Dan White wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

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


Out of curiosity, what are the most popular types of wood for
furniture that
you produce?

dwhite

Hi Dan, It depends a little on how you look at it. For locals (IA or
MN) who cusom order furniture, it would be plain sawn red oak, of
course. For either coast, it's qs white oak, hickory, or cherry, and
maple is starting to pick up again quite a bit. In the showroom we
have furniture built out of about every species we cut. The main reason
for that is that it gives people an idea of what different flavors are
available for flooring, etc...I'd have to say that about 8 out of 10
people who come in looking for red oak flooring end up choosing
something different. I'm not a huge fan of red oak, though, so I have a
tendancy to talk people into other species and on more than one
occasion..a mix of 'em all. Jana