Who can cut a 4'x2' sheet of wood to custom, simple shape.

November 28, 2011 5:26 PM

I need to get a piece of 1" thick, 48"x24" wood cut to a simple pattern. The supplier should accept credit cards and be able to ship. Where can I email this pattern to and have the work done?

I'd do it myself if I had the time or tools. It needn't be super cheap but must be done RIGHT and delivered within a week. Aesthetics unimportant it is for a lab benchtop in a "nook". As long as the wood is sturdy and can be treated with varnish.

posted by lalochezia to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

Someone on Craigslist will do that for you in about 10 minutes. Post in the services section.
posted by fshgrl at 5:33 PM on November 28, 2011

Is 3/4" ok? That's a normal thickness of plywood, which is what you're going to get. Shipping is going to much more expensive than materials or labor. Are you in a reasonably-sized city? I would put out a call on CL for someone with a bandsaw, or even a jigsaw. Hell, you could buy the plywood AND a cheap jigsaw for less than it would cost to ship the thing.
posted by supercres at 5:34 PM on November 28, 2011

Maybe emachineshop.com does wood these days, if you can't or don't want to find someone local.
posted by Brian Puccio at 5:35 PM on November 28, 2011

I often check Metafilter Jobs hoping to see a job like this advertised (Seems like most of the jobs are programming, web design, et cetera). This is something I could easily do but the next week is tight. I am sure there are other mefites who could handle it, though.
posted by mlis at 6:18 PM on November 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you were closer I'd make one for you! You could go to a hardware store with your pattern, buy the wood there and ask them to cut it to measure. At my hardware store they charge $1 per cut.
posted by ddaavviidd at 6:39 PM on November 28, 2011

Best answer: Check out Ponoko.

They're aimed at consumer/one-off work like this. You email your art to their wood router or laser cutter (or 3d printer!) select your materials, and they mail you the finished pieces.
posted by -harlequin- at 6:40 PM on November 28, 2011

Unless I'm misreading something, your pattern doesn't appear to be square -- the vertical measurements on the left side (8.25+4.5+4.25+6.5) add up to 23.5, and the vertical measurements on the right side (20.5+2) add up to 22.5 -- is something else meant to be indicated by the red 6.5, or is there an error in there somewhere?
posted by brainmouse at 7:12 PM on November 28, 2011

Not strictly germane to your question, but is this going in a corner by any chance? Be advised that walls are very often very slightly out of square, so you're left with maybe a half inch gap in places. The only way to correct for this is to scribe your platform and compensate for any un-straightness or un-squareness. Then again, I guess that falls under aesthetic concerns.

Finding a local amateur woodworker to talk about this with (especially one with cabinetry experience) is probably the way to go. Bring pictures if you can't bring him/her to the site.
posted by supercres at 7:18 PM on November 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

I agree with supercres; hire a local woodworker to help you out with this project. From your drawing and question I don't think you're sure enough of what you need to be able to order this at a distance, online or otherwise. I'm sure you could correct the drawing for the not-square problem that brainmouse observed, send it off and get something back, but that something may not be useable even if it matches your drawing perfectly.
posted by jon1270 at 3:29 AM on November 29, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I've marked Ponoko as a best answer because I need to be able to do this as quickly as possible, w-o traipsing locally - and need to pay by credit card quickly. If I had time I'd use a local artisan or craigslist or mefijobs.

. I've prototyped the shape that fits on a piece of foam core - it's that item where the measurements come from, so this takes into account the "squaring" of the wall.

Re measurements: thanks for spotting that! I will check again, but maybe the right vertical side is a little longer than the left. I may take an inch off....
posted by lalochezia at 6:14 AM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Also: if ponoko doesn't work, then I'll go the woodworker route....
posted by lalochezia at 6:15 AM on November 29, 2011

lalochezia, when I have had to cut flooring to an odd shape, I make a paper pattern (taping together pieces of 8.5" x 11" copier paper on top of the surface to be floored). I know you're in a hurry, but it might not be a bad back-up plan to send a paper pattern, just to make sure what you're asking for in your image is what's going to be cut.
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:03 AM on November 29, 2011

I've prototyped the shape that fits on a piece of foam core - it's that item where the measurements come from, so this takes into account the "squaring" of the wall.

Even if the lengths of all the sides are correct, the angles can still be off unless the shape in question is triangular.
posted by jon1270 at 8:27 AM on November 29, 2011

If your measurements are right you'll need to include a few diagonal measurements in order for the shop to cut out what you actually need. Also If you have any 90 degree corners I'd indicate those.
posted by Mitheral at 8:53 PM on November 29, 2011

Response by poster: Ponoko did the job great. Got it in the mail a couple of weeks ago (a little longer than intended! 2 weeks rather than 1) but it was perfect.
posted by lalochezia at 7:51 PM on December 30, 2011