I'm an old dog trying to learn a new trick. I've always used L girder construction now for my garage sized project I want to go with dominoes. I plan on using 3/4 birch ripped into 3" strips for the frame and legs, but I wonder about using butt joints with screws or nails going into the edge of the plywood. For some reason it seems weak, even if I reinforced it with wood glue where possible.

Am I missing something obvious, or am I worrying needlessly? Also what size screws work best in this case, or can I just use me nail gun and glue?

I am starting the design of a new layout.  mostly around the walls but there will be two 'enlarged peninsulas '  for lack of a better term.   These areas will form a large roughly U shape out from the walls.   I want the benchwork to be free standing, but not module type boxes so I can free form the geometry.   I also don't want the typical four legs supporting each section.   The peninsula would be up to 10 foot across, but be open in the middle as the modeled area would be around 10-16 inches deep.

Starting construction on a new layout. I've always used plywood or homasote top over conventional lumber framing, but I'm wondering if I should adopt plywood for the framing this time.

For years I found it very frustrating trying to get the most out of a sheet of plywood when cutting curves for use as sub roadbed. As a result, I came up with a method that has worked very well for me over the years. It allows you to use virtually any size piece of plywood scrap of the same thickness for any curve that you need. It requires some basic wood working skills and the fabrication of a simple jig for laying out the pieces. I wanted to pass it on in the hope that some people will find it useful.

Geoff A