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I will say this much…. Mianne Benchwork is Awesome!!! I measured this garage a lot! Talked with him and sent plans. Measured tons of times to make sure the information I passed on would allow a great fit of whatever he built. HE NAILED IT!!! Perfect fit!!! Great system for putting it all together. Strong. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND MIANNE BENCHWORK!!!

@Boeingman posted:

So homasote can be routered? Can it be precut on a table saw prior to placement? Thx

I'm suspect you could cut it on the table saw, but for straight cuts, the utility knife works well.  You just make a few passes and you have a clean cut with no mess.  I never actually tried to cut it with the table saw. Most of the Homasote was cut pretty much in place with minimal mess.

I will say that cutting 2" construction foam on the table saw is a bit dicey.   I tried that one day, and while it can be done, it tends to grab, makes for an interesting experience.

Dmestan,

Good question about plywood warping while waiting for paint to dry.

Kilz II, if used in about a 70 degree, low humidity environment, dries really well in about 35 minutes.  Yes, it is a bit tacky, but definitely enough to flip the board over, supported by flat 2x4s or sawhorses underneath, to paint the other side.   You want at heavy coat, but not a sopping wet, dripping coat.  Most plywood coming from the inside of a big box store like Lowes is really dry and really soaks up the paint fast.

The very best environment is in the garage, on a warm spring day, with the garage door open and no direct sunlight on the sheet.

Even if you do get a small amount of lifting at the far edges, once you paint the other side, it will expand and even things up.  And, once you screw it down flat it will stay down flat.

Mannyrock

P.S. Guys:   Some Home Depots still carry 5/8 inch B/C grade plywood, especially in the expensive exterior grade (green stripes on the butt end).

I love 3/4 inch plywood, but the weight per sheet is troublesome when it comes to loading it in the truck and carrying it down to the basement.

I laugh when people claim that paying $50+ a sheet for quality plywood is too expensive, and then they run out and pay that much for a single boxcar.

Mannyrock

A question or maybe a concern about painting 1/2 in. plyboard for use as a underlayment prior to homosole.  I have used  plywood for a bunch of projects both indoors and outdoors, however I have never painted plywood prior to a cut or a build. Always paint or stain after the project is built. Question??  When placing my 1/2 in. plyboard atop my Mianne benchware in a climate controlled room do I need to concern myself about the hassle of getting kitz on it ASAP??

Thanks and my best regards.

Tommy

@Boeingman posted:

So homasote can be routered? Can it be precut on a table saw prior to placement? Thx

It routs beautifully with a new, quality router bit. I routed mine and it was a good thing I was in the garage, a gray blizzard and the bit didn't last long and started to burn the Homasote, went and got a better bit and used a shop vac like in the pic and it worked great.

It cuts really nice on a table saw also, I used a blade designed for fine cutting and fed it slowly.

Even given the mess it can create I'm a life long fan of the stuff!



Jerry

Last edited by baltimoretrainworks
@Mannyrock posted:

P.S. Guys:   Some Home Depots still carry 5/8 inch B/C grade plywood, especially in the expensive exterior grade (green stripes on the butt end).

I love 3/4 inch plywood, but the weight per sheet is troublesome when it comes to loading it in the truck and carrying it down to the basement.

I laugh when people claim that paying $50+ a sheet for quality plywood is too expensive, and then they run out and pay that much for a single boxcar.

Mannyrock

3/4" plywood sheets seem to get heavier each year. 

I agree with your boxcar comment. Remember that purchasing materials for benchwork is a one-time cost. If you build it right, you'll soon forget about what you spent.  A lot of the materials can be salvaged and reused on your next layout.

But don't overbuild - good enough is good enough.

the beeman,

Yes, you do need to worry about getting the B/C plywood painted with Kilz very fast.  The plywood sheet does not bend upwards on the ends just because of humidity.  It does this even in a climate -controlled environment, like the Big Box Stores.

It bends because the top and bottom of the sheet do not dry at the same rate. The top dries more quickly and contracts.  As some will tell you, this can happen just overnight.  And, if you leave it out in the sun, it will bend up in two hours.

If you can't promptly paint it, then lay it down flat on a clean dry surface, out of the sun, and put some good weights along the entire length of the butt edges.   I use tool boxes or boxes of books etc.  This will keep it flat.  I have kept it flat like this for a week or two with no problems.  (If your floor is damp, though, forget it.). 

Painting it is really super easy.  Get a cheap nylon 4 inch paint brush and just go to work.  Takes about 5 minutes to paint a side, and about 45 minutes for it to dry.  I put an old blanket on the floor, put a few 2x4s flat on top of it, lay the plywood on the 2x4s to keep it off the blanket, and paint the first side and the edges all at once.

My understanding is that cabinet grade and birch plywood do not have this issue, though I have never used them.

Mannyrock

Not sure where all this concern over bending, warping and painting of plywood sheathing is coming from.

I laid 15/32" medium grade unpainted plywood over a frame of 2X4 outside framing and 1X4 interior bracing 16" on center. The plywood was attached hump side facing the ceiling, first with construction adhesive on the framing and then with drywall screws every 8" starting in the center and working out towards the ends (about 50 screws). That plywood is not moving a nanometer.

1" rigid foam was then glued over the plywood with more construction adhesive and weights (books, tools, lumber, etc.) added on top until dry.

All this in a northeast basement. 

Richie,

I agree, that if you get the plywood down on the frame fairly quickly, with plenty of first-rate construction adhesive underneath, and screw it down tight every 8 inches, you probably don't need to worry about priming it.  But, if a hump or a curl is big enough, it is really hard to do, especially if it is 3/4 inch plywood.   And, if you lay a humped or curled sheet down on the adhesive covered framework, and then have to flatten it out as you go, then that pushes and squeezes the adhesive out everywhere.

Back in the old days, when I was using this method to put down plywood flooring on joists, I just made my wife sit in the middle of the sheet until I was done.

Course today, that would be called "spousal abuse"!  (Just cuz she got woozy from the fumes now and then.)

Priming the plywood quickly lets you take your time in completing the table.

Mannyrock

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