I need to make a box for the paper person to leave the paper in. I was wondering what would be the best kind of wood, joints (finger, dovetail, whatever) and finish. Nothing too fancy, just need to keep the paper dry. They charge the paper person 32cents for a cheap plastic bag to put the paper in. She folds over the top but it still gets wet. A box would benefit us both. Any suggestions ?
Thanx
Dovetails..."nothing fancy"?? What's wrong with this picture?
Dave
yeah, a little over kill :)
These are good "outdoor" woods: redwood, cedar, cypress, teak, white oak. Finger joints with waterproof wood glue should be adequate. Prime and paint for longevity.
Exterior grade plywood.
Otherwise a resinous softwood - larch lasts well outdoors (locally cheap for me) eastern red cedar would work too.
If you're using ply, then biscuit joints.
If you're using timber, then I'd make an internal frame (probably with screwed half-laps) and then nail horizontal shiplap weatherboards over the outside. If I needed a stronger lid, then I'd make a rectangular frame with bridle joints (easier to cut then tenons, stiffer than half laps) and then panel inside this with more shiplap boards. This needs a good slope on the lid though if it's not leak. If it has to be a shallow slope, then tongue and groove them.
Assume that any exterior timber will warp like crazy, so design the joinery accordingly.
Paint. Always easier and longer lasting for outdoor use.
For softwood, then maybe one of the proprietary "garden woodwork" coloured finishes.
Make sure there's good drainage and leave some holes in the base, just in case the lid gets left open.
Get a couple of Cedar fence pickets and glue it together with butt joints.
Jesus, how big are your papers in the uk that you can't make a box big enough for them from one board? :)
-Leuf
a piece of polypipe would do the trick
You have to make it big enough to hit from a car window at about 30MPH around here. They are lucky to hit the driveway.
Plastic box, shoe box size?
Since nobody else mentioned it... MDO. Medium Density Overlay. A plywood product with resin-impregnated paper facings - very much like Formica but without the plastic color top layer. Many of the highway road signs, that aren't metal, are made with MDO. It holds paint very well and is extremely durable in exterior applications.
I used it for some large, 1'x3' caps on either side of our entry porch steps. These surfaces are oriented parallel to the ground and get no rain or sun protection. Primed then painted with Ace exterior latex and they look as good today as they did back in '99 when I built them.
MDO comes in 1-sided or 2-sided overlay - would likely recommend 1/2" thickness. My local (town of 18,500 pop.) building lumber yard carries the stuff so shouldn't be difficult to find where ever you are.
Except when you're walking, pre-dawn, and the SOB just misses you with the 5 pound Sunday edition, from behind.
Our papers are tiny. I did once buy a weekend NY Times, just to see the infamous behemoth for real.
If you're using larch though, it's very prone to twisting. You need a multiple-board / framed design to keep this under control. For panelling the sides, then I'm normally using up scrap trimmings from big timber framing jobs. I have access to an inexhaustible supply of larch, so long as it's under 3" a side.
Good suggestion but if he does not have any on hand he will have to buy a full sheet. In Houston that is $50+.
Exterior plywood. Nail/glue togetherwith top over sides. Paint.
32cents? Each? I want the plastic bag concession.-- dadiOH ____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at
: wrote: : : >I need to make a box for the paper person to leave the paper in. I was : >wondering what would be the best kind of wood, joints (finger, dovetail, : >whatever) and finish. Nothing too fancy, just need to keep the paper dry. : >They charge the paper person 32cents for a cheap plastic bag to put the : >paper in. She folds over the top but it still gets wet. A box would benefit : >us both. Any suggestions ? : >
: >Thanx : >
: : These are good "outdoor" woods: redwood, cedar, cypress, teak, white : oak. Finger joints with waterproof wood glue should be adequate. : Prime and paint for longevity.
And avoid any "levelness" of any surfaces; encourage any water to run off. Doesn't take a lot of slope, just a little.
Pop
I just picked up 500 2-mil poly bags for my products, total cost including postage was $47. When I received them, I found that they were made in Taiwan. 1 or 1.5-mil poly bags for newspapers can be had for $25-40 per THOUSAND over here for 8x18". Your newspaper guy needs to source his bags elsewhere.
I use these guys for various items:
I Googled "google UK" and found these "over there":
- DANCING: The vertical frustration of a horizontal desire.
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Read the online edition instead? No messy papers, not crap plastic bags, saving on trees, wood to make the box, ink, tyre rubber for the delivery boy, dangerous road conditions for the cyclist. Hey you are all really selfish getting papers delivered . . . .
Ever read the online edition in the crapper?
Barry
Ummmmm... yeah - doesn't everybody? Well, OK, not the on-line edition of the NYT, but plenty of other stuff. The only bad part is you cannot tear out a page to wipe.
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