I'm building an "A" frame dolly to hold both full sheets and cutoffs of plywood. I want to know what thickness of plywood would provide enough rigidity for the decking without adding too much weight or wasting material. I'm using scrap wood mainly, with thicknesses ranging from 1/2" to over 3/4". My dolly is 36" wide and 99" long, with 5 spans between the sides that are 23" apart. I'm leaning towards the 3/4" plywood for stiffness, but I'm unsure if 1/2" would be sufficient. Any insights would be much appreciated!
2 Answers
So, given your dimensions, I think 1/2" should work decently if you're not planning to pile on too much weight. Just make sure you have enough braces in place. If you do go with 3/4", it's definitely going to be sturdier but consider how much heavier it’ll be when loaded. 6 casters should help with moving it around regardless, though!
The right thickness really depends on how far apart your supports are. Since you've got 23" between spans, 3/4" might give you the stiffness you need, especially if you’re worried about overloading it. Just keep in mind, if it’s too heavy, moving around could be a hassle, but the extra rigidity could be worth it! If you’re open to it, you could also use a combination, maybe using the 1/2" for the less loaded areas.
Yeah, that makes sense! You don’t want it to buckle under weight, but you also don’t want to make it a workout just to move it around. A mix might balance things out nicely.
Thanks for the input! I appreciate it. I might try a thinner setup and see how it holds up under load.