Help me obtain a discontinued item
March 19, 2018 12:26 PM Subscribe
I need a discontinued wood thing. A few of them. They’d be easy to make, but not by me. So how do I obtain them?
My life would be much improved if I had 4 IKEA Nornas shelf inserts. They are discontinued.
1. Where else should I look to buy them? (Nothing on Craigslist, eBay, or Etsy) I’m in an east coast US city.
2. If they cannot be bought, how do I get someone to make a few cuts in wood and recreate them? I’m in an urban environment with no saw. How much would this cost?
There are tutorials all over the place to make these. Cut wood, cut notches in wood, create an X.
My life would be much improved if I had 4 IKEA Nornas shelf inserts. They are discontinued.
1. Where else should I look to buy them? (Nothing on Craigslist, eBay, or Etsy) I’m in an east coast US city.
2. If they cannot be bought, how do I get someone to make a few cuts in wood and recreate them? I’m in an urban environment with no saw. How much would this cost?
There are tutorials all over the place to make these. Cut wood, cut notches in wood, create an X.
For custom fabrication, the cost would be highly dependent on how nicely finished you want them to look. The material needn't be expensive, and if the maker just had to cut pieces of plywood to size and notch them for the joint, that wouldn't take long at all. If you want them sanded smooth, the edges finished, a couple of coats of polyurethane or similar, etc. then that would drive the price up substantially.
posted by jon1270 at 2:26 PM on March 19, 2018
posted by jon1270 at 2:26 PM on March 19, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks rada - unfortunately the Target/Walmart/BB&B one’s aren’t the right dimensions.
posted by OrangeVelour at 2:44 PM on March 19, 2018
posted by OrangeVelour at 2:44 PM on March 19, 2018
It might help if we knew the dimensions. Those mentioned by rada can easily be modified. Use a straight edge and then saw cut them to the dimensions you want. A small handsaw is not expensive.
posted by JayRwv at 3:11 PM on March 19, 2018
posted by JayRwv at 3:11 PM on March 19, 2018
You could try to find someone to take the job on taskrabbit. If it's something you think you could handle with the right tools, you could look for a makerspace in your area.
posted by gennessee at 3:37 PM on March 19, 2018
posted by gennessee at 3:37 PM on March 19, 2018
I would make them for you, however I'm on the wrong continent. They are pretty simple and could be easily made by someone with a few skills. Talk to local woodworking forums, anything like that.
That said, they will be a lot more expensive than the Ikea version, if the person that makes them charges properly. Ikea bangs out tens of thousands of such things, you want someone to make three. Here I wouldn't charge you much less than $100. Take with a grain of salt, I'm not in the US.
posted by deadwax at 4:27 PM on March 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
That said, they will be a lot more expensive than the Ikea version, if the person that makes them charges properly. Ikea bangs out tens of thousands of such things, you want someone to make three. Here I wouldn't charge you much less than $100. Take with a grain of salt, I'm not in the US.
posted by deadwax at 4:27 PM on March 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I think I have a Nornas shelving unit, and could easily make up a plan for your local makerspace to cut these in 6 mm ply. Depending on the quality of the wood they have available and your preference, you'll have to sand/paint/stain as required.
Very roughly, and if Pinterest is a reliable source of dimensions, each X is made from two sheets of wood 370 × 470 mm (less a bit for corner thickness) with a notch cut down the middle. So you'll need 8 pieces. Cutting and setup time should be less than 30 minutes. You'll likely need to go to a specialist supplier for laser grade ply (most big-box store ply isn't very even and the glue fill can do bad things to a laser cutter), though you won't need the best surface finish. I suspect that this might take a couple of sheets, since American ply comes in funny sizes. This will need a bigger laser cutter than the smallest hobby ones: pretty sure this is too big for a Glowforge.
While I'm likely close by and have ready access to a makerspace and equipment I'm in a different country, so shipping will be too high. The design will be no problem, though.
posted by scruss at 7:37 AM on March 20, 2018
Very roughly, and if Pinterest is a reliable source of dimensions, each X is made from two sheets of wood 370 × 470 mm (less a bit for corner thickness) with a notch cut down the middle. So you'll need 8 pieces. Cutting and setup time should be less than 30 minutes. You'll likely need to go to a specialist supplier for laser grade ply (most big-box store ply isn't very even and the glue fill can do bad things to a laser cutter), though you won't need the best surface finish. I suspect that this might take a couple of sheets, since American ply comes in funny sizes. This will need a bigger laser cutter than the smallest hobby ones: pretty sure this is too big for a Glowforge.
While I'm likely close by and have ready access to a makerspace and equipment I'm in a different country, so shipping will be too high. The design will be no problem, though.
posted by scruss at 7:37 AM on March 20, 2018
Yes, you could do them with a laser cutter, however while I have dealt with lasercut timber before I would not recommend it unless you have a specific reason it cannot be CNC cut. It stinks, is expensive and a pain to cut back and finish over. If you want to go robotic then CNC would be much easier and cheaper, particularly if you are needing to hire a larger machine. (Source: I currently have about $10k of CNC out for production. I would never consider laser.)
That is why I suggested a woodworking club or space. They probably have some form of net presence. Each piece needs to be cut and then have a router run half way up it. That's it. This is not a hard job for someone working entirely analogue.
posted by deadwax at 6:11 PM on March 20, 2018
That is why I suggested a woodworking club or space. They probably have some form of net presence. Each piece needs to be cut and then have a router run half way up it. That's it. This is not a hard job for someone working entirely analogue.
posted by deadwax at 6:11 PM on March 20, 2018
→ It stinks …
aka smells wonderful. The fish-glue ply has a bit of a ponk to it when it's cutting, but it smells great when it's done.
OP: yeah, I've got a Nornas. The nooks measure 335 × 335 × 370 mm. The drawing for 6 mm/¼" ply couldn't be simpler. Copy the following preformatted text to a text file called nornas_divider.svg, and you've got a design to cut:
posted by scruss at 8:26 PM on March 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
aka smells wonderful. The fish-glue ply has a bit of a ponk to it when it's cutting, but it smells great when it's done.
OP: yeah, I've got a Nornas. The nooks measure 335 × 335 × 370 mm. The drawing for 6 mm/¼" ply couldn't be simpler. Copy the following preformatted text to a text file called nornas_divider.svg, and you've got a design to cut:
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="465mm" height="370mm"
viewBox="0 0 465 370">
<path d="M229.075 0v185h6.85V0H465v370H0V0z" fill="none" stroke="#000"
stroke-width=".5" />
</svg>
posted by scruss at 8:26 PM on March 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
« Older Alternatives to sleep study (sleep techs - can you... | What pralines are like Lidl's easter ones? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
x-shaped shelf insert
cross-frame self insert
2-way cube divider
posted by rada at 12:55 PM on March 19, 2018 [3 favorites]