I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

On 11/8/17 5:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!


In my experience, the HD stuff varies by lot. You must inspect and you
can get lucky.
I've gotten some incredible plywood from HD/Lowes for very cheap.
I've also seen horrible, warped, out-of-square crap there.
If you're looking at $75/sheet, you might want to look at plywood with
MDF outer veneers. Best of both worlds and paints up smooth and easy.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/8/2017 5:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!



Most likely the quality if the inner ply's is going to be the price
difference. And or if it is stain quality or simply paint quality.

I would not advise using 5/8", probably strong enough but IMHO not
enough savings to offset the extra effort of dealing with different
thicknesses of wood and plywood.

replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
You'll have to visually inspect them both. Rumor has it that the Lumber Yard
still gets the furniture-grade plywood with a decent veneer thickness, I
haven't found this to be true at 2 of the Lumber Yards around me. HD's
however, is too thin to ever be refinish sanded.

Otherwise, 5/8's is definitely plenty and even too much for the carcass. 3/4
is at best only okay for the shelves, real wood planking would be a vast
improvement. But, if you choose the 3/4, then you should angle iron or
c-channel the front and back edges to avoid the inevitable future sag.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...75-811973-.htm

Iggy m writes:
replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
You'll have to visually inspect them both. Rumor has it that the Lumber Yard
still gets the furniture-grade plywood with a decent veneer thickness, I
haven't found this to be true at 2 of the Lumber Yards around me. HD's
however, is too thin to ever be refinish sanded.

Otherwise, 5/8's is definitely plenty and even too much for the carcass. 3/4
is at best only okay for the shelves, real wood planking would be a vast
improvement. But, if you choose the 3/4, then you should angle iron or
c-channel the front and back edges to avoid the inevitable future sag.

There is so much wrong here, it is difficult to know where to start.

On Wed, 8 Nov 2017 15:45:13 -0800 (PST)
DerbyDad03 wrote:

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something
I've never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8
sheet. Home Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

mdf core is more stable

or go with half inch marine ply

On 11/9/17 8:41 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
Iggy m writes:
replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
You'll have to visually inspect them both. Rumor has it that the Lumber Yard
still gets the furniture-grade plywood with a decent veneer thickness, I
haven't found this to be true at 2 of the Lumber Yards around me. HD's
however, is too thin to ever be refinish sanded.

Otherwise, 5/8's is definitely plenty and even too much for the carcass. 3/4
is at best only okay for the shelves, real wood planking would be a vast
improvement. But, if you choose the 3/4, then you should angle iron or
c-channel the front and back edges to avoid the inevitable future sag.

There is so much wrong here, it is difficult to know where to start.


Exactly. I was about to reply but then I was like, "no, what good would
it do?"


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

replying to Scott Lurndal, Iggy wrote:
I agree, you're what's wrong...as usual.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...75-811973-.htm

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 10:55:11 AM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 8:41 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
Iggy m writes:
replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
You'll have to visually inspect them both. Rumor has it that the Lumber Yard
still gets the furniture-grade plywood with a decent veneer thickness, I
haven't found this to be true at 2 of the Lumber Yards around me. HD's
however, is too thin to ever be refinish sanded.

Otherwise, 5/8's is definitely plenty and even too much for the carcass. 3/4
is at best only okay for the shelves, real wood planking would be a vast
improvement. But, if you choose the 3/4, then you should angle iron or
c-channel the front and back edges to avoid the inevitable future sag.

There is so much wrong here, it is difficult to know where to start.


Exactly. I was about to reply but then I was like, "no, what good would
it do?"


Well, it might help the OP who is trying to learn about birch plywood.

Besides, it'll definitely be fun to watch. ;-)

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:14:08 AM UTC-5, Iggy wrote:
replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
You'll have to visually inspect them both. Rumor has it that the Lumber Yard
still gets the furniture-grade plywood with a decent veneer thickness, I
haven't found this to be true at 2 of the Lumber Yards around me. HD's
however, is too thin to ever be refinish sanded.

Otherwise, 5/8's is definitely plenty and even too much for the carcass. 3/4
is at best only okay for the shelves, real wood planking would be a vast
improvement. But, if you choose the 3/4, then you should angle iron or
c-channel the front and back edges to avoid the inevitable future sag.


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no context left?

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 11:44:05 AM UTC-5, Iggy wrote:
replying to Scott Lurndal, Iggy wrote:
I agree, you're what's wrong...as usual.


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no context left?

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet.
Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

Several things, possibly, singly or in combination...

1. better face veneers. A2 vs D4, eg
2. made in US vs elsewhere
3. better interior veneers, fewer voids, etc.

