On May 27, 8:54, Paul Koning wrote:
> I have had a particle board bookshelf come apart. The blame was in
> part on incompetent design ("scandinavian design" pretty looking
> stuff) -- the shelf was "supported" on a groove milled in the edge.
> That means the load was carried on less than half the thickness of
the
> shelf.
Presumably it sagged, and the ends came away from the sides? I've seen
that happen. Bad design -- either an inappropriate design for the
material, or an inappropraite material for the design, depending on
your point of view :-)
I think US building rules say that particle board (or its various
> analogs, such as OSB -- I still call that particle board) are not
> allowed for load bearing applications such as floors. Those must be
> plywood. And personally I view any house built with particle board
> *anywhere* (even where it's permitted) as cheap construction.
>
> So I'd say that you should never use particle board to carry loads.
Manufacturers of computer room raised floors will disagree with that --
all the high-load ones I've ever coma across are made of particle board
(usually with a very thin metal cladding, which is to protect against
moisture and impacts, and to provide electrical continuity). Of
course, these are 35mm-45mm thick, not 15mm-18mm.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
Received on Thu May 27 2004 - 15:14:10 BST