Scaffolding Planks

[Hickorystick]

I've got a few old scaffold planks in my garage and I sliced the end off one and cleaned it up and the wood seemed fairly hard and dense and I wondered if anyone had tried making anything with them - eg. A simple rustic bookcase or coffee table that might take a wax or paint finish ? - or is this type of timber no good ?

 

[oakfield]

If you google scaffold furniture you will find LOTS of images of prices made from scaffold boards, both old and new.
I use them sometimes. They are a good source of decent sized, cheap wood.
They are made from fast grown, knotty timber, but if you are going for a rustic look they can work very well.

 

[Baldhead]

I've seen lots of things made with pallets so why not scaffold planks! Go for it, and post the finished items here.
One word of warning though, wire brush the planks first to get rid of any crud, then go over with a good quality metal detector before you touch them with any tools, scaffold planks are well known to have nails in them.

HTH

Baldhead

 

[paulm]

I made a large garden picnic table/bench from old scaffold planks and roofing joists about 15 years ago, treated once with clear cuprinol wood preserver, only now starting to rot.

Would probably clean up well enough with a belt and random orbital sander for some rustic indoor use too.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Mar_mite]

They are horrible wood. I was asked to make a dining table out of them. After putting one through the thicknesser I told the guy I wouldn't do it. I think they would look ok outside. I've built decking from them and it looked great.

 

[Scottdimelow]

I used some for my industrial themed kitchen, not much done to them really. I just knocked the roughness off with the sander and applied 4 coats of waterbased varnish. The look is just what I wanted, I like all the saw marks and dinks.

I bought redwood planks, but you can get white too. Not sure how much difference there is.

 

[d c]

last month i made a tv unit for my son using reclaimed joists for the frame and scaffold boards for the shelves. it was 2 boards deep, i cleaned the mating edges then glued and cramped them. once dry hand planed and belt sanded them to reduce the cupping. once assembled (glued, screwed and plugged) i briwaxed the whole unit. it turned out well, a nice rustic look.
a month on and where the top joins the sides the boards have moved due to the central heating.

 

[Hickorystick]

Really like your shelving - the mix of planks, pipe and stone under that lighting works for me !
8)

 

[Mar_mite]

Really like your shelving - the mix of planks, pipe and stone under that lighting works for me !
8)

+1. It looks really good against the stone. Very industrial.

 

[custard]

I was looking at a new kitchen recently where the price (just for the fitting of the kitchen, not the extension build) was £170k. Some of the walls were clad in scaffolding planks that had been wire brushed to open up the grain still further and then painted in the, inevitable, Farrow & Ball.

Personally I thought it looked rougher than a bear's backside, but hey ho, if that's what the customer wants.

 

[Scottdimelow]

Cheers guys, I'm really happy with them. The top two have a slight cup but it adds to the 'character'