# Tell me what to make with three half-sheets of ply **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453 "2007-11-06T19:43:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/1 "2007-11-06T19:43:18Z")
I’ve got three sheets of plywood - each about four feet square and one quarter inch thick. It’s not particularly great quality - certainly not a good exterior grade and it might have a few voids. What should I make? (not another boat) ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/2 "2007-11-06T19:51:29Z")
a triangle 4’ deep and √6 high? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/3 "2007-11-06T19:52:51Z")
Cut one in half. Make doggie A-frame shade widget. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/4 "2007-11-06T20:16:55Z")
300 Ninja Stars ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/5 "2007-11-06T20:22:47Z")
If you can’t figure something out after looking at [this listing](http://www.google.com/custom?domains=www.makezine.com%3Bwww.craftzine.com&q=plywood&sitesearch=www.makezine.com&client=pub-1711976718738240&forid=1&channel=8892213924&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&flav=0000&sig=pKjZzpenr7cuklTR&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23FFFFFF%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BLH%3A50%3BLW%3A125%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.makezine.com%2Fimages%2Flogos%2Fmake.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.makezine.com%2F%3BFORID%3A1&hl=en&sa.x=0&sa.y=0), I’m afraid there’s no hope. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/6 "2007-11-06T20:23:43Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] What should I make? [/QUOTE] Hey! How about another … [QUOTE=Mangetout] (not another boat) [/QUOTE] … Never mind ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/7 "2007-11-06T20:23:50Z")
A pair of 6-sided dice, 2’x2’ on a side. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/8 "2007-11-06T20:26:51Z")
One of [these?](http://www.greydragon.org/furniture/chairs/index.html) I’m currently stalled on mine until I get a router. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/9 "2007-11-06T20:29:25Z")
I love those chairs, but they look like they need thicker ply than I have (and I don’t fancy laminating it further). I think I might make one in future though. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/10 "2007-11-06T20:29:39Z")
Pet caskets. Sell them on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/11 "2007-11-06T20:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I love those chairs, but they look like they need thicker ply than I have (and I don’t fancy laminating it further). [/QUOTE] True - I missed the 1/4" bit. You’d need 1/2". ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/12 "2007-11-06T21:37:37Z")
I used to make friends. I had a menagerie of ghoulish companions cut out with a jigsaw and spray painted. The GW with his pants down and a pistol in his hand became a Pin-the-TP-on-the-Republican game at a kiddie party. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/13 "2007-11-06T22:09:45Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] Hey! How about another … … Never mind [/QUOTE] Speaking of which… what happened to your boat? ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/14 "2007-11-07T00:41:36Z")
At least your wood isn’t in [3-inch lengths](http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/finalripoff.htm#String). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/15 "2007-11-07T03:10:23Z")
[QUOTE=BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed] At least your wood isn’t in 3-inch lengths. [/QUOTE] Obligatory gratuitous sex reference here. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/16 "2007-11-07T03:12:22Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I’ve got three sheets of plywood - each about four feet square and one quarter inch thick. It’s not particularly great quality - certainly not a good exterior grade and it might have a few voids. [/QUOTE] Here’s a nosy question: I notice in your post you’re using the old-fashioned English measurements (though I’d be surprised if that’s how the plywood is sold over there). Do you typically think in terms of the English measurements, rather than metric? Anyway, as to what to do with it – quarter-inch is great for making mockups of larger pieces of furniture (or boats) that you might like to build. Because it’s so thin and soft, you can make quick modifications to the design with nothing more than a utility knife. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/17 "2007-11-07T08:25:40Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] Here’s a nosy question: I notice in your post you’re using the old-fashioned English measurements (though I’d be surprised if that’s how the plywood is sold over there). Do you typically think in terms of the English measurements, rather than metric? [/quote] That’s a good question… I’ll try to answer it. Plywood is sold in declared metric dimensions here in the UK, however the board sizes available are usually clearly derived from imperial 4 by 8 foot boards - it’s something like 2440 by 1220 millimetres - in fact it may be that the board is still exactly 4 by 8 feet and those are just approximations for compliance with labelling/selling regulations. (I’ll have to check this) I can work fairly well in either regime, but it tends to be feet and inches where no greater precision than an inch (or a half) is specified - garden structures, simple shelves, gates, etc - for smaller items, especially when subdivision of a length or distance is required, I nearly always work in metric. Occasionally, I work with a messy hybrid of the two systems - notably, when constructing theatrical scenery, there’s a lot of hasty measurement in difficult places, so it’s easier to just plump for whatever is the closest whole unit, so it wouldn’t be at all unusual to specify some item as ‘55in by 85cm’. The reason these are (approximately) 4 foot square boards is that they were used to top pallets - I still think of a standard pallet as ‘40 by 48’. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, being taught both systems at school - my kids aren’t like this though - they know what an inch is, and they know there are twelve of them in a foot, but this is mostly intellectual knowledge - they don’t have a ‘feel’ for it like they do with the metric system. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/18 "2007-11-07T09:05:49Z")
You can make six quarter-sheets of ply… Or some crude but handy boxes for storing all that junk you know you´ll give some use one day but now lays all over the place. You know, that rubbish you are strangely fond of but you can´t get yourself to buy some cabinets to store them. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/19 "2007-11-08T00:59:45Z")
Build an aquarium stand. You will need some 2x4s for the frame, as ply wood won’t support the weight. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453/20 "2007-11-08T05:38:00Z")
Is this wood thick enough for bookshelves? If so, then there’s your answer. Or build bird/bat houses. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-make-with-three-half-sheets-of-ply/425453.md?page=2)