Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Really nice, Yvan!
Regarding the comment about weight... there may be other choices of woods that will provide beauty and strength, but with lighter weight. Bamboo can be very attractive, and it's a very renewable resource!
Also, I realize your forte may be woodworking, but perhaps composite materials could also provide a nice shell. I've heard a lot in the last decade about creating faux-wood objects using crushed walnut shells mixed in a paste (of what, I don't remember). Advantages are, you're recycling waste walnut shells, not chopping down trees (not that that's really at issue here), you're working with molds instead of shaping wood, and variations in the mix can result in different "wood" appearances and textures.
Just throwing that out...
|
Good comments Steve.
First, as an environmently concious person I have Bamboo in high regard. Unfortunately it can not be used in such a project because of size. It has to be laminated and there are stability issues.
Second, plastics are the only materials rigid and light enough to replace woods. A plastic box could be quite nice.
Third, composites are much heavyer than woods because of density, all these crushed particles are responsible. Wood is an organized structure of empty cells formerly filled with water and liquid nutrients, they keep their shape after drying. The worst thing in composites is the glue that binds things, it is made of urea formaldehyde which is very toxic. Think it over when you buy something made of MDF or presswood. If they could be made in a better way I'd be the first to use them. But this is not the place to discuss such things!
