Pressed Particle Board Shelving Warning

From: Paul Koning <pkoning_at_equallogic.com>
Date: Fri May 28 07:53:57 2004

>>>>> "Pete" == Pete Turnbull <pete_at_dunnington.u-net.com> writes:

 Pete> 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.

 Pete> Presumably it sagged, and the ends came away from the sides?
 Pete> I've seen that happen. Bad design -- either an inappropriate
 Pete> design for the material, or an inappropraite material for the
 Pete> design, depending on your point of view :-)

No, it split in half. The trouble with that kind of particle board is
that it's very dense on the surface and not so dense in the middle, so
the middle has very little tensile strength. And it was being loaded
in tension by the brackets and groove construction.

>> So I'd say that you should never use particle board to carry
>> loads.

 Pete> Manufacturers of computer room raised floors will disagree with
 Pete> that -- all the high-load ones I've ever coma across are made
 Pete> of particle board (usually with a very thin metal cladding,
 Pete> which is to protect against moisture and impacts, and to
 Pete> provide electrical continuity). Of course, these are 35mm-45mm
 Pete> thick, not 15mm-18mm.

It's been decades since I've seen a raised floor, but those I remember
looked like they had steel on the bottom as a structural part, not
just as a conductor.

You may be right that it's possible to use particleboard correctly in
load bearing applications. In my experience, even if possible, it's
rare, and I for one will not do it. It's excellent material for
speaker boxes, but for loads I'll use plywood or solid hardwood.

        paul
Received on Fri May 28 2004 - 07:53:57 BST

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