: Have finally decided on the plan I am going to build ... Night Herron.

: Last night I went to the local Home Depot to search out material for the
: stations. I was impressed by the 1/2" Medium Density Fiberboard (used
: for cabinets) since it is smooth, etc. My other choice for the stations
: would be oriented stand board. This is rougher but lighter. What is the
: opion of others.

: For the strong back, I plan on using 4 pieces of OSB 1/2" thick by
: 4" wide and staggering the joints for a 16' strongback. This will
: give me a 2x4 strongback. Have not planned on building a box like Nick's
: book, but believe it will be just as stong and straight.

: Thoughs from fellow builders??

Hi Steve

My advice is: Don't skimp on either project. Stay away from any of the particle board products. The edges will chip away with staples, they are succeptible to any and all moisture and will swell up and fall apart, and they are heavy. The flake board is lighter, but is also apt to warp with moisture and I wouldn't use anything thinner than 5/8" and would recommend 3/4" for strength.

For the beam, I would only use 3/4" D.F plywood, with at least one decent side to do your marking on. It is very strong and will stay straight when put together in your beam. If the sheets are a bit warped lay them on the lawn or other cool, damp surface for a 20 - 30 minutes and they will pretty much flatten out. If you get some warping in the pieces of your beam, screw/nail them together so that the bends are in opposite directions. I built my workbench out of warped plywood using this method and it's perfectly square and flat. Particle board/MDF can't hold it's own weight up for a beam. It will sag and break if not supported in several places

The forms and strongback are two of the most important parts of your boat constuction. If they are straigt and strong, so goes the boat building. If they sag and warp, so goes the ......... well, you know. There have been many folks post on here in the past with problems of warping and sagging and most of it came from the forms or beam they built.

Do yourself a favor and start off strong.....

You will be thankfull in the end. CDX fir plywood isn't usually that much more expensive and certainly worth paying for to get the good straight pieces you want to build your boat on.

I would also recommend building the box/beam as Nick shows in his book. If you just glue/screw/nail them all side to side, most of your strength will be in one direction and you can still get some bend in the other. The box/beam is very strong and will resist warping the most.

Hope that helps!

Rehd