one.)
With minimal weight requirements(I don't plan on putting any lead
curios on the desk,) will I see much bending in a typical sheet of
plywood? Any help much appreciated.
Barry
On 31 Dec 2003 00:54:11 -0800, [email protected] (Barry) Crawled
out of the shop and said. . .:
>I am planning a built-in desk, plywood (3/4") with a plastic laminated
>top and solid wood edging. The top will be fully supported along the
>back and one side, and one leg to support the open side. The
>dimensions are rougly 33" x 84". I have seen other discusions here
>about plywood bending and support requirements(ribs,) but not for this
>case, where it is fully unsupported along only one edge (a long one.)
>With minimal weight requirements(I don't plan on putting any lead
>curios on the desk,) will I see much bending in a typical sheet of
>plywood? Any help much appreciated.
>Barry
yep. its gonna sag over time,,,and not much of it at that.
If you insist on plywood, you'd be better off if you incorporated
it into a torsion box frame with more supports than you're
planning. If you don't lnow what a torsion box is, ask Jeeves
or do a google on it. This forum dosn't have space to fully
explain it--ya need a diagram or picture.
Roger
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Traves W. Coppock <newsgroups-AT-farmvalleywoodworks-DOT-com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On 31 Dec 2003 00:54:11 -0800, [email protected] (Barry) Crawled
> out of the shop and said. . .:
>
> >I am planning a built-in desk, plywood (3/4") with a plastic laminated
> >top and solid wood edging. The top will be fully supported along the
> >back and one side, and one leg to support the open side. The
> >dimensions are rougly 33" x 84". I have seen other discusions here
> >about plywood bending and support requirements(ribs,) but not for this
> >case, where it is fully unsupported along only one edge (a long one.)
> >With minimal weight requirements(I don't plan on putting any lead
> >curios on the desk,) will I see much bending in a typical sheet of
> >plywood? Any help much appreciated.
> >Barry
>
> yep. its gonna sag over time,,,and not much of it at that.
I recently finished a custom built-in desk of 3/4" baltic birch
plywood for my home office. I have a horseshoe shaped alcove that is
11' wide at it's open side with five facets, none of them the same
size or any of the angles symmetrical. The desk is about linear 28'
varying in width from 15" to 36". I spaced korbels of double thick
ply (1.5") about every 18" that support the top. Between the korbels
I also have a single thickness of ply running vertically (behind which
I hide all power and computer cables) about 8" in from the wall. The
top is bicuit jointed to the korbels and ribs. In one corner is my
computer's 19" CRT monitor. In the other is my wife's computer (an
all-in-one CPU/monitor). Before I loaded it up, I stood on the desk
(200 lbs.) to see how it would flex. Out of curiousity I put a
straight edge on the top every once in a while to see if there is any
deflection. So far, nothing (3 months). Hope this helps.
[email protected] (Barry) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am planning a built-in desk, plywood (3/4") with a plastic laminated
> top and solid wood edging. The top will be fully supported along the
> back and one side, and one leg to support the open side. The
> dimensions are rougly 33" x 84". I have seen other discusions here
> about plywood bending and support requirements(ribs,) but not for this
> case, where it is fully unsupported along only one edge (a long one.)
> With minimal weight requirements(I don't plan on putting any lead
> curios on the desk,) will I see much bending in a typical sheet of
> plywood? Any help much appreciated.
> Barry
On 31 Dec 2003 00:54:11 -0800, [email protected] (Barry) wrote:
>I am planning a built-in desk, plywood (3/4") with a plastic laminated
>top and solid wood edging. The top will be fully supported along the
>back and one side, and one leg to support the open side. The
>dimensions are rougly 33" x 84". I have seen other discusions here
>about plywood bending and support requirements(ribs,) but not for this
>case, where it is fully unsupported along only one edge (a long one.)
>With minimal weight requirements(I don't plan on putting any lead
>curios on the desk,) will I see much bending in a typical sheet of
>plywood? Any help much appreciated.
Screw a length of angle iron about 8" in from the front edge, that
will give you all the support you'll need. Assuming you're not
standing on it. :)
Jeff