We are using Tung oil to finish a cabinet made using beech plywood.
It is the type that has a very thin layer of wood followed with a
layer of MDF to make it smooth. It looks great for a surface, but it
seems like the is next to nothing for penetration of the finish. We
hve used tung oil in the past and been very happy with it but that was
on the "old style" plywood. I would like to know what others have done
with this type of plywood.

Al

On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:46:47 -0800 (PST), Al Holstein
wrote:

We are using Tung oil to finish a cabinet made using beech plywood.
It is the type that has a very thin layer of wood followed with a
layer of MDF to make it smooth. It looks great for a surface, but it
seems like the is next to nothing for penetration of the finish. We
hve used tung oil in the past and been very happy with it but that was
on the "old style" plywood. I would like to know what others have done
with this type of plywood.

Al

....sounds like you've got cabinet-grade ply. Let 'er rip.
You should be able to stain and finish with any standard product...

cg

On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:46:47 -0800 (PST), Al Holstein
wrote:

We are using Tung oil to finish a cabinet made using beech plywood.
It is the type that has a very thin layer of wood followed with a
layer of MDF to make it smooth. It looks great for a surface, but it
seems like the is next to nothing for penetration of the finish. We
hve used tung oil in the past and been very happy with it but that was
on the "old style" plywood. I would like to know what others have done
with this type of plywood.

Al

....oops, didn't process the "MDF" part...but the "ply" should still be
finishable with standard products, think veneer...just watch the
sanding, be careful!

cg

There are veneer core and mdf core types of sheet goods. The most
common is of course veneer core. The mdf core has some advantages in
flatness but has fallen a little bit out of fashion since it was first
making headway in cabinet shops. You can finish it exactly the same as
veneer core. Both sytles nowadays have a super thin face sheet but
will stain and finish the same.

Keep in mind if you are constructing boxes from mdf core you will want
to get setup to use "conformant" screws. These are a specialized type
of threading (really fat screws) and require a little different
predrilling to make sure you get enough grab in the MDF and minimize
the mushrooming effect when screwing together.

On Feb 21, 6:46*pm, Al Holstein wrote:
We are using Tung oil to finish a cabinet made using beech plywood.
It is the type that has a very thin layer of wood followed with a
layer of MDF to make it smooth. *It looks great for a surface, but it
seems like the is next to nothing for penetration of the finish. *We
hve used tung oil in the past and been very happy with it but that was
on the "old style" plywood. I would like to know what others have done
with this type of plywood.

Al