Hiding Baltic Birch joints . . .

[Steven DeMars]

I'm wanting to build a few Gerstner style tool boxes out of Baltic Birch 1/2" plywood.

Looking for suggestions as to how to hide the plywood edges . . . I will be rounding all the exterior edges just like Gerstner does . . .

Can be prior to assembly or after assembly . . . .

Not worried about the drawers other that the faces . . . .

Thanks in advance,
Steve:)

[Bill Huber]

I think something like this should work, just use a nice wood for the edge.

http://eagleamerica.com/2-piece-edge-banding-bit-sets/p/190%2D2012/

[Jamie Buxton]

If you want to hide the plywood edges, glue on solid wood edgebanding. However, considering all the exposed edges in those toolboxes -- drawer and all -- that's a lot of little bits of wood you need to glue on.

Me, I wouldn't edgeband the plywood. Either I'm trying to reproduce the traditional style, in which case I'd use solid lumber, or I'm building in the modern style, in which case nice plywood edges are okay. Good-quality baltic birch gives nice edges.

[Myk Rian]

Either Bills' suggestion or build the carcase out of solid wood, with ply panels. When I did mine, (avatar) I just did the whole thing out of solid cherry stock.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

I guess you'd be partial to "Curly" maple.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

If you use solid wood edges that are the same thickness as the radius of your roundover, the transition point will almost disappear.

Sorry to say it though, but I'm in the camp that says you should just use solid wood for the whole thing. There's not enough board feet of lumber compared to all of the time you'll spend edging plywood to make the dollar savings worth it, IMHO. Besides that, most of the value of these chests is in the labor, not the materials.

[Doug Shepard]

For regular ply I'd edge band it with solid wood but I dont find baltic birch ply edges ugly at all, in fact I rather think it looks nice. Something about the thinner (and more) plies looks more refined to me. If you want to use BB ply, let them show.
I did some tool storage boxes with box joints with the edges showing just for an example.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=38115

[Steven DeMars]

Thank you all . . . . I think I'll go with the baltic birch as it is . . . The reason for not going solid wood . . . . I'm a newbie with a planer I have never used . . .:o

How would you guys approach generating the pieces of 1/2" solid . . . I'm thinking, jointer, bandsaw, glue-up for width, then planer . . . . starting with 4/4 solid wood. Remember, so far I am more of a "tool buyer" than a craftsman . . . .:o

Thanks again . . .

Steve

I just love SAWMILL CREEK . . . . .

[Brent Leonard]

you won't get 2 pieces of 1/2" stock out of 4/4 lumber by resawing it on the bandsaw.

That being said, you can either plane it all down (make alot of sawdust) or resaw it and then plane the surface.... having some thin material of less than 1/2" left over