A friend just contributed a few 3x3x18" of very well aged walnut to my coll= ection. My spouse is having an allergic reaction to the stuff which is curr= ently in the garage. I have wrapped it in a plastic bag to see if that sol= ves the problem. Any other clues as to how to handle the situation.
Len
collection. My spouse is having an allergic reaction to the stuff which is currently in the garage. I have wrapped it in a plastic bag to see if that solves the problem. Any other clues as to how to handle the situation.
If you've had walnut around before with no problems, I'd be thinking of a fungus or mold or bugs or similar rather than the wood itself.
I'm not going to advise as to the best way to treat that; people use bleach or wood preservative or heat or whatever and it seems to me there can be risks. Like if you put it in the oven for some hours, your wife's allergies are going to be hit much harder. Or could a chemical be bad for the wood?
I'd try something else besides wrapping in plastic because you may get condensation inside and moisture damage. Maybe wrap it in shellac?
a) are you sure it's the walnut, and
b) what kind of allergic reaction?
While there are some who are somewhat allergic to walnut sawdust, it would seem unusual for simply a solid sample to cause such on its own--as another poster suggests, perhaps there's another contaminant in play here.
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collection. My spouse is having an allergic reaction to the stuff which is currently in the garage. I have wrapped it in a plastic bag to see if that solves the problem. Any other clues as to how to handle the situation.
I would helpful to know where/how it was stored before you got it.
If it has already had a chance to out-gas, and it is still a problem, then (as someone who understands your wife's side all too well), I'd give up on it. Theoretically, if you coat it well-enough, you could probably slow the out-gassing to the point where it is not a problem.
Another thought is that you might work the wood and then let it outgas in the garage (or shed, or what have you) for a few months. Then put the finish on after that.
The problem with leaving it in the plastic bag is that it won't out-gas.
I bought some tall audio speakers this week made out of MDF that will make me sweat if I sit next to them (like when I attached the wires). Whether its the MDF, the glue or the finish is inconsequential. I air the house out too. I know from experience that time will heal them. It took me years to start blaming "furniture" for causing physical symptoms (it was just too "ridiculous" of a notion).
After writing all of that, maybe it is more likely that mold or mildew is the problem? I've heard of wood dust being an issue, but I'm not sure what gas that wood has to outgas? I hope my post wasn't a waste of your time.
Bill
As others have said, it might not be the wood itself. I would add rodent urine/feces to the list of possible contaminants. I cannot seem to keep the critters out of my wood storage shed.
John
collection. My spouse is having an allergic reaction to the stuff which is currently in the garage. I have wrapped it in a plastic bag to see if that solves the problem. Any other clues as to how to handle the situation.
That stuff is dangerous. You should immediately ship it to me for proper disposal.
Does the walnut have a mold on the outside that she is allergic to ?
Walnut dust is dangerous to horse hoof and might be a like issue with some people warning of the danger.
Many woods are on this list - Check out the letter table next page!!!
Mart>
MDF contains Formaldehyde.
It isn't very nice stuff.
Not the stuff I use.
When I first opened the end of one of the cardboard boxes, the odor was abundant. Of course, Formaldehyde is odorless, but the "new" odor is a good indicator of it's presense. The first 3 or 4 days, I let the house air out. Now, after a week, it's mostly ignorable. In low doses, it gives me a slight shortness of breath, in higher doses it makes me sweat. If I sand and inhale some of the sawdust from such materials, it will put me to bed and ruin the rest of the day. I've performed that experiment twice (being cavalier about it doesn't help!)
I'm hoping for better results from Home Depot's "Purebond" brand plywood which is "Formaldehyde-free". I am currently designing a tv-stand involving it, but I'm still in the paper and pencil stage.
The plywood is veneered (Cherry). If I use a circular saw with a
40-tooth blade, should I expect a lot of ripout of the veneer? It is $45 for a 3/4" sheet. I also have handsaws I can use (maybe too aggressive?) . I was thinking of a design where exposed plywood edges are covered by real Cherry (like inside a dado). IIRC, there some sort of banding/strip that could also be used. Please comment, if anyone is willing to, on the best way to approach covering explosed edges of plywood shelves.Assuming a 48" long stand (holding an approximately 50-pound tv), and a
15 pound audio receiver, etc., I'm assuming 3/4" would be suitable for the top and bottom and 1/2" for the shelves. Does that sound right? I think a tv stand is a good place to start for a beginner (like me)! It would be easier with even a cheap TS, huh? But I expect not much better results than if I use my circular saw. I don't expect one can plane the edge of veneered plywood. Is that right?Cheers (& sorry for such a long post..) Bill
You know, I have "sworn off" Home Depot plywood 3 or 4 times during the pas= t couple of years. Yet, I keep returning for another frustrating experienc= e. These experiences range from the cheapest C-D ply that seemed to warp i= n the bed of my pickup on the way home, to a couple of sheets of more expen= sive Oak and Birch veneer plywood that proved to be so full of hidden voids= that my finger went through the surface while working with it.
