Chip Core plywood?

[Matt Meiser]

Related to my drawer construction question, my nearest plywood supplier has 3/4" chip core maple plywood, good 2 sides, with a clear coat finish pre-applied for $30/sheet. Any comments on this material, especially related to using it for a bathroom vanity and linen cabinet. They have the same thing in a veneer core, but it is $20/sheet more. Since the linen cabinet is going to be huge, and made in multiple sections, that probably ends up being an extra $80-$100.

[thomas prevost]

I bought some a last year for use as cabinet carcusses. Was very disappopinted. The chipboard core was not very tight and had lots of "tearout" or chipping when cutting and routing.

The surface veneer is submicro thin( 1/132") and had been laminated to a sub veneer which was not clear and had voids. Also, I took three sheets back as the veneer surface delaminated.

That being said, perhaps there are differnet grades of this product and my supplier purchased a very low grade. In concept, it could be a great product if quality coring and glue up is used.

[Jim Becker]

I pretty much have decided to use Baltic birch for all my cabinetry work at the point outside of anything that absolutely requires me to have components longer than 60". So far, I'm very pleased with that decision...and at about $45 a sheet or so, it's quite affordable. So I build the carcasses with the BB and if there are any visible areas, I can use a panel overlay with the veneer appropriate to the design.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'm with Jim. You're doing this woodwork because you love it, not because you're trying to make a profit. Pinching pennies on the materials may make you aggravated with marginal quality. That's no fun. Relax, put a few more bucks into it if you must, and enjoy what you're doing.


Oh... the prefinished ply I buy is pretty good stuff. The finish is more scuff-resistant than anything I can apply in my shop. The one caution is to think beforehand about how you're going to treat the edges. You can cover the carcass edges with face frames, but what are you going to do about shelves?

[Matt Meiser]

Jim, do you finish the BB before cutting it up, after cutting it up, or after building the box?

I just checked at Ken Craft and their 3/4" BB is $35/sheet and 1/4" is $16. That would work for the vanity, but the linen cabinet will be 6'+ high. Haven't decided exactly how to break it up yet.

[Jamie Buxton]

In my dealers there are 4'x8' sheet goods which are very much like Baltic Birch. One is Finn-Ply. It is made in on the Finnish side of the Baltic, but seems to be made from the same birch as the Russian stuff. The other is Apple Ply. It is made in North America from maple, despite the name. The cost per square foot of both of these is slightly more than true Baltic Birch, but often projects lay out better on a 4x8 sheet than a 5x5.

There is also other stuff which looks somewhat like Baltic Birch, but which I strongly suggest you avoid. Around here, it is called multi-ply because it has lots of plies -- like Baltic Birch. The interior plies might be poplar by the smell, and it is made in China. Home Depot sells the stuff, and so do some hardwood dealers. The price is very good, but the performance is not. The stuff is generally not flat, and it has bad stresses built into it. It warps if you look at it funny.

[Jim Becker]

Matt, I pre-finish components after cutting, but before assembly, masking off glue areas, etc. I prefer to spray flat, rather than into boxes...

Jamie, I'm buying my BB from a local specialty provider. I no longer buy any kind of "woodworking material" from the 'borg. Well...I might buy MDF there, but not plywood!

[Matt Meiser]

I've used that Home Depot stuff--never again. The other nearby supplier has 4x8 3/4" BB for $53/sheet. They also have a B2 grade regular birch for $30/sheet--I wonder if that would be good enough for the interior? I'll have to take a trip down there and look at everything to make a decision on what to do. I really need to sit down soon and do drawings so I can get a cut list.

[Jim Becker]

$53 for a 4'x8' BB is a very nice price, Matt. ("Retail" for 5'x5' from my supplier is $47) Aside from the face quality, the nature of the BB plywood is really wonderful to work with due to the plies themselves. Regular birch plywood, however, is still good to work with and outside of some possible patches, will not really be noticeable on an interior of a closed cabinet. I'd probably still pick the BB at this point after my experience working with it recently on my own master bath vanities.

[Greg Cole]

Another one to agree with Jim here. Borg plywood might be OK for sheathing, subfloors etc... not for cabinetry-furniture.
Part of my doing everything self mantra I've fallen into lends me to spend a few bucks more on materials as I pay $0.00 for labor.
Prefinishing before construction is something you need to spend a little time thinking through ie prep work... but once you try it you'll wonder why you tried finishing cabinets, boxes etc assembled.

$0.02 donation.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

...lends me to spend a few bucks more on materials as I pay $0.00 for labor.

Oh, you pay for the labor...really, you do!

[Greg Cole]

Hey Jim (sorry for wandering off subject Matt).
If I could deposit sweat equity, I'd retire when I hit 33 this year!!! Didn't know "equity"= one smelly dude at the end of a day though... maybe that's where the old expression about stinky family money came from?

I have been working on a deck, privacy panels & brick patio for the last month... and to those who have ever done a sand-gravel base, compacted it and laid the brick pavers (INCLUDING trucking the materials home & being the mason's helper ie lugging brick), you know where I am coming from. I think the sand & stone base is about 5,000 lbs & the brick is pushing 2500 so far & I am 1/2 way done with the brick laying. But at least I am down to one more lift of brick 'round the house and I'll be done!