Raised beds

Sorry, I was wrong about that. - the last time I was around an English scaffold board was 1990's. Here when ever I rent scaffold the walk boards are a laminate like these - or aluminum with a plywood face. I looked into it and find that rental places like the composite ones because they are not used by professionals all the time so are less prone to error in use. I have rented a lot of scaffold and just assumed they were industry standard. The rule here is that solid wood scaffolding be inspected and passed as suitable for that - and probably is what the pro's use. (google) (I have lifted and held houses off the ground with scaffolding, and general small jobs many times, and industrial use)

My father laid a beautiful floor of old scaffold boards in London many years ago.

The last ones I rented were different from plywood with the layers being tapered sheets, alternating, like extremely long and thin wedges glued together - I would guess 8 ply to get 1.5 inches thick. Gluelam beams are also very popular here, I would think in England too.

Also I might be a bit over cautious with construction materials because I worked for years in PCB, mercury, lead, rich construction sites (traveling the South tearing out old fluorescent lighting systems in factories - I think the bit of neural damage I have is from that toxicity - and then years working in renovating old houses with lead paint - which I sanded miles of - I made the bulk of my money throwing steel overhead in the ceilings of factories - sometimes on rolling scaffolding, but aluminum walk boards, and always with lots of mercury about - and very commonly PCBs) (I also have done asbestos removal) Industrial construction is much dirtier chemically that residential.

 

Not a case of being wrong, just a difference between countries

I've used them as a floor in my shed at my allotment, and will use them again for a new shed up at home too.

Many of the beds at my allotment are edged with them.

Steve...