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I think you mean plywood, not particle board. Very different things. Particle board is crap. You can also construct with hardwoods in a way that prevents warpi

I think you mean plywood, not particle board. Very different things. Particle board is crap. You can also construct with hardwoods in a way that prevents warping and cupping, like using rift sawn cuts and orthogonal grain joiniery. It’s not some secret, this is taught in woodworking 101. I’ve built a lot of my own furniture with hardwoods and none of it has warped in a decade.

midoridensha 4y ago
>You can also construct with hardwoods in a way that prevents warping and cupping, like using rift sawn cuts and orthogonal grain joiniery. No, you can't. Not if you're making IKEA furniture that customers assemble themselves. >I think you mean plywood, not particle board. Very different things. Particle board is crap. No, it's not, if you're making inexpensive furniture that customers self-assemble. Good plywood is very expensive. >I’ve built a lot of my own furniture with hardwoods and none of it has warped in a decade. Great, let's see you make something that way that ships in a flat box, and which some idiot can put together with pictogram instructions using no tools except a screwdriver for turning cam-lock fasteners.
- adql 4y ago
  You seem to conflate "good" with "cheap"; particle board is "just" cheap, it's not good. Plywood will be stronger, lighter, and deal better with humidity, it is "better" as material on pretty much every measure.
  - midoridensha 4y ago
    Plywood is far more expensive. Good, cheap, fast: pick any two. For the price, particle board is good.
- dsfyu404ed 4y ago
  >Great, let's see you make something that way that ships in a flat box, and which some idiot can put together with pictogram instructions using no tools except a screwdriver for turning cam-lock fasteners. You've clearly never dealt with old furniture. Tables, chairs and beds used to be and some still are packaged and assembled in this manner. Granted they used threaded inserts instead of cam-lock stuff.
- ipcress_file 4y ago
  IKEA used to ship solid wood products -- and laminated pine-strip items too -- in flat boxes. Back in the 90s, I bought a solid wood bookshelf and a laminated pine strip coffee table from them. They were structurally sound and very durable. In fact, a couple of years ago, I repurposed the bookshelf to create a built-in. So it's definitely do-able!
  - eropple 4y ago
    They still do this, fwiw. I have a TARVA dresser in my spare room which came unfinished. I used...probably too-expensive (for what it is) gel stain and lacquer on it and it came out pretty nice for a couple evenings' work.

midoridensha 4y ago

>You can also construct with hardwoods in a way that prevents warping and cupping, like using rift sawn cuts and orthogonal grain joiniery. No, you can't. Not if you're making IKEA furniture that customers assemble themselves. >I think you mean plywood, not particle board. Very different things. Particle board is crap. No, it's not, if you're making inexpensive furniture that customers self-assemble. Good plywood is very expensive. >I’ve built a lot of my own furniture with hardwoods and none of it has warped in a decade. Great, let's see you make something that way that ships in a flat box, and which some idiot can put together with pictogram instructions using no tools except a screwdriver for turning cam-lock fasteners.

adql 4y ago
You seem to conflate "good" with "cheap"; particle board is "just" cheap, it's not good. Plywood will be stronger, lighter, and deal better with humidity, it is "better" as material on pretty much every measure.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  Plywood is far more expensive. Good, cheap, fast: pick any two. For the price, particle board is good.
dsfyu404ed 4y ago
>Great, let's see you make something that way that ships in a flat box, and which some idiot can put together with pictogram instructions using no tools except a screwdriver for turning cam-lock fasteners. You've clearly never dealt with old furniture. Tables, chairs and beds used to be and some still are packaged and assembled in this manner. Granted they used threaded inserts instead of cam-lock stuff.
ipcress_file 4y ago
IKEA used to ship solid wood products -- and laminated pine-strip items too -- in flat boxes. Back in the 90s, I bought a solid wood bookshelf and a laminated pine strip coffee table from them. They were structurally sound and very durable. In fact, a couple of years ago, I repurposed the bookshelf to create a built-in. So it's definitely do-able!
- eropple 4y ago
  They still do this, fwiw. I have a TARVA dresser in my spare room which came unfinished. I used...probably too-expensive (for what it is) gel stain and lacquer on it and it came out pretty nice for a couple evenings' work.