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Strength wise, yes. But why bother if you are buying 3/4 anyway?
Masochistic?

On 11/9/2017 1:34 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no context left?



This question, which will never be answered to your satisfaction, is
annoying to the rest of us. ;~(

On 11/8/2017 11:25 PM, Leon wrote:
On 11/8/2017 5:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!



Most likely the quality if the inner ply's is going to be the price
difference.Â* And or if it is stain quality or simply paint quality.

I would not advise using 5/8", probably strong enough but IMHO not enough
savings to offset the extra effort of dealing with different thicknesses of
wood and plywood.

If you are going to be painting it, do yourself a favor and check out MDO
plywood. The surface is far smoother than veneer and paints beautifully.
3/4" for the carcase may be overkill since the forces are cross-surface but
it certainly can't hurt. For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be
sufficient if you are actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on
some form of stiffening (or center support).

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be
sufficient if you are actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on
some form of stiffening (or center support).

Agree. I have some white plastic coated bookshelves. Particle board or MDF, not sure. Shelves are 3/4". 30" width. The ones with heavy books in the middle do have noticeable bow. 1/4" bow probably. Noticeable. Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle board or MDF shelves. But strong enough to avoid bowing?

On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree. I have some white plastic coated bookshelves. Particle board
or MDF, not sure. Shelves are 3/4". 30" width. The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow. 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable. Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves. But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases. I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves. They look cheap. They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just *make*
it more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

Leon lcb11211@swbelldotnet wrote in
:

On 11/9/2017 1:34 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no
context left?



This question, which will never be answered to your satisfaction, is
annoying to the rest of us. ;~(

All things considered, I think I'd rather have the context and the poster
restricted to the characters a-z and space.

Puckdropper
--
http://www.puckdroppersplace.us/rec.woodworking
A mini archive of some of rec.woodworking's best and worst!

replying to DerbyDad03, Iggy wrote:
Because, I'm on the new (1995, over 20-years ago) and improved REAL internet
where it's not needed and only useless clutter, instead of some ticker-tape
nonsense. We talk normally, we don't very annoyingly repeat what others said
to us with our every response.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...75-811973-.htm

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 3:17:52 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/8/2017 11:25 PM, Leon wrote:
On 11/8/2017 5:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!



Most likely the quality if the inner ply's is going to be the price
difference.Â* And or if it is stain quality or simply paint quality..

I would not advise using 5/8", probably strong enough but IMHO not enough
savings to offset the extra effort of dealing with different thicknesses of
wood and plywood.

If you are going to be painting it, do yourself a favor and check out MDO
plywood. The surface is far smoother than veneer and paints beautifully.
3/4" for the carcase may be overkill since the forces are cross-surface but
it certainly can't hurt. For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be
sufficient if you are actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on
some form of stiffening (or center support).

It was always my plan to put a hardwood edge on the shelves to hide the core, add
some visual bulk, and to provide stiffening. Form and function. There will be a face
frame too. ;-)

Thanks.

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly. If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs, good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean. Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.

Got it back to operating table, and laid out my cut patterns and wound up using almost all of it, the point being lots of cuts, probably 30 lineal feet or so. ONE void, just one about the size of a pencil eraser in one of the layers. That's it. Held screws, brads, etc., with no problems and when using my countersink, it didn't splinter.

If I had a place to put this stuff I would go buy about 5 sheets and put it back for my own use. I know that next time I need it they may (probably not) have it. We primed it with a roller on one side (interior of the cabinet painted per client) and put on a coat of paint before cutting. Assembled, we put on one more coat on the floor of the cab after the plumbing was reinstalled and I have to say it looks great. It sanded great, no splintering, and holds paint just fine.

Don't fall into the hole of thinking you will get a better quality of plywood from a distributor. Around here, the local wholesaler (DixiePly)sells a great deal of the same stuff in the big boxes. The stuff in limited supply like the cab ply from Chile (affectionately called "Chiliply" by me) is an HD exclusive so directly to them in lots. Most quality plywoods come from the local guys where available.

Not too sure what to make of all the nonsense posted by the guy that hasn't seen the end results of his work years later. The carcass should be 3/4". Thickness of your shelves should be predicated on their load. When building for all books, I use 3/4" plyood with a fascia (usually around 1x2) to compliment the style of the cabinet, and put a piece on the back of the shelf to keep the overall dimensions. I have seen my work with that detail hold a library of law books, and a specialty open back cabinet to display large porcelain objects go for years without sag.

That being said, I also have used a 5/8" plywood on shelves. I put a fluted edge band on the show side and it looks and works great. The shelves hold kitchen towels, tablecloths, cloth napkins in a utility hutch that look a bit more finished in that small, skinny cabinet.

