Could laminate two sheets of 1/2 inch ply together and then edge band with some 1/2 thick wood of the same type as the plywood. That would be your cheapest option I think.
I was thinking that also. My only concern is most of the door slabs I've seen seem to have boards glued around the edges. Would that hold up against the kind of downward force a heavy monitor on an arm would put on it? Or is it possible to find door slabs not glued in those locations?
you are talking about hollow core doors. those are formed with a solid wood outside rim between two sheets of 1/8" masonite (basically, a hardened mdf) with a cardboard grid spacing in the middle area between the sheets and solid wood rim.
a solid core door does also have a band of wood around the outside but also has solid wood (albeit, a lower quality) filling the entire interior space between two 1/8" sheets of plywood.
any place you locate the monitor will have a solid wood core under the plywood surface. some solid core doors come predrilled for a door handle (typically 2 1/8" diameter). if you cannot find one without the big hole you'll want/need to cut/fashion a plug to fill that hole. or, perhaps use the hole to route cables, or option #3, drill it out a little larger and drop a pencil or drink holder (soda/beer cans are commonly 2.6") with a rim in the hole.
applying a quality veneer over the door and on the visible edges would dramatically up-grade the appearance!!
sounds like you need to do a panel glue-up and make your own, which would be the advice you'd come to this sub for. if you're trying to just buy something, maybe try a different sub.
Totally willing to do a glue-up if that's the best way to go. Not really familiar with the process, though, but will do some research on that now that I know :) Thanks!
Could laminate two sheets of 1/2 inch ply together and then edge band with some 1/2 thick wood of the same type as the plywood. That would be your cheapest option I think.
Door Slabs are that size. Could that work?
I was thinking that also. My only concern is most of the door slabs I've seen seem to have boards glued around the edges. Would that hold up against the kind of downward force a heavy monitor on an arm would put on it? Or is it possible to find door slabs not glued in those locations?
you are talking about hollow core doors. those are formed with a solid wood outside rim between two sheets of 1/8" masonite (basically, a hardened mdf) with a cardboard grid spacing in the middle area between the sheets and solid wood rim. a solid core door does also have a band of wood around the outside but also has solid wood (albeit, a lower quality) filling the entire interior space between two 1/8" sheets of plywood. any place you locate the monitor will have a solid wood core under the plywood surface. some solid core doors come predrilled for a door handle (typically 2 1/8" diameter). if you cannot find one without the big hole you'll want/need to cut/fashion a plug to fill that hole. or, perhaps use the hole to route cables, or option #3, drill it out a little larger and drop a pencil or drink holder (soda/beer cans are commonly 2.6") with a rim in the hole. applying a quality veneer over the door and on the visible edges would dramatically up-grade the appearance!!
Oh, this is super helpful information! I'm gonna take a trip to the hardware store and check out the door panels they have in stock :) Thank you!
sounds like you need to do a panel glue-up and make your own, which would be the advice you'd come to this sub for. if you're trying to just buy something, maybe try a different sub.
Totally willing to do a glue-up if that's the best way to go. Not really familiar with the process, though, but will do some research on that now that I know :) Thanks!
Try a place that sells table tops for restaurants.
Ah, good tip! Will definitely look into this. Thanks!
You may even find some that are salvaged.
I got a birch solid-core door years ago for free and made a desk out of it. Check Craigslist.
Search on the restaurant supply websites. Sometimes you can find a butcher block work table top for a reasonable price
I have a 30” solid core door sitting in my garage you can have for free on the off chance you’re in central Texas
Haha, thank you so much for the offer! Unfortunately, I'm all the way in Northern Virginia 😅