Have a question about using plywood for furniture

[Jason Scott]

Hey all,

So I am planning some projects where I think plywood is the best option. A couple of cabinets and a couple of bookcases. My question comes to "matching" the ply with the hardwood pieces you use. For example, if I made a cabinet out of ply, but the frame/doors where say walnut, how do I get it to match? I see some of your alls projects and it all looks like solid wood, even though you say only the frame, or edge, etc. is solid. So how do you turn "whiteish" plywood, into beautiful black walnut so it doesn't look starkly different then the actual hardwood you put in the piece? This has been bugging me a long time not knowing the answer. I always assumed you just "stained" it, but does stained plywood ever look like tung-oiled walnut? Thanks for any help!

jason

[Carl Eyman]

If you try to match a rotary cut plywood with solid wood you are in trouble. By rotary cut I mean the type they shave off a log as it spins in a lathe. Plywood where the outer layer is cut in the same way lumber is cut (rift, quarter sawn etc.) tends to take stain and finishes like lumber. This pretty much keeps you out of Home Depot, etc.

[Sam Yerardi]

Jason,

Carl's right. You only have a few options to make plywood match or look like the hardwood it's being used with. Veneer, and special finishing techniques. There are special techniques that can be used to prep and paint the surface to match or at least approximate the solid wood. It isn't used much because it is extremely time-consuming. If you research books by Jeff Jewitt and others, you can find methods used to do just that and it is amazing the results that can be obtained. Veneer is probably the optimum choice for most, though. I've seen pine turned into beautiful 'mahogany' just with painting techniques. It is amazing but it is difficult to achieve.

[Bryan Froden]

If the plywood is going to be visible then I think it’s always best to go with the same species of wood you’re using for the face frame. Unless you’re an experienced finisher!
woodworkingtipsfrompop.com

[William Nimmo]

Use the same species of wood.
This place has every wood in veneered ply.
www.getwood.com

[glenn bradley]

Great article on just what you're asking about:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011157064.pdf

or find it in FWW #157

[Joe Chritz]

It is actually quite easy. Hope in the truck, run to the wood distributor nearest you and buy flat sawn walnut plywood. Finish as with frame and doors. Done!

http://www.theworkbench.com/pdf/plywood.pdf

Plan sawn walnut A1 3/4x4'x8' $128.35

One of the reasons I used raised panel sides on the 1/4 sawn red oak library I built. It was actually cheaper than plywood. You just don't get the added stability of the plywood.

Matching other species is beyond my abilities and hasn't worked well whenever I tried it so I just pass now.

Joe

[Charlie Plesums]

I have given up trying to stain cheap wood (regular or plywood) to look like the good stuff... no matter how you color a pig, it is still a pig.

I build furniture from all hardwood, or hardwood and the matching furniture grade hardwood plywood, preferably with the natural wood color under a clear finish (no stain or dye at all). And I have a constant backlog of customers (all I want as a retired woodworker).

[Jason Scott]

Thanks guys, that is what I thought, the part about getting walnut ply when doing walnut, etc. Will do thanks,

Jason

[Jim Becker]

Yup...the key is using the "right" plywood. Polish up your wallet, however, and don't expect to be able to shop for what you need at the 'borg. You need a specialty supplier.

[Brian W Evans]

I am fortunate to have a supplier near me that carries plywood in 30 or so species. As the others have pointed out, though, it's expensive. I saw a sheet of 3/4" birdseye maple for $300.

If you're selling or giving as a gift, I would think that "solid wood" sounds better than "plywood." Maybe you can save money and come off looking better at the same time.

[Charlie Plesums]

I am fortunate to have a supplier near me that carries plywood in 30 or so species. As the others have pointed out, though, it's expensive. I saw a sheet of 3/4" birdseye maple for $300.

If you're selling or giving as a gift, I would think that "solid wood" sounds better than "plywood." Maybe you can save money and come off looking better at the same time.

Two separate comments....

Birds eye maple looks great as an accent, but I have seen a double sliding door (like an 8-10 foot wide opening) with birds eye maple doors and it was a little much. Thus I don't know what I would use a sheet of BEM for!

I offer my customers plywood with edge banding, plywood with solid edge, frame with plywood center, frame with solid (e.g. raised panel) center, or solid slab, and any combination. I am surprised how many people who want "good" furniture choose a mixture of ply and hardwood. The discussion usually centers around stability and wearability more than price.

[Dan Gill]

Hardwood plywood is available with lots of different wood veneers. Generally, where you see a picture of a walnut piece made from ply, you're looking at walnut plywood. Likewise with red oak, maple, etc.

It's possible to stain, say, birch ply to look like something else, but it's an approximation at best.

[Dan Gill]

Sorry, folks. I didn't see that this had already been answered. I've been away for a while and the ad fooled me into thinking there were no replies.