[jee7s]

Originally Posted by KGenson

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1. The bumper rules, specifically the requirement that it be solid "hardwood". I had one rookie team that almost had to run to Home Depot to build all new bumpers because their 1x6 backing was solid pine and not oak. The LRI stepped in and approved their bumpers. I think that just mandating that the backing be solid wood, and not particle board or plywood, would be sufficient.

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As BigJ notes, the rule says plywood or solid robust wood. And, in terms of the application, I think plywood is the preferable material. Unlike a board, the plywood doesn't have a continuous grain so it's less likely to split on impact. Oak is way too expensive a material to mandate team use. I'd be interested to know who got the interpretation that it needed to be a hard (like oak, mahogany, walnut, etc) wood. Save that stuff for your nice tables at home and use plywood or OSB on the robot. IMHO.