I would find out what was going to be in the cabinet, decide if the shelves are to be adjustable, and take a look from there.

As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could find that plywood at HD...

Robert

On 11/9/17 5:03 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 3:17:52 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/8/2017 11:25 PM, Leon wrote:
On 11/8/2017 5:45 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!



Most likely the quality if the inner ply's is going to be the price
difference.Â* And or if it is stain quality or simply paint quality.

I would not advise using 5/8", probably strong enough but IMHO not enough
savings to offset the extra effort of dealing with different thicknesses of
wood and plywood.

If you are going to be painting it, do yourself a favor and check out MDO
plywood. The surface is far smoother than veneer and paints beautifully.
3/4" for the carcase may be overkill since the forces are cross-surface but
it certainly can't hurt. For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be
sufficient if you are actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on
some form of stiffening (or center support).

It was always my plan to put a hardwood edge on the shelves to hide the core, add
some visual bulk, and to provide stiffening. Form and function. There will be a face
frame too. ;-)

Thanks.


These are 4ft shelves and they were loaded down with books and
scrapbooks, etc., and have had no sag after years under load.
In my opinion, they would look really bad if I left them at 3/4" thick.

http://mikedrums.com/bookcases.jpg


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/9/17 5:20 PM, wrote:
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03
wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood,
something I've never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me
~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood
for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does
the extra $25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the
shelves and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product
lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly.
If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store
and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to
replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's
house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab
ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they
have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or
similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs,
good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean.
Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.


As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could
find that plywood at HD...

Robert


That's the stuff I get at my HD, occasionally, and it's really great
stuff.
It's always on an aisle end cap which tells me it's not a normally
stocked item, but something they get in now and then from a really
cheap, bulk purchase somewhere.

It's always right around 30 bucks after tax and always straight, flat,
solid... nice.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 5:20:43 PM UTC-6, -MIKE- wrote:

These are 4ft shelves and they were loaded down with books and
scrapbooks, etc., and have had no sag after years under load.
In my opinion, they would look really bad if I left them at 3/4" thick.

http://mikedrums.com/bookcases.jpg

Nice work! Just shows that matching the material to the project is the key. I think 3/4" would have looked a little "60s handyman" there myself.

Robert

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:49:55 PM UTC-5, dadiOH wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet.
Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

Several things, possibly, singly or in combination...

1. better face veneers. A2 vs D4, eg
2. made in US vs elsewhere
3. better interior veneers, fewer voids, etc.

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Strength wise, yes. But why bother if you are buying 3/4 anyway?
Masochistic?

(This may sound like I'm arguing, but I'm not. I'm just trying to understand your

The concept of using 2 thicknesses of wood was something that crossed my mind, but if the
cut list works out that there is no real overlap between the wood for the carcass and the wood
for the shelves, they why not save weight and money?

When I build a bed, I use different thicknesses for the rails than I do for the head and
foot boards. Why wouldn't that same concept apply to the thickness of the plywood
used for different parts of a book case or hutch?

e.g. 4 sheets of 5/8" for the carcasses, 2 sheets of 3/4" for the shelves, assuming of
course that I'm not going to end up with a lot of waste of either. I don't yet know if that
will be the case, but if it works out, why would that be masochistic?

Heck, I'm going to use 1/4" plywood for the backs, not 3/4€�. Why is that any different than
using 5/8" for the carcass and 3/4€� for shelves?

On 11/9/17 5:34 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 5:20:43 PM UTC-6, -MIKE- wrote:

These are 4ft shelves and they were loaded down with books and
scrapbooks, etc., and have had no sag after years under load. In my
opinion, they would look really bad if I left them at 3/4" thick.

http://mikedrums.com/bookcases.jpg

Nice work! Just shows that matching the material to the project is
the key. I think 3/4" would have looked a little "60s handyman"
there myself.

Robert


It's all about scale and perspective-- something that stuck with me from
the 15 minutes I spent in architecture school. :-)

On an 18inch shelf in a 3ft high bookcase, yeah it probably looks fine.
But not on a 4ft shelf, 8ft high, across a 12ft wall.

I'm building some baby gates that are modeled after the staircase
handrail and spindles in the home it will be installed. I'm scaling
down the dimensions of the spindles to more accurately reflect the scale
of the gate. Almost like they will look the same size when viewed from
a distance. If I made them the exact same size, they would look way too
big. A little bit makes a big difference.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 6:20:07 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly. If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs, good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean. Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.

