When I was editing Cool Tools, J. Baldwin recommended a fantastic book on constructing furniture and other things with Grid Beam. I bought the book, but have yet to put it to use, so don’t take my word for it.
From his Cool Tools review:
Grid Beam is a great way to make working prototypes of furniture, experimental vehicles and even small buildings. If your idea doesn’t work, you can change it until it does… A drawing can lie to your client or worse, to you. Grid Beams never lie.
Nice.
It’s like Erector for big kids.
Big kids with a chop saw, but still…
I liked the idea, but seems to require building your own kit. Lots and lots and lots of measuring and drilling holes. Still, a smart idea, and if I had a big enough storage space and continual supply or raw materials, I’d consider starting.
You should really check out the orgins of the idea in ken isaacs book http://popupcity.net/2009/07/free-classic-how-to-build-your-own-living-structures-by-ken-isaacs/
Sounds like all you need is a basic drill press and a bit of effort to make a jig and then you could produce the beams pretty fast. One thing that took me a minute to find is the hole spacing. It should be the same as the width of the beam. So 1″ beam would have 1″ hole spacing (by actual beam dimension…not store labeled size).
I’m not sure I understand the advantage spending the time making the beams to assemble something with somewhat known dimensions. Spending the time involved in drilling all those holes and the possibility for compounding errors throwing the spacing off seems like too much for me. If i could buy pre-made Grid Beams though, now we might have something.
The advantage is that “somewhat known dimensions” are usually wrong, and that when you get bored with whatever you’ve built you can make it into something else. If you have trouble building a jig to space holes, you probably should go ask a parent to help you with the power tools.
@Brandon I belive MHM meant: why drill all the holes in the middle if you know you’re only using the holes at the end of the beams?
@Adam
You drill all of the holes even though you know you’re only using the ones at the end of the beams, because when you get tired of the thing you’ve built, you can take it apart and use all of those holes to build something completely different. Something where you might need to attach beams in the center. Or only 2/3rds of the way to the end. Whatever.
It turns a piece of lumber into a completely reuseable construction set, exactly like a life-size erector set. Build it, use it, take it apart, build something else.