# Solid wood vs Plywood Panels?



## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

Chest









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So i want to make this Chest, found in Woodsmith Magazine. The plan calls for solid wood panels. Trying to keep lumber costs down. I was thinking of plywood panels instead. Would anyone recomend this. Or should i do it right and use solid wood?

Im planing on using Cherry for the Rails and Stiles. So if i used plywood, i would try to find some cherry plywood. I just figured, since the panels are flat (not a raised panel) it shouldnt look that different between Cherry Plywood or Cherry solid wood panel.

What do you guys think?

BTW, ive never used Cherry before. Is it hard to work with or recommended for this kind of project?


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Plywood would work fine! Be ready for sticker shock however!

For a project of that size, I'd worry about the finish (blotching, etc), so read up!

As to workability, I love cherry! The only real 'bummer' is how it has a tendency to burn from router bits and saw blades.

Best countermeasure is to cut 1/16" oversize and make the finally cut a skim cut.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Yep, plywood probably won't save you much money. Around here, 3/4 cabinet grade hardwood plywood runs about $100-120 per sheet. It will, however, be a lot more stable, so you don't have to worry so much about allowing for wood movement on those panels.

On a project that size, many people, including me, might want to use plywood for the panels because of that. And while plywood may not save a lot of money, it would save quite a bit of time not having to glue up and flatten all the solid wood.


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## gargey (Apr 11, 2016)

Cherry is very nice to work with, IMO. All of my experience is with hand tools.

Plywood would be indistinguishable from solid wood. The veneer might not match your solid boards, the same way your solid board might not match your other solid boards, however. So pay attention to that. Buy the plywood first…


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I agree with the above.

I have only worked cherry by hand, though, so not had any issues with burning.

Also, you might be surprised at how much a hardwood veneered plywood costs compared to big box store cheap plywood…


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## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

> Plywood would work fine! Be ready for sticker shock however!
> 
> For a project of that size, I d worry about the finish (blotching, etc), so read up!
> 
> ...


To be honest, i havnt even thought about the finish lol. So thanks i look into that.

But speaking of finish, what do you recomend? Just a water based clear coat?
Im not the beat with finishes.

Thanks everyone for the advice


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

Another option is to use inexpensive plywood or MDF for the panels and veneer them. I recently made a similar chest and did just that. It's a good starter project for veneering since the panels are relatively small and easy to deal with. You can pick a really nice veneer and get a different look for not much more. You could also compare the cost of getting cherry veneer and making your own cherry plywood; in this case, since you probably won't need a full sheet, it may be cheaper to veneer your own.

I really like working with cherry, but it is prone to blotch if you stain it. My solution is not to add any color to it at all; it's a bit pale initially, but over time it develops a great color all by itself.


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

I also have to throw out that, for the amount of time you'll invest in the project, the cost of lumber is small change. I'd encourage you to get what you think will look best; the cost only hurts once and you'll have the project for years and years.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

My guess is the panels will be 1/2" thick (or less)? Still pricey, but follow the advice of seeing the color/grain of the plywood first so you can try and find boards that match.

Clear finish is popular with cherry for the blotching reason. If you don't have to try and blend in sap wood to match, clear whatever (oil/water based, even shellac) is easy enough. Remember that cherry darkens quite a bit when exposed to sunlight, I always try to 'pre-sun darken' anything I make out of cherry for that reason.


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## Carloz (Oct 12, 2016)

If you are like me, by the time you finish it you spend so much efforts that the price of material becomes irrelevant. Every time I cheap out on wood I regret it by the end of the project. IMHO you should only try to save on material when you are in production making the same thing all the time.


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

I just finished a large 'Shaker style' wardrobe in cherry. The door panels are re-sawn and bookmatched solid wood. It was a lot of work, but the effect is worth it. For the back I used 1/2" cherry plywood, mainly for the added strength. The 4×8 sheet of plywood cost over $100. It was a special order and very high quality.

To help avoid burn marks in Cherry I recommend a 24 T blade for ripping and then change to a 60 T blade for my crosscuts. I also run my saw (Shopsmith) at about 2500 rpm. Burn marks are very difficult to remove.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

As said above, ply isn't likely to save any $ but will save some time since you can skip the panel glue ups. If it were me, I'd go solid wood. Cherry is great to work with so I wouldn't be too aprehensive about that. Like JayT said, ply is more stable so that should weigh into your decision as well.


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## BobAnderton (Oct 5, 2010)

Usually, in my opinion, it's obvious when hardwood veneered plywood is used for panels instead of solid wood panels because the grain pattern is all wrong. Even quartersawn plywood where the surface veneer isn't rotary cut looks different than solid wood in the same piece because it finishes differently. That said, I'm no professional, so if someone who does this for a living says it can be done and look great then I'd believe them, just relaying my experience.


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## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

For a cherry finish, I like just some natural danish oil, topped with Arm R Seal. I have seen a project where the danish oil was replaced with garnet shellac, then the Arm R Seal….it looked great too. I plan to try that next time.

Bob is right, the plywood grain will look different than solid wood. But that doesn't mean it looks bad.

Brian


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I also agree with bob, plywood is going to have a different look.And you really don't know until you have a finish on it.
There's always the risk of a dent or scratch when it's new or later in life that really diminishes the piece.With solid wood it will just add character.

It's a really nice looking piece.With or without plywood will call any craftsman to do his best.
Good luck

Aj


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

To echo much of what has been said: cherry ply actually cost me more than solid wood most times. I still prefer it for panels, it removes some of the conventions you have to use for wood movement. I would use plywood on that chest, personally. As for finish, the last thing I would do is just apply a waterborne topcoat. They are fairly colorless, and do nothing to enhance the grain. But a coat of garnet shellac, followed by that same waterborne is very nice, and quite durable if it's a quality waterborne. Using it under a waterborne, I would suggest you get dewaxed shellac (it is available in garnet).


