dad is totally on board with making the entertainment kennel. he has even been running around doing material research and tests! so far the only materials we have are some cam connections. he ordered those from rockler, which is a great website for hard to find hardware:
http://www.rockler.com/index.cfm
lowes carries a couple types of "hardwood plywood." these are supposedly finished and ready for cabinetry. my dad bought a small piece of the birch veneered plywood to test out some stain and on his test the stain didn't come out even. it was darker in some spots than others. i don't think this was user error either. dad's guess is that the pattern we are seeing is saw marks from when the wood was cut- not attractive! therefore we have decided that the best option is to paint the entertainment kennel. and if we're painting, we can use slightly cheaper mdf.
a few open items...is there any reason to use plywood instead of mdf? should the color be black or a black-brown? also, dad is concerned on the separate table that the lack of support at the bottom will be a problem. it has to fit over the crate so cross bracing isn't really an option. any suggestions?
Week 37: Baby Construc[tion]
9 years ago
Exciting! Way to go Mr. Reed! My only concern with materials would be if Trooper has a panic attack about a passing storm while inside his kennel. Would he be able to tear up the MDF? I'm going to think about the table... and definitely a black-brown! More versatile... more depth... :)
ReplyDeletethis version of the entertainment kennel is built around trooper's existing crate so no worries there!
ReplyDelete"Once you go black...no return!" Black would also match Trooper. But I don't think you could go wrong with black or black-brown, or some cool black-brown paint combination. Be sure to consider the paint finish as well (semi-gloss or gloss ?), because marks on dark, flat finishes may appear more easily.
ReplyDeleteIn so far as plywood vs. MDF...I'm not sure which is more eco-friendly (probably plywood, although both use some serious glues). MDF will be smoother, more level and more consistent in terms of thickness, but will be heavier. Plywood may hold fasteners better, but the cut edges will have to be finished.
I don't know that I'd be that concerned about cross-bracing the table at the lower level - so many tables of this size don't have it, and work fine. But, it will probably be important to make sure the top is sturdy (you can cross-brace here, for sure, under the table top) and that the legs are securely joined to the top. You can also cross-brace at the two opposite sides of the table (the sides that parallel the sides of the crate) if it seems like that is necessary. And in the making of the table, if it does seem like you want cross-bracing at the lowest level, maybe you can make the diagonal braces fold out only when you remove it from the entertainment kennel and use it out in the open room. Sounds like some sketching is in order!!!!