Any wood workers?

[Reegz]

I immediately realise the error of ways by asking if anyone works with wood.

Too late.

Anyhoo, I want to build something that I've seen because:-

1. School fees need to be paid very soon
2. Would be fun project to do with the kids

It's a relatively simply wooden cube measuring 400mm * 400mm * 400mm using timber that has a thickness of 20mm.

However, I asked ChatGPT to assist with the dimensions of the wood taking into account the thickness of the wood and I don't seem to agree with what it's saying.

So I'd like to ask a human instead

By my math (which is dodge at best), I'll need the following:-

• 2 * 400mm x 400mm -> these will be the opposing sides
• 2 * 360mm x 360mm -> these will be 'top' and 'bottom' sides; they will sit 'inside' hence the 40mm reduction in length to account for its location
• 2 * 400mm x 360mm -> these will cover the remaining open sides. 400mm for the height while the width is 360mm seeing as it is sandwiched between the first two sides

It's clearly been too many years since high school woodworking and the lessons have long since vanished.

Help a guy out here

 

[ovisser1]

@Toxxyc I've only ever heard great things about his woodworking skills.

 

[Spontaneous.Spinach]

I heard Julius Malema can do the woodwork

 

[Reegz]

I heard Julius Malema can do the woodwork

The CIC and I are on opposing ends of the scale when it comes to our woodworking matric results.

 

[GamerZee]

Go to a Timber City close to you, they will cut wood according to your measurements (provided you buy it from them). You can even take a hand drawn thing to them.
Back in the day we had a Wardkiss in Durban that would do the same, maybe check if they still around close to you.

 

[Reegz]

I recall them offering this service back in the day. I called previously when I wanted to do another project and they told me they don't offer it. I've had stuff cut at Leroy Merlin but I had to sort out the measurements myself as they don't me they couldn't help with that.

I'll give it a try nonetheless.

 

[crackOlicious]

I work at a timbercity store, 20mm is not a standard thickness that I'm familiar with. Par timber is 22mm. Melamine boards 16mm, mdf boards would be 16,18mm. Shutterply is 18 and 21mm
Some pine gluelam is 19mm

 

[Reegz]

I work at a timbercity store, 20mm is not a standard thickness that I'm familiar with. Par timber is 22mm. Melamine boards 16mm, mdf boards would be 16,18mm. Shutterply is 18 and 21mm
Some pine gluelam is 19mm

Thank you sir. 20mm was a bit of thumb-suck from my end to make my calcs easy.

 

[SnowmanZA]

Cut all boards 400x400mm with a 45 degree bevel. That way they fit together perfectly no-matter their thickness and you won't have unsightly seams.

 

[Reegz]

Cut all boards 400x400mm with a 45 degree bevel. That way they fit together perfectly no-matter their thickness and you won't have unsightly seams.

simplest, yet most effective solution!

thank you kindly

 

[Oj0]

My wife is great at working my... OH, wrong thread.

45 degree bevels will work, but if you're trying to assemble by hand it's rather difficult too keep everything aligned unless you have corner clamps. They're cheap enough, but your maff is correct so if you have two pieces [400 x 400], two [400 x 400-(2x thickness)], two [400-(2x thickness) x 400-(2x thickness)] you're good to go and can assemble without clamps by using a square and some helping hands if necessary.

Alternatively,

2x 400 x 400
4x 400 x 400-thickness

Use the 400 x 400 for the top and bottom, and the rest can be used for symmetrical design with one seam on each side like this:

Better? Nah. Different? Yup.

 

[Confucius]

I immediately realise the error of ways by asking if anyone works with wood.

Too late.

Anyhoo, I want to build something that I've seen because:-

1. School fees need to be paid very soon
2. Would be fun project to do with the kids

It's a relatively simply wooden cube measuring 400mm * 400mm * 400mm using timber that has a thickness of 20mm.

However, I asked ChatGPT to assist with the dimensions of the wood taking into account the thickness of the wood and I don't seem to agree with what it's saying.

So I'd like to ask a human instead

By my math (which is dodge at best), I'll need the following:-

• 2 * 400mm x 400mm -> these will be the opposing sides
• 2 * 360mm x 360mm -> these will be 'top' and 'bottom' sides; they will sit 'inside' hence the 40mm reduction in length to account for its location
• 2 * 400mm x 360mm -> these will cover the remaining open sides. 400mm for the height while the width is 360mm seeing as it is sandwiched between the first two sides

It's clearly been too many years since high school woodworking and the lessons have long since vanished.

Help a guy out here

What board do you want to use? That’s the first step. That also depends on the application.

Next, how are you going to join the pieces together. You can screw it from outside but that looks ugly. You can use dowels but a little complicated if you don’t have tools. You can use edge strips or brackets or a piece or wood and glue.

If using melamine or pine you should be able to find a shelf strip that can be cut otherwise you are going to have difficulties finding a piece.

 

[Reegz]

Thanks guys.

I don't have any ideas about what board I'm gonna use. I assume I'll choose whatever timber is in stock and the work off the width to recalculate the dimensions accordingly.

MDF and melamine are not options.

Not fussed about the finishing to be honest. I tend to start a lot of projects but then get all OCD about getting things perfect - which then means another unfinished project.

Happy to get the first prototype out and then can worry about making it neat and clean on the next iteration - if we ever get to that.

I don't mind buying a clamp or two if they're cheap enough to not give me sleepless nights about them gathering dust over the next who-knows-how-long!

 

[Toxxyc]

Cut all boards 400x400mm with a 45 degree bevel. That way they fit together perfectly no-matter their thickness and you won't have unsightly seams.

Except cutting exactly 45° is pretty hard.

If it was me, I'd cut them all to 400mm x 400mm and use a router to cut the edges 45°. You could even cut them slightly smaller and make the edge not stop right on the end. That way your cube will have cool-looking edges all round, and still have hidden seams.

BTW making a cube out of wood is not easy if you just use wood off the shelf. Most is pine, and 99% of that is not flat. We don't get properly planed or prepared woods off shelf over here. You'd have to go to a specialist timber shop and have them plane, sand and cut to your exact measurements, or I can guarantee you it'll be skew, with sides that go off.

 

[SnowmanZA]

Except cutting exactly 45° is pretty hard.

Cool, cut 44 degrees and give yourself a degree of freedom. (Sorry for the pun). You could get away with any angle slightly less than 45 degrees and just hide a bunch of L brackets on the inside where nobody will see them. You could assemble 5 of the 6 sides with L brackets to keep them all at exactly 90 degrees then you just need to glue on the last side, so your bevel mustn't be too much less than 45 degrees because you want decent contact for the glue to set. I agree most boards we get aren't flat, but over a small area it's probably not going to be out by too much.