Thread: Periodic Table Display Case

Originally Posted by Euge

A quote from anyone interested would be good.

Euge

"Life wasn't meant to be easy"

dont forget the lanthanides https://www.homesciencetools.com/pro...ble-laminated/ and actinides

According to the lab tech who asked me to make the display case, the lanthanides and actinides are either impossible to obtain, radioactive, toxic or in some other way dangerous. Were I to build a display case for the lanthanides and actinides it would be almost entirely empty.

That may be so, but you're constructing an educational aid, so, for completeness, I would argue that you should include them, even if all the boxes just have a piece of paper with the atomic name, symbol and mass on it.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

... I would argue that you should include them...

You would need to take that argument up with the lab tech Elan. She has asked for a display case without the lanthanides and actinides. I'm merely giving the client what she has asked for.

I hate that clients get to be wrong but manufacturers don't

Update: I have the 9mm MDF sitting in my workshop. I'm now waiting for a 9mm router bit to arrive in the mail.

Originally Posted by jack620

You would need to take that argument up with the lab tech Elan. She has asked for a display case without the lanthanides and actinides. I'm merely giving the client what she has asked for.

I agree, it should be the whole periodic table, even if the rest are just filled out with cards with names, symbols and numbers.

Generally I get along well with lab techs as they are usually very practical, and at work I tended to "hang out" with them whenever I could.
However, lab techs should not be making educational decisions although I can see why it happens because some teachers are too busy or too lazy and leave those decisions to techs.

I don't want to make a big deal about this but between 2010 and 2014 I was the President of the international scientific panel (IUPAC Division of Inorganic Chemistry) that managed the internationally accepted period table. The Panel consisted of about 30 scientists from all over the world and was responsible for keeping the Periodic table up to date with the very latest atomic weights, adding any newly discovered elements and (too much IMHO) in constantly reviewing its shape and organisation. The Committee was asked several times by external groups and parties about its opinion on partial periodic tables and we always recommended it be presented in its entirety. The Periodic table was only a small but important component of what we did.

Originally Posted by jack620

Update: I have the 9mm MDF sitting in my workshop. I'm now waiting for a 9mm router bit to arrive in the mail.

Here in the US we would say, "I'll bet you a nickel that the bit doesn't match the thickness of the plywood." LOL!

(A nickel is $0.05.)


FYI: I was buying 3 sheets of ¾ inch birch cabinet grade plywood. The yard attendant cut the steel bands holding the plywood to the pallet. We discarded the top sheet and loaded the next three sheets in the bed of my pick up truck. After I get home, nothing fits into the dadoes that were cut.

Of the three sheets one was 23/32 inch in thickness, as expected. The 32nd under is the expected norm. One sheet was exactly ¾ inch and the last was 49/64 inch thick or 1/64 inch over. The exact ¾ is something that hasn't happened for 50 years or so. The 1/64 over is something that causes people to call it a day and flavor some ice cubes.

The screaming message is to measure the thickness before use.

Originally Posted by rrich

The screaming message is to measure the thickness before use.

Good advice. Now where's my nickel!?

So my router bit finally arrived. Today I cut all the slots in the MDF. The slotting went well and the slots on each face all line up. The pics show the method. I used spacers as recommended, checking with a tape measure at regular intervals to catch any creeping errors. There were none. The spacer method worked really well.

However, after two weeks of humid weather the MDF is now 9.1mm thick. Compounding the problem, the "9mm" router bit cuts an 8.8mm wide slot. You can keep your nickel rich.

Unless someone has a better idea, tomorrow I'm going to set up my router table to cut the world's smallest rabbet (0.3 x 1.0mm) on the ends of the vertical pieces so they fit into the slots.

I finally got it assembled and undercoated. Top coat will have to wait until the weekend.

Great job.

Sorry to be a PITA but I notice there are 4 full length rows which includes spaces for 72-89 and 104 118 but elements 58 - 71 and 90 - 103 are missing.
Could always add them on as a separate block like like this


1200px-Simple_Periodic_Table_Chart-en.svg.png

Any thoughts about using colours to show the groups etc eg as shown in Wikipedia above ?

Bob,
The missing elements are the lanthanides and actinides we discussed earlier in the tread. I don’t know if the lab tech plans to colour code the boxes. I’ll be supplying it with a gloss white acrylic finish. Colours might be a job for the art department.