Got it back to operating table, and laid out my cut patterns and wound up using almost all of it, the point being lots of cuts, probably 30 lineal feet or so. ONE void, just one about the size of a pencil eraser in one of the layers. That's it. Held screws, brads, etc., with no problems and when using my countersink, it didn't splinter.

If I had a place to put this stuff I would go buy about 5 sheets and put it back for my own use. I know that next time I need it they may (probably not) have it. We primed it with a roller on one side (interior of the cabinet painted per client) and put on a coat of paint before cutting. Assembled, we put on one more coat on the floor of the cab after the plumbing was reinstalled and I have to say it looks great. It sanded great, no splintering, and holds paint just fine.

Don't fall into the hole of thinking you will get a better quality of plywood from a distributor. Around here, the local wholesaler (DixiePly)sells a great deal of the same stuff in the big boxes. The stuff in limited supply like the cab ply from Chile (affectionately called "Chiliply" by me) is an HD exclusive so directly to them in lots. Most quality plywoods come from the local guys where available.

Not too sure what to make of all the nonsense posted by the guy that hasn't seen the end results of his work years later. The carcass should be 3/4". Thickness of your shelves should be predicated on their load. When building for all books, I use 3/4" plyood with a fascia (usually around 1x2) to compliment the style of the cabinet, and put a piece on the back of the shelf to keep the overall dimensions. I have seen my work with that detail hold a library of law books, and a specialty open back cabinet to display large porcelain objects go for years without sag.

That being said, I also have used a 5/8" plywood on shelves. I put a fluted edge band on the show side and it looks and works great. The shelves hold kitchen towels, tablecloths, cloth napkins in a utility hutch that look a bit more finished in that small, skinny cabinet.

I would find out what was going to be in the cabinet, decide if the shelves are to be adjustable, and take a look from there.

As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could find that plywood at HD...

Robert

When I built the cabinet for my miter saw, I went to HD looking to buy some
3/4" plywood. I'm pretty sure that the pine plywood that you are talking about
is what I ended up buying. Nice stuff, but I think it might only be 6 ply.

https://i.imgur.com/WObABm2.jpg

Is it this product?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pine-Ply...9397/202677224

Now that you reminded me, maybe that's the way to go for these bookcases. They
are going in a kitchen and that plywood probably has a better surface than the
stick builts already in place. Besides, screwing up a $32 sheet beats screwing
up a $76 sheet. ;-)

On 11/9/17 5:36 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:49:55 PM UTC-5, dadiOH wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet.
Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

Several things, possibly, singly or in combination...

1. better face veneers. A2 vs D4, eg
2. made in US vs elsewhere
3. better interior veneers, fewer voids, etc.

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Strength wise, yes. But why bother if you are buying 3/4 anyway?
Masochistic?

(This may sound like I'm arguing, but I'm not. I'm just trying to understand your

The concept of using 2 thicknesses of wood was something that crossed my mind, but if the
cut list works out that there is no real overlap between the wood for the carcass and the wood
for the shelves, they why not save weight and money?

When I build a bed, I use different thicknesses for the rails than I do for the head and
foot boards. Why wouldn't that same concept apply to the thickness of the plywood
used for different parts of a book case or hutch?

e.g. 4 sheets of 5/8" for the carcasses, 2 sheets of 3/4" for the shelves, assuming of
course that I'm not going to end up with a lot of waste of either. I don't yet know if that
will be the case, but if it works out, why would that be masochistic?

Heck, I'm going to use 1/4" plywood for the backs, not 3/4€�. Why is that any different than
using 5/8" for the carcass and 3/4€� for shelves?


Because all the 1/4" ply is doing is keeping it square, preventing it
from racking. It's not providing (or doesn't need to) any strength to
the cabinet.

Most cabinet builders have 3/4" ply on the brain. It's easy to
calculate and dimensional hardwoods are already sized for it. It
"matches" hardwood boards so it makes hybrid construction fairly
seamless.
There's a reason it's the standard and it's not because "Big Plywood"
wants to make more money off of you.

You're not really saving that much money on 5/8" are you?
Either way, go ahead and do it and learn from the process.
Come back here and report your findings. You may teach us something.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/9/17 6:05 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 6:20:07 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly. If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs, good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean. Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.

Got it back to operating table, and laid out my cut patterns and wound up using almost all of it, the point being lots of cuts, probably 30 lineal feet or so. ONE void, just one about the size of a pencil eraser in one of the layers. That's it. Held screws, brads, etc., with no problems and when using my countersink, it didn't splinter.

If I had a place to put this stuff I would go buy about 5 sheets and put it back for my own use. I know that next time I need it they may (probably not) have it. We primed it with a roller on one side (interior of the cabinet painted per client) and put on a coat of paint before cutting. Assembled, we put on one more coat on the floor of the cab after the plumbing was reinstalled and I have to say it looks great. It sanded great, no splintering, and holds paint just fine.

