Its never too early to ask for advice ^_^

[perfectinsanity]

Hey All........
SO much inspiration this year out on the playa.
This year was the first year my camp and I made an art car....
Next year.....I want it to be my first year making art for the open playa
I want to make two big ass gates
The gate of enlightenment
and
the gate of befuddlement

I am thinking *very large* for this project. I dont have a lot of experience working large scale...so I will be making a series of gate's throughout the year to help me learn and master the techniques. I'm going to post a sketch tomorrow, as all my technology seems to be not working so well post playa...
The first gate that I am making will be about 12 feet tall....not sure how wide yet...maybe around 8 feet. My goal is to have it finished in time for an event I am working on October 8th.

I was just wondering........
Is it possible to get sheets of plywood larger than 4x8 in the SF bay area?
Also.....I am somewhat new to the forums and I was wondering when they are updated for 2012
aaaaaannnnnnnnnddddddddd
Did anyone hear anything about the theme for next year? I thought that is usually announced after the man burns but I have not heard anytime or read anything online.....

[Bob]

...Is it possible to get sheets of plywood larger than 4x8 in the SF bay area?...

Try an area phone book. The one with yellow pages, made of paper. Under "Plywood".

I use Western Plywood in the Mission, they have ten foot sheets of cabinet ply, not sure what you had in mind or where exactly you are. Larger lumber yards would have exterior ply. Priming & painting or otherwise sealing the ply from the weather helps.

[andy]

It's not just hard to get larger sheets, it's very hard to transport them.

Best bet is probably a lumber store - not a hardware store like Home Depot.

If I were you I would consider using smaller pieces and hinge & bold them together. You can accordion hinge pieces together and then apply a locking pin (you might be able to combine two metal cable clamps and a hing pin or bolt to accomplsh this) There will be a little set-up time but much easier to transport.

[trilobyte]

I think the term 'sheet of plywood' refers to a 4x8 piece (it's a unit of measurement). Anything larger isn't actually a sheet of plywood, and if available would be a custom order. That doesn't mean you can't get it - as has been suggested, go to a lumber yard and check. You may actually need to get in touch with a mill (most commercial lumber yards aren't actually making the plywood, they're ordering stock from the mill).

Also, as Andy mentioned, transportation could be an issue. It's still early on in your design phase - for the sake of logistics you may want to consider the idea of making your big art out of smaller pieces - much easier (and less expensive) to work with materials that start in a standard size, and then assemble into the size and scale you want.

[perfectinsanity]

Thanks so much all ^_^
Yeah I was thinking something like two ten foot tall pieces and then a smaller piece for the top part.....
Yeah transportation sucks although I can zipcar a truck and one of my friends has graciously donated his back yard for the project
once I achieve scanner activation i'll post some pictures

And will for sure pull a mission to western plywood....
yaaay too much excitement

[Bob]

Ten foot sheets of hardware veneer ply up to 3/4 thick are common at plywood suppliers around Frisco for remodeling in old Victorians, among other reasons.

Larger lumber yards might carry ten foot sheets, but it's usually fir ply for exterior sheathing, which might be less suitable for cutting scrollwork.