Benchwork: Why a hollow door?

angelob6660 · February 19, 2016, 6:26pm

I had used oriented stand wood. My piece didn’t last long, it wasn’t stable and fell apart by the corners. A few weeks later it was crumbling around the center destroying the layout. I never trusted it ever since.

rrinker · February 20, 2016, 11:35am

rrinker

Just checking prices ar Lowes, a brand new hollow door, plain, no holes drilled and NOT prehung, is about the same price as a sheet of plywood. Of course the plywood is bigger, but it’s also much heavier. If you are building somethign permanent, it may not matter, but if you want something moveable, the lighter weight of the door will make a big difference.

A used door, or even a new one that has been damaged, should go for a lot less than a sheet of plywood.

–Randy

IDK what they are selling you in PA, but here a 1/2" sheet of plywood (not OSB. $12.00) is just under $15.00. A 36"x80" hollow core door is just under $60.00. That is why when I saw used doors for $20.00 I had to ask why.

2" foam is just under $30.00.

I’m leaning towards 1"x3" lightweight frame, luan (1/8" ply) bottom and 2" foam. Should be light and cheap to build. I’m moving this summer so I wont worry about the legs yet, but a box frame to hold the foam will get me moving and still allow me to move it to my new place.

$60 here gets me a solid door - in fact, I’m building a workbench L shaped, using 2 solid core doors as the tops, and each one is $49.95 at my local Lowes. $60 for a hollow door better come prehung. Yes, they have cheaper plkywood here than $35 a sheet, but it’s the kind of junk I wouldn’t want to work with, maybe OK if putting foam over it and using the

rrinker · February 20, 2016, 11:42am

Did you have it supported by anything? You can’t just stick 4 legs on the bottom of a piece of OSB or plywood and have it hold up. You also need to stay in from the corners with OSB, there’s not much pullout strength for fasteners at the edge.

–Randy

angelob6660 · February 20, 2016, 2:34pm

It was supported by different objects. What ever was free to sit on. We never had enough money for legs, scenery and structures.

Anonymous · February 20, 2016, 9:33pm

I went with 1x4s and 1x3s assembled into rectangles bolted together with bolted on legs and 3/8" A/C plywood screwed to the top with drywall screws. On top of that I glued sheets of 2" Blue foam to build up the scenery. This allows for portablility of the benchwork. Also you can probably walk on it if you need to, and I can mount a turnout motor, signal drivers, circuit boards, LCC nodes any any manner of other digital equipment under the layout because of the plywood layer. Worth the few extra cents per square foot if you ask me. I would not touch OSB with a 39.5 foot pole.

Also if weight or size of plywood is concern, Home Depot (and probably Lowe’s will cut it for you for free (up to 4 cuts in my area, 50 cents or so per cut after 4).

BobL609 · February 21, 2016, 4:53pm

Y’all are missing the point: most big box stores have damaged hollow core doors; one side has been damaged in shipping and they can’t be sold. Usually they will sell it to you for about $5.00; at least that’s how I got my four.

Anonymous · February 21, 2016, 8:59pm

Which is great if you are making a rectangle. If you need to change the size/shape then you have to go and make structural changes to the door, and while it will still be cheaper, you will end up spending time better used building other kinds of benchwork. If you have the $$ spring for better benchwork.

CFin · February 22, 2016, 7:56am

I scrounged 17 HCDs of various widths from neighbors doing home remodeling projects. The only cost was my pride as I scavenged their garbage curbside. Maybe nobody saw me.

The lengths do vary slightly, a couple had damaged faces and the room entry ones have holes for doorknobs cut in them, but since I put foam over them, it really didn’t matter.