Don't fall into the hole of thinking you will get a better quality of plywood from a distributor. Around here, the local wholesaler (DixiePly)sells a great deal of the same stuff in the big boxes. The stuff in limited supply like the cab ply from Chile (affectionately called "Chiliply" by me) is an HD exclusive so directly to them in lots. Most quality plywoods come from the local guys where available.

Not too sure what to make of all the nonsense posted by the guy that hasn't seen the end results of his work years later. The carcass should be 3/4". Thickness of your shelves should be predicated on their load. When building for all books, I use 3/4" plyood with a fascia (usually around 1x2) to compliment the style of the cabinet, and put a piece on the back of the shelf to keep the overall dimensions. I have seen my work with that detail hold a library of law books, and a specialty open back cabinet to display large porcelain objects go for years without sag.

That being said, I also have used a 5/8" plywood on shelves. I put a fluted edge band on the show side and it looks and works great. The shelves hold kitchen towels, tablecloths, cloth napkins in a utility hutch that look a bit more finished in that small, skinny cabinet.

I would find out what was going to be in the cabinet, decide if the shelves are to be adjustable, and take a look from there.

As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could find that plywood at HD...

Robert

When I built the cabinet for my miter saw, I went to HD looking to buy some
3/4" plywood. I'm pretty sure that the pine plywood that you are talking about
is what I ended up buying. Nice stuff, but I think it might only be 6 ply.

https://i.imgur.com/WObABm2.jpg

Is it this product?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pine-Ply...9397/202677224

Now that you reminded me, maybe that's the way to go for these bookcases. They
are going in a kitchen and that plywood probably has a better surface than the
stick builts already in place. Besides, screwing up a $32 sheet beats screwing
up a $76 sheet. ;-)


I don't think that's the stuff. It's listed as sheathing, and I'm
pretty sure the plywood that we're talking about was at least 7 ply and
had one grade higher outer veneers.

However, I'm 99% sure that this all varies by region, so even though we
may not be talking apples and oranges... we may be talking Granny Smith
and Golden Delicious. :-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just *make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look. I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even with
a full load of heavy books.

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 7:19:00 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 6:05 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 6:20:07 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet.. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly. If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs, good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean. Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.

Got it back to operating table, and laid out my cut patterns and wound up using almost all of it, the point being lots of cuts, probably 30 lineal feet or so. ONE void, just one about the size of a pencil eraser in one of the layers. That's it. Held screws, brads, etc., with no problems and when using my countersink, it didn't splinter.

If I had a place to put this stuff I would go buy about 5 sheets and put it back for my own use. I know that next time I need it they may (probably not) have it. We primed it with a roller on one side (interior of the cabinet painted per client) and put on a coat of paint before cutting. Assembled, we put on one more coat on the floor of the cab after the plumbing was reinstalled and I have to say it looks great. It sanded great, no splintering, and holds paint just fine.

Don't fall into the hole of thinking you will get a better quality of plywood from a distributor. Around here, the local wholesaler (DixiePly)sells a great deal of the same stuff in the big boxes. The stuff in limited supply like the cab ply from Chile (affectionately called "Chiliply" by me) is an HD exclusive so directly to them in lots. Most quality plywoods come from the local guys where available.

Not too sure what to make of all the nonsense posted by the guy that hasn't seen the end results of his work years later. The carcass should be 3/4". Thickness of your shelves should be predicated on their load. When building for all books, I use 3/4" plyood with a fascia (usually around 1x2) to compliment the style of the cabinet, and put a piece on the back of the shelf to keep the overall dimensions. I have seen my work with that detail hold a library of law books, and a specialty open back cabinet to display large porcelain objects go for years without sag.

That being said, I also have used a 5/8" plywood on shelves. I put a fluted edge band on the show side and it looks and works great. The shelves hold kitchen towels, tablecloths, cloth napkins in a utility hutch that look a bit more finished in that small, skinny cabinet.

I would find out what was going to be in the cabinet, decide if the shelves are to be adjustable, and take a look from there.

As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could find that plywood at HD...

Robert

When I built the cabinet for my miter saw, I went to HD looking to buy some
3/4" plywood. I'm pretty sure that the pine plywood that you are talking about
is what I ended up buying. Nice stuff, but I think it might only be 6 ply.

https://i.imgur.com/WObABm2.jpg

Is it this product?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pine-Ply...9397/202677224

Now that you reminded me, maybe that's the way to go for these bookcases. They
are going in a kitchen and that plywood probably has a better surface than the
stick builts already in place. Besides, screwing up a $32 sheet beats screwing
up a $76 sheet. ;-)


I don't think that's the stuff. It's listed as sheathing, and I'm
pretty sure the plywood that we're talking about was at least 7 ply and
had one grade higher outer veneers.

