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wood

Started by doc, Oct 17, 2007, 03:51 pm

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doc

Oct 17, 2007, 03:51 pm Last Edit: Aug 28, 2010, 07:20 pm by Scarfwearer
whats the best wood that i can use to build a tardis as theres all sorts of wood that can be used  :)

avadh

Oct 24, 2007, 09:56 pm #1 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:20 am by scarfwearer
You could also consider wood such as sapele and iroko as the timber and for the plywood either birch plywood -wpb external or far eastern plywood. These wood types are very strong and weather durable for exterior use and are reasonable in price as well. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Sorvan

Oct 17, 2007, 08:33 pm #2 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:37 am by scarfwearer
Quote from: doc board=faq thread=1192636293 post=1192636293whats the best wood that i can use to build a tardis

There are a number of different factors to think about when choosing wood.  Many people use MDF (medium density fiberboard - basically a board made from sawdust and glue) as it's cheap and fairly easy to work with.  If you were to put an MDF box outside however, it quickly deteriorates through contact with water.  MDF is also very heavy.

If you want to use real wood, you'll see that there are a number of different choices available to you - and they're different depending on where you live.  Some of the factors you might want to consider include cost, resistance to decay, strength, workability and stability.  What you might find is that certain woods are better that others at different things.  I'd talk to someone at your local lumber yard who hopefully knows a bit about wood and ask them what they recommend.

In my own build I'm using:

Plywood - just the regular construction plywood, nothing fancy.  If I wasn't texturing my box, I might have bought some "one side good" plywood where they fill in the knots and sand it - but since I'm texturing, this would have been a waste of money.

Spruce - it's cheap and durable.  It has knots and can be prone to warping but I can deal with that.  I've used it for most of the construction.

Yellow Cedar - it's hard, very resistant to decay and has a straight grain.  I'm using it for my window frames.  It's expensive locally, but my dad gave me some that he had sitting around.

Western Red Cedar - resistant to decay, about 3x the price of spruce.  I've used it in various places, mostly because it's what's available if you want large dimensions of lumber (eg. 4x4s).

Railway ties (spruce treated with creosote) - super cheap, somewhat toxic, hard to work with.  I've used these in my base.

Treated lumber (spruce treated with preservatives) - somewhat toxic, costs a bit more than regular spruce and is available in larger dimensions.  You can't use regular nails/screws with treated lumber, you have to buy stainless steel or coated ones so they don't corrode.  Used in my base.

At this point, I'm not sure what I'll be using when I make the doors but I wouldn't be surprised if another type of wood would be better for those.

Colin

Doctor Iz

Oct 17, 2007, 09:53 pm #3 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:38 am by scarfwearer
Just a quick addition:

I used Yellow Pine stair treads... the price was a tad expensive but the quality was very nice and grain very straight.  It is the same wood planks they use for building stair cases in homes.
You need to ask for specifically "Yellow Pine Stair Treads", they'll know what you're after...

Good luck! ;D
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)

doc

Oct 18, 2007, 02:59 pm #4 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:38 am by scarfwearer
cheers for the help and info i will start looking and priceing wood up in B.Q thanks

chrisrowand

Oct 19, 2007, 02:49 pm #5 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:38 am by scarfwearer
Quote from: doc board=faq thread=1192636293 post=1192719554cheers for the help and info i will start looking and priceing wood up in B.Q thanks


I beg you not to use B&Q wood. They stupidly store it upright, where it bends hopelessly out of shape. It is also a lot more expensive than most timber yards.

Use a timber yard. here you can inspect each & every plank if you need to, a place where they can cut bits down to size or plane them for next to nothing cost.

Please Please Please do not get your wood from B&Q!!! Bent wood is as good as useless for building TARDISes. I should know, I've built a couple. You will be giving yourself 3 times the work if you do use their wood.

If you can get Canadian Red Pine from your local timber yard.

doc

Oct 21, 2007, 12:32 pm #6 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:39 am by scarfwearer
thanks for that i was going but i will go to the 3 timber yard that are not to far from me  cheers m8

chrisrowand

Oct 21, 2007, 03:04 pm #7 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:39 am by scarfwearer
No problem Doc. I hope i have saved you some trouble. Good luck in your hunt for decent wood. Also don't let the timberyard intimidate you into buying their rubbish bits. Ask to inspect the wood in their store room before you buy it.
If they don't let you inspect it, then walk away.

doc

Oct 23, 2007, 11:00 am #8 Last Edit: Jan 21, 2010, 09:40 am by scarfwearer
thanks i will go this week and let you know how i get on thanks