Thread: No warp timber!!

If you mean the type of shelf that slides onto a set of pipes on the wall, with no visible support, it is laminate, covering a substrate of CARDBOARD (believe it or not) and is not timber at all. It is what we call a torsion box, which allows you to make a thick and rigid panel from very light and thin materials.

For all their furniture of a shelving unit or wardrobe type, they use MDF covered with a laminated foil paper printed to resemble several different wood species. You can buy MDF, it is easily milled, shaped cut, painted, etc, but I don't know about light. The dust is hazardous, so wear a mask when cutting or use dust collection machines.

The best wood product that meets your specs is probably plywood. Dimensionally stable, not too heavy, and comes in wide boards.

being in the UK, you can easily source (maybe not in London though) Oak, light (ish) and if quater swan will stay very straight, and has been used in furiture for 100's of years!!! some of it still being used, and still straight...
If its from IKEA, and IS real timber, they use a lot of beech, and normally small sections all laminated together.

I think there was a good timber guy in Lewisham when I was teaching there... (5 years ago now)

Good luck

Beech, Birch and Spruce from Ikea.

Your best bet in the old country is probably Finnish Birch plywood.

[quote=Lumber Bunker;610279]
If its from IKEA, and IS real timber, they use a lot of beech, and normally small sections all laminated together.


This is correct ( as i have a shed full of the stuff). Most of it is joined on the edge but in large panels it is also joined end to end. It is only glued, no joints. I believe the covering, a type of wax impregnated-polyurathane stuff also holds it together.

Carry Pine

If its from Ikaka who cares a stuff or a royal rats ***
pack of wombles