However, I'm 99% sure that this all varies by region, so even though we
may not be talking apples and oranges... we may be talking Granny Smith
and Golden Delicious. :-)



Again, not arguing, but I'm not sure that I would put a lot of weight
behind an HD "category listing". Further down the page it says:

Ideal for cabinets, displays, fixtures, furniture and shelving
Ready to paint
Interior use only
Stable composed core

Of course, there is also this, for only $8 more. Looks like at least 7 ply,
but it's not listed as Pine, so it's probably not what we were talking about.

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:10:39 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just *make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look.

No, you're looking way too deep into the picture I posted, but I posted
it, so I'll take the blame. ;-)

Look no further than 2 matching units, each with a 2 door base cabinet that
is a few inches deeper than the book case. One on each side of a window.

I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even with
a full load of heavy books.

Each unit will be ~34" in total width, so ~32" shelves. 3/4" would be too
wimpy both in form and function, so there will definitely be some edging
used. Not 2-1/4" though. :-)

On 11/9/17 7:10 PM, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just
*make* it more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look to
be rather thin so perhaps he wants that look. I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have
rather stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a
_very_ heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag
even with a full load of heavy books.

The ones in his picture wouldn't need any extra bracing, IMO.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On Thu, 9 Nov 2017 11:34:50 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 11:44:05 AM UTC-5, Iggy wrote:
replying to Scott Lurndal, Iggy wrote:
I agree, you're what's wrong...as usual.


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no context left?

Forget it. You have a better chance of teaching the Comet how to
punctuate.

On 11/9/17 7:12 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 7:19:00 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 6:05 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 6:20:07 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 5:45:16 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm planning on building a pair of bookcase/hutches like these:

https://imgur.com/a/eCVZT

They will be painted, so I'm considering 3/4 birch plywood, something I've
never used before. A local lumber yard quoted me ~$75 per 4 x 8 sheet. Home
Depot has (what they call) Birch Plywood for ~$50.

I know that HD lumber typically sucks but I'm curious: What does the extra
$25 get me at the lumber yard?

P.S. Would 5/8" be good enough for the carcass with 3/4" for the shelves
and top of base?

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with your Home Depot's product lines, but I can tell you from experience that it can vary wildly. If I am looking for a certain plywood, I drive to the nearest store and look at their stock.

A couple of days ago I was ready to build a "one off" carcass to replace the large sink cabinet damaged by a bad leak at a client's house. I went to the closest HD looking for A/B, B/C, economy "cab ply", or even this unidentified paint grade stuff from Chile they have once in a while. I found something called "pine ply" or similar. It was A/B in appearance, but all hard pine. No footballs, good veneer thickness, 8 layers of material (!!!), and really clean. Never seen it before. It was about $30 a sheet.

Got it back to operating table, and laid out my cut patterns and wound up using almost all of it, the point being lots of cuts, probably 30 lineal feet or so. ONE void, just one about the size of a pencil eraser in one of the layers. That's it. Held screws, brads, etc., with no problems and when using my countersink, it didn't splinter.

If I had a place to put this stuff I would go buy about 5 sheets and put it back for my own use. I know that next time I need it they may (probably not) have it. We primed it with a roller on one side (interior of the cabinet painted per client) and put on a coat of paint before cutting. Assembled, we put on one more coat on the floor of the cab after the plumbing was reinstalled and I have to say it looks great. It sanded great, no splintering, and holds paint just fine.

Don't fall into the hole of thinking you will get a better quality of plywood from a distributor. Around here, the local wholesaler (DixiePly)sells a great deal of the same stuff in the big boxes. The stuff in limited supply like the cab ply from Chile (affectionately called "Chiliply" by me) is an HD exclusive so directly to them in lots. Most quality plywoods come from the local guys where available.

Not too sure what to make of all the nonsense posted by the guy that hasn't seen the end results of his work years later. The carcass should be 3/4". Thickness of your shelves should be predicated on their load. When building for all books, I use 3/4" plyood with a fascia (usually around 1x2) to compliment the style of the cabinet, and put a piece on the back of the shelf to keep the overall dimensions. I have seen my work with that detail hold a library of law books, and a specialty open back cabinet to display large porcelain objects go for years without sag.

That being said, I also have used a 5/8" plywood on shelves. I put a fluted edge band on the show side and it looks and works great. The shelves hold kitchen towels, tablecloths, cloth napkins in a utility hutch that look a bit more finished in that small, skinny cabinet.

