Dan White wrote:
I know, a basic question. I'm not much of a woodworker, but was
curious
about when plywood started to be accepted in high end furniture
making
(assuming it is). Now I guess guys like Duncan Pfyfe and Lannuier
used
veneers (I think) but I don't think they used plywood. Did they just
select
the best boards they could find? As a layman I always thought
plywood was
cheap crap made to look like the real thing, but now I see it appears
that
plywood is preferred to solid board, or is that just due to cost and
stability of the wood?

If money and supply were no option, as it shouldn't be on high end
stuff,
would you still prefer a plywood veneer?

thanks,
dwhite

Hi Dan,
In my business our furniture is constructed out of the real deal.
About the only place we'll use plywood is in the backs of large
dressers or the base of a china cabinet where it won't be
seen...basically only to lighten the load. There is no shortage of
lumber for me, though. I think a lot of "high end" furniture companies
use plywood simply because they can. Most of their customers can't
tell the difference anyway. I have people come into our store all the
time and expect to custom order a piece at wal-mart prices and gawk at
the price tags. Of course there those who appreciate quality and can't
believe how inexpensive the stuff is....those are the guys in to buy
lumber to build their own. Jana