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

I have a nightstand project I am finishing up in cherry and walnut. I used some 1/4" cherry veneered MDF core for my panels. As others have mentioned, it is pricey, but I like that it will be stable. I am using plain Watco Danish oil and Minwax wipe on poly for the finish. I am happy with how the panels are taking the finish.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

For what its worth… You really SHOULD finish the panels BEFORE inserting them in their frames. And to top that, those panel inserts appear to be 1/4in. thick, and not 3/4". While plywood won't shrink and swell as much as hardwood panels, remember that those frames that the panels fit in, WILL.

BTW, I used spaceballs in the dados, to allow for the shrinking/swelling.

Veneering 1/4in. ply will give a tight fit, but you will need more than a 1/4in. dado to slip those panels into.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/70869


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

I have used ply on several projects, and I think it would work out fine. That chest you are building is smal enough that I don't think you will notice at all. To me ply is more noticeable on cabinet doors for example where you have repetitive grain showing on door panels. 
Check your prices on ply vs solid. Sometimes it saves money, always saves time. Sometimes time is important. 
Customers budget may warrant using ply to save labor cost. For a project for myself I would be more likely to use solid on something that small. 
As for finish. I am a big fan of danish oil. 
Good luck


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

The best quality logs are pre-selected at the mill for veneers in order to maximize profits.
This is why an A-1 faced plywood looks so much nicer than the solid frame.

I've found that a B-2 faced plywood more closely matches solid lumber when used together.
(And costs less also)

That said, I prefer the solid panels in a nice furniture piece like you are proposing to make.
Good luck to you.


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## stevepeterson (Dec 17, 2009)

You probably won't save much money using plywood over solid panels, but it should be much more stable. Another option is to make your own veneer from the same wood used on the rest of the project and glue it over 1/4" plywood.

I built an alder TV stand and used 3/4" birch plywood for the carcass. The outermost panels would show the different grain pattern, so I ripped a 6" wide piece of wood. Each piece started about 1/8 thick and I drum sanded them to around 1/16" and jointed the edges. I glued them using Titebond, but afterwards found out that there are more stable glues for veneer. They look great.


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## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

So after milling and cutting the rails and stiles to size for this project. A couple boards started to warp a little bit.

The table top is a torsen box, so its pretty flat. So you can see the gap in the pic.

Will this not be a problem once i have the panels in and ready for clamps?

I normally deal with plywood not hardwood. All i know is sometimes the glue up can be a pain in the you know what, if plywood is warped. Also not fun trying to square.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Also in the ply is fine camp. My only reservation is sometimes the run of ply of any species available locally may have a grain pattern that might fight the aesthetics of the solid wood of the carcase. IOW sometimes it looks like a huge flag saying PLYWOOD HERE. However as Fred notes wood movement is immediately controlled, Fitting Ply into the carcase is often much easier than solid panels which may need special consideration for joinery, as opposed to a dado for the ply.

My tip for sourcing ply, is look for grain that is straight along the length before taking a piece with a bad case of the swirls. After assembly you will find the straight grained will blend much quicker.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

That wouldn't be a problem if it's part of the carcase, but it looks like the top. If true, gluing it together isn't going to flatten it out. If it's part of the carcase, it would when glued against the adjacent side. If it's the top you might put that side on the back of the chest, doesn't look too bad at this point, but it might not be done bowing.


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## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

If anyone is interested here is the link for my finished Cedar chest

I just can't believe it got dially top 3!


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## BLarge (Aug 29, 2011)

Be a man and go full hardwood. You'll get experience calculating movement, matching nice panels etc. IMO, you still see the ply in the panels, it usually looks too uniform, and I'm pretty sure it fades and colors are a different rate.


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## BLarge (Aug 29, 2011)

> So after milling and cutting the rails and stiles to size for this project. A couple boards started to warp a little bit.
> 
> The table top is a torsen box, so its pretty flat. So you can see the gap in the pic.
> 
> ...


Trevor,

did you mill your rails and stiles within a 1/8 of inch of final thickness, sticker it overnight and finish mill to final dimension? That bow to me looks like wood movement/ shrinkage after initial milling- but the other pieces look okay so maybe not. Since you don't work in hardwood that often, that is something to consider for the future as a process.


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## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

> Be a man and go full hardwood. You ll get experience calculating movement, matching nice panels etc. IMO, you still see the ply in the panels, it usually looks too uniform, and I m pretty sure it fades and colors are a different rate.
> 
> - Logan Windram


I wish I wouldve done hardwood panels now lol. The reason I didn't was I didnt want to take forever to build. It actually came along alot faster than I expexted.

Also, this was my first build where the majority of it was hardwood. I'm used to building cabinets, etc out of plywood. So to be honest I wad kinda nervous to do the build all hardwood (panels)

My next build, there will be no doubt ill be using all be using all hardwood, instead of plywood


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## trevor7428 (Oct 9, 2015)

> Trevor,
> 
> did you mill your rails and stiles within a 1/8 of inch of final thickness, sticker it overnight and finish mill to final dimension? That bow to me looks like wood movement/ shrinkage after initial milling- but the other pieces look okay so maybe not. Since you don t work in hardwood that often, that is something to consider for the future as a process.
> 
> - Logan Windram


No i didn't. So that's the best way to do it? Mill all wood to 1/8th of final thickness, sticker over night, the mill to final thickness as needed.

What I did, cut/ milled all pieces for front/ back, left/ right only. Then assembled/ glued each side individually. Then cut/ milled pieces for bottem, then assembled/ glued. Then cut/ milled/ assembled/ glued the top.

I will def do that on my build, thanks


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