I would find out what was going to be in the cabinet, decide if the shelves are to be adjustable, and take a look from there.

As always, just my 0.02. But I would take a look and see if I could find that plywood at HD...

Robert

When I built the cabinet for my miter saw, I went to HD looking to buy some
3/4" plywood. I'm pretty sure that the pine plywood that you are talking about
is what I ended up buying. Nice stuff, but I think it might only be 6 ply.

https://i.imgur.com/WObABm2.jpg

Is it this product?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pine-Ply...9397/202677224

Now that you reminded me, maybe that's the way to go for these bookcases. They
are going in a kitchen and that plywood probably has a better surface than the
stick builts already in place. Besides, screwing up a $32 sheet beats screwing
up a $76 sheet. ;-)


I don't think that's the stuff. It's listed as sheathing, and I'm
pretty sure the plywood that we're talking about was at least 7 ply and
had one grade higher outer veneers.

However, I'm 99% sure that this all varies by region, so even though we
may not be talking apples and oranges... we may be talking Granny Smith
and Golden Delicious. :-)



Again, not arguing, but I'm not sure that I would put a lot of weight
behind an HD "category listing". Further down the page it says:

Ideal for cabinets, displays, fixtures, furniture and shelving
Ready to paint
Interior use only
Stable composed core

Of course, there is also this, for only $8 more. Looks like at least 7 ply,
but it's not listed as Pine, so it's probably not what we were talking about.
How ever, it might work for my project.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sande-Pl...4559/100037820

Sandeplywood delivers durable beauty in cabinets, furniture, shelving,
wall panels, entertainment centers, tables and varouis (sic) interior
projects.


Yes, 9 ply (outer veneers count) and higher quality.
More uniform finish veneers and fewer voids inside.
Not what we're talking about but would certainly work for your project.
Just make sure you cherry pick and get ones that haven't warped.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/9/17 7:25 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:10:39 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just *make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look.

No, you're looking way too deep into the picture I posted, but I posted
it, so I'll take the blame. ;-)

Look no further than 2 matching units, each with a 2 door base cabinet that
is a few inches deeper than the book case. One on each side of a window.

I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even with
a full load of heavy books.

Each unit will be ~34" in total width, so ~32" shelves. 3/4" would be too
wimpy both in form and function, so there will definitely be some edging
used. Not 2-1/4" though. :-)


IMO, you could get away with a uniform (same thickness as plywood) edge
band, front and back. Or a 1-1/4"-ish front edge band, rabbeted, like
this...

http://mikedrums.com/shelf_edge_top.jpg

I have done dozens like this and it's extremely strong.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On 11/9/17 8:40 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 7:25 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:10:39 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just
*make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look
to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look.

No, you're looking way too deep into the picture I posted, but I posted
it, so I'll take the blame. ;-)

Look no further than 2 matching units, each with a 2 door base cabinet
that
is a few inches deeper than the book case. One on each side of a window.

I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have
rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even
with
a full load of heavy books.

Each unit will be ~34" in total width, so ~32" shelves. 3/4" would be too
wimpy both in form and function, so there will definitely be some edging
used. Not 2-1/4" though. :-)


IMO, you could get away with a uniform (same thickness as plywood) edge
band, front and back.Â* Or a 1-1/4"-ish front edge band, rabbeted, like
this...

http://mikedrums.com/shelf_edge_top.jpg

I have done dozens like this and it's extremely strong.


Oh, and by the way... I went through all the fancy techniques of solid
edge banding to a shelf. V-groove, tongue and groove, spline, etc.,
etc., etc.

This was by far the simplest and just as strong as the rest.

You can clamp two shelves at one time, like this....
http://mikedrums.com/shelfclamps.jpg
In fact, I got to the point where I made the banding wider, with a
rabbet on both sides, glued a shelf to each side, then ran the whole
thing through the table saw, cutting through the center of the band, to
split it into the two shelves.

You leave the banding proud of the shelf top, then trim it flush with a
pattern bit. Lickety split.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 9:51:58 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 8:40 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 7:25 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:10:39 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably..
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just
*make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look
to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look.

No, you're looking way too deep into the picture I posted, but I posted
it, so I'll take the blame. ;-)

Look no further than 2 matching units, each with a 2 door base cabinet
that
is a few inches deeper than the book case. One on each side of a window.

I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have
rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even
with
a full load of heavy books.

Each unit will be ~34" in total width, so ~32" shelves. 3/4" would be too
wimpy both in form and function, so there will definitely be some edging
used. Not 2-1/4" though. :-)


IMO, you could get away with a uniform (same thickness as plywood) edge
band, front and back.Â* Or a 1-1/4"-ish front edge band, rabbeted, like
this...

http://mikedrums.com/shelf_edge_top.jpg

I have done dozens like this and it's extremely strong.


