Comments on: Working (ply) Wood

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:04:21 +0000

Vic,

thanks again for the comments-

It’s funny when we think about’ manufactured products’ being more ‘earth friendly’
- in a so many cases this is completely accurate.

We have options at every level and on every scale and its up to ‘we the consumer’ to ‘watch what we consume’ !!

tread lightly…

walk softly

cheers

By: Vic

Vic — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:33:57 +0000

Tom, I have no problem with man made materials being used in fine furniture. I feel it is the design that dictates the material or, at least, influences the material. Plywood for panels, with shop made veneers or even purchased veneers is more stable for panel applications, as well as being (what I consider) a more earth friendly choice.

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:34:43 +0000

thanks for the comments jeff-
interesting to hear that and I’d be curious to know how many other wood workers feel that way. I too have a bit of that train of thought from time to time- almost like using plywood is somehow ‘cheating’…fine furniture should be made of solid wood through out right?
a bit like using nails in a fine wooden piece- brings along a certain feel- why? I’m not sure where or when this change took place but I know just what you mean about working with plywood- Not too sure these feelings are justified either-we can find beautiful examples of fine furniture pieces utilising both plywood construction over the past 50 years or more- for a hand tool user it’s a challenge but to tell you the truth, I’ve been using my planes and saws on the edges these past three days and not cringing quite as much as I thought I was going to be…
it boils down to the design dictating the material and sometimes, certain designs work really well in plywood and would be next to impossible to pull off with solid wood- I could have used solid wood and went with another product altogether for the murphy bed mechanism but I liked this piston type sold at Lee Valley Tools- it doesn’t have that old screech and clank and snap the old metal spring-style murphy bed hardware did-
I remember using a few of those through the years on different occasions- they were always hard as hell to raise and lower and the sounds coming out of the bed box were terrifying-
this new hardware should ne efficiant and quiet for years of daily use…
looks like a whole other blog topic here- not enough time in my days!!
gotta run-
thanks again for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate the feedback.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:59 +0000

The project I am working on calls for a lot of plywood mostly because it will be painted. I have been a little aprehensive to post photos because I don’t consider this material suitable for fine woodworking, which is my goal. But as you say, plywood is the best choice for my project. Thanks for the post. Someone of your skill utilizing plywood in projects makes me feel better.

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:53:29 +0000

Ross,
thanks for the comments and great to hear you’re reading the book. I hope to write another someday but time will tell. for now I’m focusing on giving hand tool classes, the web site and my current commissions.
hope you enjoy the book- keep well.

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:50:50 +0000

I don’t know if that was with or without wind chill- all I know is that it was bloody cold!!! my toes were screamin’ at me.
thanks for the comments-

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:49:41 +0000

Andre,
thanks for the comments. I still have some more plywood to do so I’ll try to get some shots of he dowels being inserted. They’re only 1/4″ dowels so no problem about bulging out the face. I know what you mean and have had that happen to me hundreds of times in the Set building days but it was usually while driving a screw too close to the edge!
keep well

By: Andre

Andre — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:13:52 +0000

Hi Tom,

Great indepth post on edging on plywood, especially how to stay clear of the showside veneer.

Is that all of the solid edging done now?

Also, didn’t you experience any difficulties drilling in the edges of the plywood or were the dowels quite small (I’m sometimes having the two show-sides ‘bulge out’ a little when doing this and have to clamp the two sides back while gluing in the dowel)?

Lookin’ forward to the next post.

By: Charlton

Charlton — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:55:24 +0000

I’ve got power tools in my basement but with the weather being as cold as it was over the weekend (I’m in Markham), I think I’d rather rip the sheets down by hand indoors if the choice was between power tools outside or hand saw inside. Seriously…that -16 was without windchill wasn’t it?

By: Ross Graham

Ross Graham — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:07:16 +0000

It is only -16 degrees centigrade! – not a problem for us south of the border!! Really enjoy your blog especially the new format – reading your book right now, when are you planning on a sequel?

By: Brian Meeks

Brian Meeks — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:00:36 +0000

I am not ready to try that yet, especially if the outdoor polar bear woodworking is required. Nice blog though, very informative. Thanks for sharing.

By: lou tuck

lou tuck — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:30:16 +0000

Hi Tom. Great blog as always.I am forever learning something here,thank you for that.But minus 16,ouch!

By: Tom Fidgen

Tom Fidgen — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:12:25 +0000

Thanks for the comments- I too found out the hard way years ago…the simple skewing action really helps to protect the face veneers and working out across the seam. Simple enough technique but if no one shows you then we’re all in the same boat…
cheers!

By: Torch02

Torch02 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:45:47 +0000

I appreciate the detail you’ve put into the full process. Most accounts I’ve seen of this process talk about applying a solid wood banding to the edge and planing it flush, but don’t go into the details of the techinques to avoid damaging the the plywood veneer. Previously I’ve gone down the block plane route, but run into trouble because I was planing along the glue joint, rather than across it.