I am building a A&C style bookcase using QS white oak. But for the back I am considering using a piece of birch plywood that is always in the way. Is this going to go bad on me?
Thanks,
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Replies
Allen,
Go bad on you how? It will look different, how much different depends on the way that you finish them. How about putting q-sawn oak veneer on the birch. You can get a ton of it on ebay for around $0.35 sq/ft. I have a ton of it and would be glad to give you what you need, except I live in Wisconsin and you live in Texas.
Who knows if you try veneering it you just might open up a new avenue in your woodworking. Or maybe you already do veneering. I am addicted to buying the stuff on e-bay, you wouldn't believe some of the deals I have gotten. 260 sq/ft of bubinga for a little over $100, 125 sq/ft of ribbon stripe mahogany for $30. Lots more deals on some really unbelievable stuff. You know all the best wood is cut up for veneer.
Rob
Just concerned about the look. It will only be seen if you open the doors and really look inside. It will be stained with the same dark stain that I'm using on the rest of the case. I don't think color will be a problem just the texture of the wood surface. I guess I was just wondering if this is just one of those things that you just don't do. I don't want to second guess myself for the next 20 years. Veneer is an interesting idea that I hadn't thought of.
Thanks
Hi Allen ,
Since the cabinet will have doors on it , using the Birch for the back would be totally acceptable , no worry .
dusty
Allen,
If you are not going to veneer it or buy some q-sawn oak ply (might not be the easiest thing to find), I like Ring's idea of painting it. I am designing a project right now that I have way to much money in already, and have found a way to incorporate some savings on wood and make it a design feature instead of something I hope no one notices. I suspect that all of us could do this more often if we need to, and we think about it a little.
Rob
Rob,
I am addicted to buying the stuff on e-bay, you wouldn't believe some of the deals I have gotten.
So you are the sucker that keeps out bidding me on ebay! You could be my twin. I have more ebay veneer than I could use in 2 lifetimes. I almost bought some 26" wide 8 ft long zebrawood veneer a few months back. I don't even like zebrawood, but I kept thinking, how many times will you get a chance to buy 26"w X 8ft long zebrawood? Not often.
Cheers,
Lee
Lee,
I don't even like zebrawood, but I kept thinking, how many times will you get a chance to buy 26"w X 8ft long zebrawood? Not often.
LOL! Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the deal is just to good or the veneer is just to cool to pass up. It doesn't even matter if you are ever going to have a chance to use it. My wife doesn't understand that but I bet you do.
Rob
Rob,
Yes, I do. Maybe we could start a support group? Veneer buyers anonymous or VBA for short. We could meet and swap stories about how we got XXX hundred square feet of XXX for $.10 a square foot. Ha Ha
Lee
Sounds like a great idea Lee. How about it, anyone else out there a VBA candidate? I'll start: Hi, my name is Rob and I recently bought 85 sq/ft of razor mottled anigre for $30 after shipping.
Rob
Rob,
Just so you know you have friends close, I'll go next.
My name is Lee, and I buy anything unusually large or highly figured. I'm not sure what I will do with it, and neither does my wife, but I have it.
There, I feel much better!
Lee
Hey guys,
Not being a specialized woodworker like you guys are, I don't have any of those fancy exotic weneers lying around my shop. But I do have various kinds of rough lumber there that I can't say I had any real reason for obtaining.
For example, I have about 100 bd.ft. of wormy chestnut that came from my deceased great-grandmother's old home when my brother and I eventually had to tear it down. That was almost five years ago and I have still to ever use a piece of it. At the time, wormy chestnut was all the rage around here and it just seemed like a waste to throw it away.
Also, recently I obtained approximately 500-700 bd.ft. of rough sawn pine. The stuff is so rough I can't even tell what species it is, although I think some of it might be maple. The fact is, it is probably just no. 2 pine, not worth much beyond framing lumber or some very rustic woodwork. So why do I have it? Because it was free, and there is just something about stuff that is cheap or free that we can't seem to resist--lol.
I don't think you guys need a support group, but if you want to start one, I'm in!
---Dan
Dan,
I don't think you guys need a support group
The first step to recovery is realizing you have a problem. You definitely need to attend our meetings so we can help you work these issues out ;)
Lee
Edited 4/18/2007 10:20 am by mapleman
LOL! OK, I'm in. Whenever you have five or ten minutes, I'll tell you my whole life story. I warn you though, I've been told I'm beyond help. (I think it was my wife who said that). Seriously, though, I think it is a good idea to keep a supply of unusual items around, as long as the shop doesn't get too cluttered up in the process. You never know when it will come in handy or when you'll suddenly get an idea which would be just perfect for it.
---Dan
Hi everyone,
My name is Paul and I'm a veneeraholic. It's been 28 days since my last purchase.............
:)
Paul,
Good to have you on board. You're in good hands!
