Timber & Timberframe
“It’s also important to us that SMARTPLY
is a local Irish manufacturer and
brand. As a company they’re a big local
employer and their ethos of supporting
their community reflects our own.”
Why SMARTPLY OSB?
“The members may want to learn
joinery when they come here; they also
may not,” said Frank. “The point of
getting them all to participate in joinery
as a group is that it’s an activity where
they work with their hands, where they
will need to communicate with one
another to make a group project work.
New skills are learned along the way.
“SMARTPLY OSB has helped us
bring the team together in that it’s a
strong, structural material that is both
hardwearing and cost effective for the
members to practice with. SMARTPLY
OSB is a strong, quality material and
being very close to the SMARTPLY
factory here in Waterford, we are luckily
able to source more directly from
SMARTPLY fairly regularly.
SMARTPLY OSB has also proven
ideal for this application in that it
is manufactured with zero added
formaldehyde, making it one of the
safest OSB panels to cut and work with
by hand, and is sustainably produced.
Life after the Shed
After 30 hours participation in the Shed
activities, Frank and his management
team are able to better understand
members’ abilities, their interests and
what they find challenging. “After getting
to know the members, we are able to use
our connections within the community
to secure appropriate work-based courses
for them in their chosen trades, or tutors
to teach programming, MS Office and
computerised accounts. In the past,
members have studied anything from
forklift operation, barista training and
hairdressing to painting and decorating,
photography and horticulture.”
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Find out more about SMARTPLY
OSB here: mdfosb.com/en/smartply/
products/smartply-osb3
Keep up with the New
Community Med’s Shed on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
waterfordcitymensshed
To keep up with a growing demand
for computer-based training, the
New Community Men’s Shed is
searching for donations of working
used laptops. Be in touch with
Frank if you have items to donate:
[email protected]