Is it hack to mix ply with solid wood?
 

Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).

Larry Bud wrote:

Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).

For anything but really high end work, go for it...

Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

Only if you're selling it and representing it as solid wood, fine furniture.

For items like shelves, built-ins, and cabinets, plywood can actually
outperform solid stock. I've even cut plywood, splined it, and reglued
it to create a glued-up board look. Carefully done, with plywood made
from good quality veneer, it's quite convincing.

Barry

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:09:11 GMT, B a r r y
wrote:

Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

Only if you're selling it and representing it as solid wood, fine furniture.

For items like shelves, built-ins, and cabinets, plywood can actually
outperform solid stock. I've even cut plywood, splined it, and reglued
it to create a glued-up board look. Carefully done, with plywood made
from good quality veneer, it's quite convincing.

Barry

Now I feel really stupid. That is a clever idea (that I never thought of).
-- Igor

How does it outperform solid wood? Most solid hardwoods can handle loads
in excess of PLY?

Yes ply is acceptable... absolutely.. but I don't know other than price
how it outperforms solid hardwood.

I like the spline and reglue idea, but with my luck I would be out
enough to not be able to clean it up without sanding thru..

I don't suppose you are using the Plano panel clamp.... which has
integral cauls... or the other variant ... using 2x4 that have been cut
in half... it would seem the only way to quickly assure a clean joint.

B a r r y wrote:

Larry Bud wrote:

Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?


Only if you're selling it and representing it as solid wood, fine
furniture.

For items like shelves, built-ins, and cabinets, plywood can actually
outperform solid stock. I've even cut plywood, splined it, and reglued
it to create a glued-up board look. Carefully done, with plywood made
from good quality veneer, it's quite convincing.

Barry

"Larry Bud" wrote in message
oups.com...
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

No. Not at all. BUT, if you are only using 20% of the sheet of plywood
sometimes hard wood is cheaper with less waste.


The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).

"B a r r y" wrote in message
...
Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

Only if you're selling it and representing it as solid wood, fine
furniture.

For items like shelves, built-ins, and cabinets, plywood can actually
outperform solid stock. I've even cut plywood, splined it, and reglued
it to create a glued-up board look. Carefully done, with plywood made
from good quality veneer, it's quite convincing.

Barry

The key is to buy oak veneered plywood that is refered to as "flat sliced
veneer", not "rotary cut"
There's nothing cheap about veneered plywood, it's regularly used in
high-end cabinets. I use cherry and tiger maple veneered ply regularly. It's
very expensive.

How does it outperform solid wood? Most solid hardwoods can handle loads
in excess of PLY?

Not cross grain

Yes ply is acceptable... absolutely.. but I don't know other than price
how it outperforms solid hardwood.


Stability

I like the spline and reglue idea,

Odd, I think it is terrible idea. I put a lot of work into matching to
avoid seeing glue lines, and he is creating them for no purpose. Well, each
to his own.

"TaskMule" wrote in message
...

"B a r r y" wrote in
message
...
Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak
ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?


The key is to buy oak veneered plywood that is refered to as "flat sliced
veneer", not "rotary cut"


That's the way to make it look closest, though I'm curious what thickness
ply you'll be using. 6x7 shelves suggest some 1/4 resawn solid stock to me.
Probably a push in price, and no hassle with edging.

Yes, for shelves there is not nearly as much stress across the grain as
the length...



toller wrote:
How does it outperform solid wood? Most solid hardwoods can handle loads
in excess of PLY?


Not cross grain

Yes ply is acceptable... absolutely.. but I don't know other than price
how it outperforms solid hardwood.



Stability


I like the spline and reglue idea,


Odd, I think it is terrible idea. I put a lot of work into matching to
avoid seeing glue lines, and he is creating them for no purpose. Well, each
to his own.



Sometimes the wood is not very intersting and breaking it up can help to
make it more interesting.... sometimes it can be disturbing..

On 8 Feb 2005 11:21:28 -0800, "Larry Bud"
wrote:

Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).

Nothing wrong. Ply is strong and dimensionally stable. It does have
ugly edges to contend with though.

B a r r y wrote:

Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

Only if you're selling it and representing it as solid wood, fine
furniture.

I'd say in this day and age "solid wood" could even include ply, as long as
it's real ply, with real veneer, and everything is tastefully done. I have
a $5 auction special desk made of solid oak, but some sections of the oak
are rotated perpendicular to other sections. I don't see that as a problem
quality wise. (Especially since I got it for $5. I've gloated about that
too many times in the past to re-gloat it though.) Except for the obvious
banding around the top, it's not at all obvious that any of it is ply.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

tiredofspam wrote:
How does it outperform solid wood? Most solid hardwoods can handle loads
in excess of PLY?

When used for built-ins and shelving, it's much more stable.

Barry

Last year I made a desk add on for my wife - Looked better than the
original commercial work. I recently added a large pull-out tray for
holding paper work while doing accounting. The original desk was
Particle board (not even MDF) - with melamine pickled Oak finish.

On the original work I used Rotary saw veneer Oak 3/4 and 5/8 ply - and
made oak banding out of a small piece of Oak. Even did steam bending of
the banding for the curved cut-outs at the bottom.

The tray was going to be a quick "batch job" since I did not have a
clear piece of oak left for the banding - and the tray was made of scrap
plywood from the original project.

I glued two 10"wide ply pieces for the tray -- roughly 20" X 20" glued
up. Then, I hid the seam with a strip of Walnut -- since the seam was
pretty bad actually. After looking at the effect, I canceled the trip to
buy some more Oak. I finished the tray with walnut edging. The contrast
looks nice, and the ugly seam is now a "feature" with the walnut inlay.
The dark trim around the "pickled Oak" finish looks great. All the wood
except the walnut was scrap. So total cost of the tray is about $.51
($.01 for the glue, $.50 worth of walnut :-) Plus labour -- about 2
hours including finishing.

So just use your imagination. Even consider contrasting materials.

For the heck of it I will post a link to the desk later -- showing the
original add on and the "new" style..


Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).


--
Will
Occasional Techno-geek

Here is a desk project with Oak Banding and Oak plywood.

The infamous scrap wood tray is there as well -- trimmed with walnut.

http://woodwork.pmccl.com/Business/p...furniture.html


Go for it!

Larry Bud wrote:
Making a DVD cabinet, and was thinking of saving some $$ to use oak ply
for shelves and edge them. Anything wrong with this?

The shelved are actually quite small (maybe 6'x7" each, but there are
20 of them).


--
Will
Occasional Techno-geek