Oh, and by the way... I went through all the fancy techniques of solid
edge banding to a shelf. V-groove, tongue and groove, spline, etc.,
etc., etc.

This was by far the simplest and just as strong as the rest.

You can clamp two shelves at one time, like this....
http://mikedrums.com/shelfclamps.jpg
In fact, I got to the point where I made the banding wider, with a
rabbet on both sides, glued a shelf to each side, then ran the whole
thing through the table saw, cutting through the center of the band, to
split it into the two shelves.

You leave the banding proud of the shelf top, then trim it flush with a
pattern bit. Lickety split.



Oh, to have the space that you have. Any *one* of your double glue ups
would take up most of my shop. ;-)

replying to krw, Iggy wrote:
I will not be assimilated.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...75-811973-.htm

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 9:30:49 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thu, 9 Nov 2017 11:34:50 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 11:44:05 AM UTC-5, Iggy wrote:
replying to Scott Lurndal, Iggy wrote:
I agree, you're what's wrong...as usual.


Why do you snip our posts to such an extent that there absolutely no context left?

Forget it. You have a better chance of teaching the Comet how to
punctuate.

Neither one is a "teaching" issue. Each one knows exactly what he is doing and
simply chooses to be a dick about it.

On 11/9/17 9:04 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 9:51:58 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 8:40 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 7:25 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 8:10:39 PM UTC-5, John McGaw wrote:
On 11/9/2017 4:35 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/9/17 3:04 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-6, John McGaw wrote:

For the shelves 3/4" alone probably won't be sufficient if you are
actually going to put books on the shelves so plan on some form of
stiffening (or center support).

Agree.Â* I have some white plastic coated bookshelves.Â* Particle board
or MDF, not sure.Â* Shelves are 3/4".Â* 30" width.Â* The ones with heavy
books in the middle do have noticeable bow.Â* 1/4" bow probably.
Noticeable.Â* Plywood would likely be stronger than my cheap particle
board or MDF shelves.Â* But strong enough to avoid bowing?


It's very common practice to put hardwood edging on the front of 3/4"
plywood shelves.
It does two things.
It obviously keeps the shelves from sagging.
It also looks better in most cases.Â* I've never liked the look of 3/4"
thick shelves.Â* They look cheap.Â* They look WalMart or Ikea.
Adding a thicker hardwood front edge to a 3/4" shelf doesn't just
*make* it
more sturdy, it makes it "look" more sturdy.
It also has the advantage of matching the thickness of the face-frame.
Again, all subjective but that's my opinion on it.


Yes, it certainly is common and it is common sense in most cases. Of
course, if you look at the picture the OP provided, the shelves look
to be
rather thin so perhaps he wants that look.

No, you're looking way too deep into the picture I posted, but I posted
it, so I'll take the blame. ;-)

Look no further than 2 matching units, each with a 2 door base cabinet
that
is a few inches deeper than the book case. One on each side of a window.

I built in 16 feet of
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across my downstairs room and they have
rather
stout 2-1/4" edging to stiffen them up but that does give them a _very_
heavy look. At a 34" span in each bay there is no detectable sag even
with
a full load of heavy books.

Each unit will be ~34" in total width, so ~32" shelves. 3/4" would be too
wimpy both in form and function, so there will definitely be some edging
used. Not 2-1/4" though. :-)


IMO, you could get away with a uniform (same thickness as plywood) edge
band, front and back.Â* Or a 1-1/4"-ish front edge band, rabbeted, like
this...

http://mikedrums.com/shelf_edge_top.jpg

I have done dozens like this and it's extremely strong.


Oh, and by the way... I went through all the fancy techniques of solid
edge banding to a shelf. V-groove, tongue and groove, spline, etc.,
etc., etc.

This was by far the simplest and just as strong as the rest.

You can clamp two shelves at one time, like this....
http://mikedrums.com/shelfclamps.jpg
In fact, I got to the point where I made the banding wider, with a
rabbet on both sides, glued a shelf to each side, then ran the whole
thing through the table saw, cutting through the center of the band, to
split it into the two shelves.

You leave the banding proud of the shelf top, then trim it flush with a
pattern bit. Lickety split.



Oh, to have the space that you have. Any *one* of your double glue ups
would take up most of my shop. ;-)


That was my old shop. Present one is about 2x the size. The Sharn out
back is 3x the size when needed.
You want space? The present SUCKS award goes to Steve down in TX. His
new shop leaves us all envious!


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com