I'll try this here!

[Anthony Yakonick]

I want to redo my craft show display. As I grow orlder I'd like the lightest wood possible without losing too much strength. They're currently made from 5 or 6/4 poplar. Also your thoughts on joining the panels as I'm looking for a quick setup and tear down, it's made of 7 open frame panels that are bolted together. I was thinking of bed frame hardware but I'm not sure how that would work on uneven ground

[Norman Hitt]

Anthony, I have made quick Disconnect displays that really worked out well, and were probably less expensive than the bedframe connectors, and make a very solid connection. Just clamp the panels together to hold them in place and then on the backside, install a hinge close to the top and the bottom of the panel joints. You will then need to grind off the "Flared End" of the hinge pins at the bottom of the hinges so you can use a punch to knock them out of the hinges, then run a drill bit through the hinge barrels that is just slightly larger in diameter than the hinge pins, and that will let you install and remove the pins easily for setup/knockdown. If you have tall panels, you might want to add another hinge about midway between the other two hinges. If you can find hinges with removeable hinge pins, it will save the hinge modification work, but I normally can't find any that are the proper size when I need them.

[Jamie Buxton]

For extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, look into torsion boxes. Airplane designers use essentially the same technique because of this characteristic.

For hardware, look into stuff generally called RTA (ready to assemble) or KD (knock-down). It is intended for furniture which is shipped and sold flat, and assembled by the homeowner. www.rockler.com, www.leevalley.com, and www.wwhardware.com are some sources.

For those shelves, you might consider hinging them on to the support structure, with stops or chains to hold them in the open position.