I will begin with an acknowledgement that I am relatively new to furniture making, but have. I am building a bar cabinet for a friend and she wants a granite top on it. I have two questions/feedback requests.
1. I am considering two options, a solid wood case or a plywood case. I am leaning towards a plywood case for the seasonal stability. What does the community recommend?
2. Are there any recommendations for the joinery on the case for whichever option is recommended?
My tool inventory is a table saw, planer, plus numerous handtools (planes, chisels, etc.).
Thanks!
Replies
Anything that is visibly exposed - sides, back, front ,( to me) is nicer in natural wood. But lots and lots of cabinetry is plywood so it comes down to taste. I would ,however, probably opt for the deck to be plywood in either case. Not that it's likely to be alot but stone and wood move at different rates and plywood would be more stable. The stone guys that I've had do counter tops and such for me want that. Nice flat, smooth plywood deck- they just drop it on there with adhesive and they are done.
Plywood deck is something I had not thought about. Makes perfect sense though. Thank you!
I built my bar a couple years ago. To hold the weight of granite, I used a 2x4 frame (quickly built with pocket screws). Covered that with cherry plywood and cherry hardwood frames. Ditto for the sink cabinet shown in the photos --- plywood door/drawer panels inside hardwood frames.
George
Unrelated side question. What did you use to finish all that cherry?
Amazing work. gorgous.
Thanks! The finish is General Finishes Gel Stain (Candlelite) and GF Gel Topcoat (Satin).
Im in love with how it looks. Just ordered those 2 products. Thanks!
Your cabinets look fantastic. I failed to mention this in my original post. The bar will be a piece of furniture instead of a built in. Not sure about 2x4s for this particular instance, but I will file that away in case I am constructing a built in with a heavy top in the future. I am now leaning towards a frame and panel construction instead of a plywood case. I think it will look 10 times better. Your cabinets are an inspiration.
Okay, but don't forget the foot rail.
Plywood. It's more stable. I wouldn't want to do all the glue-ups to make solid panels.
Build it with plywood and then "skin it" similar to wainscot paneling:
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/?s=wainscot
Consider the final look as you make the plywood box, it may look better with vertical grain in the open fields.