Lee
Just curious why you'd use birch ply instead of oak ply.
I would like to thank everyone for the input. Interesting range of responses. The only reasson to use the birch was to save a couple of dollars and I already had it on hand. I, like Ring, let this little stuff bother me sometimes. I am going to have to think about this some more.
Thanks,
Allen,I think you already have the answer to your question. You said, "I, like Ring, let this little stuff bother me sometimes." You are who you are. Accept that reality, buy the 1/4" Oak ply (or veneer it yourself), and move on. Remember, this is supposed to be fun! ;-)Glen
Your most likely right. I'm going to put this thing together this week (dry fit of course) and see if I can stand it. Then I'll tell the wife that we need a new sheet of wood.
Thanks,
I'm with Ring. Things that almost match make me crazy. It sounds like this bookcase is for you. Look at it this way: you're worth it. Unless the new piece of ply will prevent you from feeding your family or paying the bills, treat yourself to something that won't make you want to kick yourself every time you open it.
"I'm going to put this thing together this week (dry fit of course) and see if I can stand it. Then I'll tell the wife that we need a new sheet of wood."
This reads as if you have already decided. If it were my project, I could go either way. I agree with oldusty that if the case were to be filled with books, I would never notice the back panel. I agree with Ring thinking about the consistent look, especially if the shelves were used to display stuff, rather than holding books. Then my neuroses kick in, and I would probably buy a sheet of QS or rift sawn ply to make the back, since the cabinet would always look 'right' to me, regardless of use. I haven't purchased 1/4 oak ply, but the last sheet of 3/4 A-1 QS/RS white oak set me back $150, which I don't consider 'cheap'.
In our kitchen, one cabinet has glass doors, and we paid to have a beaded back panel. I notice the beading frequently, and think that I'm glad I paid for the beading, as it's a nice detail. I have no idea what it cost me, but I'm happy. Maybe the birch that's in your way could be cut into project material for the kids, or neighbors' kids.
Or, use the birch, and buy your wife a nice chisel with the money you save. Or don't chisel her, take her to dinner with the savings. Or, buy the oak ply, and take her to dinner. That's probably what I'd end up doing.
Don't forget to post pictures when the project's complete.
I have a real problem with parts that almost match but not quite. Maybe it's just my own thing. But if you're not going to veneer it to match, then I'd paint the back some solid color - anything complimentary - I prefer that to what looks like (to me) a mistake.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Yikes! No, I certainly would not put a birch back in an oak bookcase. No matter what you do with finish, the two woods are going to look very different. In fact, if you're going to stain the QS oak, that is going to make the two woods even more different. Oak takes stain in a very different way than birch.
But don't just take my opinion on it. I'm just some anonymous guy on the web. Make a couple of test pieces -- one oak and one birch ply. Stain and varnish, and then make your own decision. BTW, in my hands veneer usually takes stain or dye differently from solid lumber, so make your test pieces with whichever the final pieces are going to be.
The great thing about building cabinets for yourself is that you can do anything and use anything you want.
However, your own gut is already telling you that using birch for the back is not the best thing to do; and your gut is right.
If you don't want to spring for a piece of QS ply, you could/should paint the birch ply as ring suggested earlier. A deep forest green would be period appropriate.
Also, since bookcases of this style often use either T&G or ship-lapped solid boards for the back, you could run some shallow V-grooves in your birch ply to simulate that look, and then paint the back.
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I think I better start looking for some oak plywood. I am making some test pieces as Jamie recommended. This is going to be a really good project and I want it right. It's for my wife and she always deserves the best.
Thanks everyone,
Hi Allen ,
If there were not doors on this bookcase and it was an open cabinet , imo matching materials would certainly be best . Assuming you will utilize the shelves as intended and most likely fill them up with books , the majority of the back will be largely unseen . So regardless of the type veneer used it won't be seen , especially since you will have doors on this unit .
When we build furniture or cabinetry say ,made of Black walnut we don't use the same species for the drawer boxes or the bottoms in most cases . In most cabinet jobs secondary veneers get used for the interiors that are either behind doors or where there are drawers .
On household cabinetry I commonly use Maple or Birch interiors with Rift or Q Sawn exteriors . Personally on cabinetry with doors I finish the interiors clear and only stain the outsides , to me it makes for a much brighter interior look .
The beauty of our craft is there are sooo many ways to do the same thing
regards dusty
I don't know that I agree with all who have posted here recommending going with the oak plywood back for your project. I'd say it depends on how many books you have. In the bookshelves in my house, they're so packed that I can't even see the back at all. So, in that case the material used for the back is of little importance.
However, a sheet of 1/4 inch oak plywood is not that expensive. So if it's going to bother you to use birch instead, then it's certainly not a dealbreaker.
Zolton
If you want QS 1/4" oak ply, it is commonly available from hardwood lumber yards that cater to cabinetmakers.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Oak Ply!
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