My most recent experience was a sheet of Birch that looked pretty good on t= he "good" side. My wife and I lifted it off of the stack high enough to se= e the other side and actually saw some pretty nice grain in the shadows of = the stack, so we slid it off onto the cart. When we got it home (35 miles = from the store, there was an obvious "dent" that came and went across much = of the width of the sheet on what was the bottom side. This was due to a v= oid in the layer beneath the veneer that extended across the sheet. The pl= y was used for a garage cabinet so I didn't make the 70 mile round trip to = return it but I WILL pay the 20%-30% higher price at a closer lumber yard n= ext time.
You truly do get what you pay for.
RonB
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Make your circular saw cuts 1/8" proud then bring to size with a straight edge and a router with 1/2" straight edge.
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----------------------------------------------------- Standard veneer tape designed for the purpose using either a heat gun and roller or a clothing iron.
Trim to size with router bit designed for the specific task.
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------- NO. Use 3/4" through out and band front and back with 3/4"x1-1/2" stock for the shelves.
Even then you are pushing the design.
-----------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------- Why not?
I've built similar things using a Bosch 1587 jig saw, a router, a straight edge(Aluminum angle) and some C-Clamps.
Lew
couple of years. Yet, I keep returning for another frustrating experience. These experiences range from the cheapest C-D ply that seemed to warp in the bed of my pickup on the way home, to a couple of sheets of more expensive Oak and Birch veneer plywood that proved to be so full of hidden voids that my finger went through the surface while working with it.
"good" side. My wife and I lifted it off of the stack high enough to see the other side and actually saw some pretty nice grain in the shadows of the stack, so we slid it off onto the cart. When we got it home (35 miles from the store, there was an obvious "dent" that came and went across much of the width of the sheet on what was the bottom side. This was due to a void in the layer beneath the veneer that extended across the sheet. The ply was used for a garage cabinet so I didn't make the 70 mile round trip to return it but I WILL pay the
20%-30% higher price at a closer lumber yard next time.I don't dispute that you get what you pay for, but I suspect you can't get a sheet of Formaldehyde-free plywood at your favorite lumberyard. I'm in the "desperate" stage--I'll spackle it! : )
Thank you very much for your suggestions (I printed them out)!
I'll post a sketch after I make one. I browsed Google's images of "TV Stands" yesterday, and was suddently overwhelmed. Cabinet doors on each end would be nice... : )
Lew,
I'm not sure whether I understook what you meant by "band"-ing the front and back. I tried to, but at this point, I don't think I have captured it in my design (I just posted a picture of it on my site):
Comments are always welcome!
BTW, in case LarryJ is keeping track, I don't really own a cable box anymore. But these days you never know what might take it's place. I have a clock I can stick in there.
Cheers, Bill
Is a jig saw less likely to create nasty tear-out here than a circular saw? I would not have thought of it. My recollection of using one long ago is that it doesn't leave as pretty of an edge but that it is a bit easier to control. Of course, the router cleans up the edge.
You like that 1/2", (1/20"-thick) Aluminum angle bar, right? Only $6.64 at Big Orange.
Bill wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news1.newsguy.com:
*snip**snip*
I wouldn't bother covering the exposed edges, I'd figure out some way to hide them completely. Here's the deal: I tried covering edges with a piece of wood and then planing it smooth to the face of the plywood. Some of the plywood was damaged during the planing process, even with the plane taking a very fine cut.
On a later project, I added a strip of wood to the edge of the plywood using tongue and groove joinery. This covered the edge of the plywood nicely, and the difference in height was small enough that a sander took care of it easily.
If you need a frame to support your plywood better, you can recess the plywood down in to the frame. This has the benefit of not only supporting the plywood but hiding the edges at the same time.
Puckdropper
I've edged a lot of plywood with solid wood strips. I use a router with a fat pattern bit and it creates flawless, perfectly even seems with very little effort. It's much easier and more fail-safe than planing.
You're lucky to be able to find it.
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