Ping Pong Paddle Safety Project

Wood Sustainability

2 types of wood were used in the creation of this paddle: Poplar Wood and Mahogany. What are the differences, pros and cons, and sustainability of both wood types?

Poplar Wood

Tree Information: Poplar is a tree native to the Northern Hemisphere, more specifically the North American Continent. Poplar is a soft tree that can grow to anywhere between 90-200 feet depending on the species.
Material Pros and Cons:
1. Pros:
  1. Easy and nice to work with, even for more advanced users.
  2. Good wood to allow for new woodworkers to improve their skills.
  3. Can be sustainably produced.
  4. Very light.
2. Cons:
  1. Risks tearing, denting and scratching.
Modern Implementations: Used in larger scale woodworking such as furniture and other appliances, with other applications in small scale products such as chopsticks, matches, and various medical tools.
Costs: Poplar is a relatively cheap wood type, ranging from $3.5-$10 per board foot.
Environmental Sustainability: The industrial production of poplar wood is relatively sustainable due to poplar tree's property of high carbon sequestration potential and the light weight of transporting poplar.

Mahogany Wood

Tree Information: Poplar is a tree native to the South American continent which most commonly grows from 40-50 feet in height, that can reach 70 feet in height.
Material Pros and Cons:
1. Pros:
  1. Mahogany is a decently durable wood type.
  2. Mahogany has very stable structure.
2. Cons:
  1. Sometimes produces from unsustainable sources.
  2. Heavy.
  3. Expensive.
Modern Implementations: Used in large scale woodworking projects such as paneling, furniture, boats, as well as other more intricate woodworking projects such as musical instruments.
Costs: Mahogany is a relatively expensive wood type, ranging from $8.6-$13 per board foot.
Environmental Sustainability: The industrial production of mahogany wood can be relatively sustainable because of its carbon sequestration abilities and long product life. However, it is important to understand that not all sources of mahogany production are sustainable, as illegal logging and monocropping are also other ways to large scale produce mahogany wood.

Forest Stewardship Council - FSC

Forest Stewardship Council Mission Statement: "The Forest Stewardship Council mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world's forests. Our vision is that we can meet our current needs for forest products without compromising the health of the world's forests for future generations."

The Forest Stewardship Council aims to protect the natural beauty of biodiversity and natural habitats for future generations of humans and animals alike.

UN SDG #6

Many tree types including Poplar are a natural way of filtering water in natural environments

UN SDG #11

Sustainable wood sourcing promotes environmentally sustainable production and consumption of wooden products.

UN SDG #9

Sustainable wood sourcing promotes proper industry practices to create high quality timber and lumber products.

UN SDG #13

Sustainable wood sourcing promotes industrial practices that align with protecting and conserving the global climate.

UN SDG #11

Sustainable wood sourcing promotes sustainable construction practices and reduces environmental impacts of urbanization.

UN SDG #15

Sustainable wood sourcing allows for the conservation of natural habitats, allowing for increased biodiversity in areas with potential for deforestation and lumber harvesting.

Creation Process

Steps:

Material Gathering: Gathering the necessary materials for construction of the paddle.
1. Using a miter saw, cut a piece of 8"x12" wood from recycled poplar with mahogany veneers, which should measure to 0.22" thick. This is going to be used for the main paddle body.
2. Using a box miter saw, cut a piece of 0.75" thick maple plywood, cut a piece of 4" long plywood. This is going to be used for the handle attached to the paddle body.
3. Using a band saw, cut 2 1" long segments of a 0.375" thick wooden dowel. These are going to be used to secure the handle of the paddle together later, along with Titebond 2 wood glue.
Digital Design: Designing the paddle on a digital platform.
1. Using the online based CAD tool OnShape, design a paddle which will feel comfortable in the user's hand and fits comfortably on the 8"x12" wood plank.
2. Using the online based CAD tool OnShape, create an intricate design on the paddle body and personalize it so it fits the user specifically.
3. Export the design as a .DWG file and move onto a USB memory stick.
Fabrication: Final physical assembly and results.
1. Laser cut the paddle body from the 8"x12" piece of mahogany and poplar cut on the miter saw earlier.
2. The belt sander, bevel the front of the handle side pieces down to a 45 degree angle on one side.
3. Glue the sides of the handle onto the main paddle body with Titebond 2 wood glue, and clamp them together to dry for 2 days.
4. Using the drill press and hand drill, drill two holes an inch apart on the vertical middle line of symmetry on the handle body using a 3/8" drill bit.
5. Hammer the wooden dowels into the two holes drilled out.
6. Use a Japanese Hand Saw to file down excess dowel off the handle body.
7. Use belt sander and circle sander to sand down the handle shape until the general shape feels comfortable in the users hand (it is still rough).
8. Use different grits of sand paper increasing from 80 grit to 2000 grit (progressive increase), sand down the handle of the paddle until the texture is smooth and comfortable for the user.
9. Stain the paddle body to finish up the process.
10. The process to build the paddle is finished and the user should have a comfortable paddle with a personal design engraved.

Design on OnShape

Using the online/digital sketching tool OnShape, we designed and dimensioned our own custom ping-pong paddles.

Miter Saw

Using the Sliding Miter Saw, we cut out an 8"x12" piece of wood.

8x12 Wooden Plank

Laser Cutter

Using this Laser Cutter, we uploaded our digital designs (made on OnShape) to Adobe Illustrator on the computers used for the Laser Cutters.

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Laser Cutter (Cutting and Engraving)

Miter Box Saw

Using the Miter Box Saw, we cut off four inch wooden handles (displayed later) to be attached on the side of our paddle handles (for ease of use and comfortability).

Belt Sander

Using the Belt Sander, we angled the platform in a deficit of 45˚ and used it to slope the front of our paddle handles (for both aesthetic purposes and for comfort and ease of use).

Wooden Handles

Display of the Wooden Handles mentioned previously.

Clamps

Using Clamps and Glue, we attached our side handles to our main paddle body, creating a solid handle base, which stability will be improved on later.

Drill Press

Using the Drill Press, we cut one of two holes of the correct diameter into our paddle handles to later insert wooden dowels (displayed later).

Hand Drill

Using the Hand Drill, we cut the second of two holes of the correct diameter into our paddle handles to later insert wooden dowels (displayed later).

Band Saw

Using the Band Saw, we cut wooden dowels one inch in length for insertion into our paddle handle to further increase structural strength and stability.

Dowels

Display of Wooden Dowels mentioned above.

Hammer

Using the Hammer, we inserted the wooden dowels into our paddle handles (in the holes cut previously), until they were snug and ran through the entire handle.

Japanese Hand Saw

Using the Japanese Hand Saw, we trimmed the excess dowel off the handle body, creating a dowel length that somewhat matched the paddle handle thickness.

Belt Sander (Again)

Using the Belt Sander, we sanded down the excess dowel that we couldn't safely remove from the handle body and shaped our handle body to the most comfortable and aesthetic shape.

Circle Sander

Using the Circle Sander, we sanded down the excess dowel that we couldn't safely remove from the handle body and shaped our handle body to the most comfortable and aesthetic shape.

Sand Paper

Using the Sand Paper, we sanded the handle and paddle body down tto a comfortable paddle handle, not too rough but has enough grip for proper use in gameplay.

Staining

Using gloves and WATCO Wipe-On-Polish, we stained the paddle body and handle. This is the final step in completing the paddle.

Results

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