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I build a fair number of cabinets along with my other house building and project management duties.
Most of the cases I build are maple ply and drawer boxes are solid poplar with 1/4 bottoms.
Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about lower cost options for cases and esp. for drawers. I really like the look of the 9-ply baltic birch when done right but can’t for the life of me figure out how to cut a 5’x5′ sheet and not end up with a bunch of useless size scrap and scrap with the grain going the wrong way.
Would somebody who is much smarter and more efficent than I am please tell me how to get the most out of a 5×5, seeing how they are sold almost totally for cabinet work, or am I doomed to muscle the 4×8’s in my little shop.
Thanks, PB
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PB,
I build all of my cabinet drawers out of 9 ply baltic birch. What I usually do is start with cutting the largest dimensioned drawers first and then work my way down to the smallest. Sometimes I try to do a multiple of the drawer depth and downsize my sheet for better handleability. On the average I probably end up with no more than 10%waste, and usually I save those pieces for jigs.
The ideal thing to have when figuring how to cut would be a panel optimizer that you could run through the computer; however, for what they cost I think I'll stick to my present technique.
How thick is the poplar that you use? I usually don't like to use anything over 1/2" thick. I could get 5/4 poplar, but then I would have to resaw and surface which would add in more labor. I really like the baltic birch, and when dovetailed it looks great.
Frank
*Hey Phats,We use the 4x4's 9ply Baltic (Finland, Russian birch or what ever they call it this week). It seems to go a lot further with less waste. We do just like Frank does....big drawers down to small. You could spend a lifetime trying to schedule cuts per sheet. Sometimes we need one more sheet, and sometimes we have one too many sheets. How many sheets to order is a gut thing with me. I usually figure about six average drawers per sheet, not counting the 1/4" bottoms. But it depends on the size of the drawers. If you can figure out some sorta formula for this, you have way too much time on your hands.Ed.
*Frank,I use 5/8 new poplar for most drawers these days and butt joint the corners with counter-sunk screws, covered with contrasting colored plugs like cherry or walnut. Looks good and ends up strong. Dovetails really get expensive with my set-up but I do get to make them once and awhile.Getting drawers from a 5x5 isn't too bad, it's the case parts that seem to eat it in odd bites. I don't seem to have enough drawers to use up all the fall-off from the sides, floor, top, and shelves.BeWell, PB
*Excuse my language, but you know what really pisses me off?Here in North America we have such a great tradition of wood craft and wood products, yet we cannot get good furniture grade plywood made here at reasonable prices!I'm not a protectionist or anything, but we should be able to get Baltic birch ply quality product from our mills here. Even the boat supply shops are carrying some domestic mahogany ply. Every supplier I check with in reasonable distance quotes me outrageously expensive 5x5 sheets from overseas. I don't use enough to go justify mail order purchases for a couple sheets at a time. I guess I will just spend the money on solid maple from a local mill.
*Ed, we don't seem to have 4' baltic birch. or is it that my plywood man actually hates me and will only give up the 5' stock to make life that much harder.
*Rein,domestic mahogany ply?Where are there mahogany trees in North Am. ???PB
*My boat builder buddy swore he was getting Texas mahogany, then agian he has been playing with a lot of toxic resins. I'll check with him next time I see him.
*mmmmmmresinstinnnnnky !
*Here in Boston we get Apple Ply, an American version of baltic birch (et al) that comes in nice, traditional 4x8 sheets, for about the same price per sq ft as bb, and it's faced in maple which looks nicer than birch in my opinion. I wouldn't waste money using it for cases, though, 7-ply 3/4" birch is fine by me. mike
*we get apple ply out here in LA too-used to get baltic birch in 8 X 4 sheets(the grain ran the short way) Seems the price on the Baltic has dropped alot- 15 to 20 a sheet for bb-bb
*In the aftermath of a serious hurricane a few years back, an aquaintence in Florida picked up a couple of thousand mature "cuban" mahogany logs off the streets, not just for free, he was paid by the state to pick them up. He said the toughest part was to keep the regular road crews from turning them into firewood with their chainsaws and splitters before he could get his rented cranes to them.
*Here in LA we have suppliers that sell 4x8 sheets of 1/2" baltic birch, 7 ply, which is prefinished (clear lacquer). It is nice stuff for drawers.Most of the time I just get 1/2" drawer stock (maple, prefinished) at about $1 a foot, in 8' lengths.
*Scooter- when you use the pre-finished ply how do you treat the top raw edge?
*Slap some brushable lacquer on it or band it. Gotta love plywood for utility or kitchen cabinets!
*Scooter- where abouts in LA are you?I'm in Torrance- eastside torrance bratha-
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I build a fair number of cabinets along with my other house building and project management duties.
Most of the cases I build are maple ply and drawer boxes are solid poplar with 1/4 bottoms.
Lately, however, I've been thinking about lower cost options for cases and esp. for drawers. I really like the look of the 9-ply baltic birch when done right but can't for the life of me figure out how to cut a 5'x5' sheet and not end up with a bunch of useless size scrap and scrap with the grain going the wrong way.
Would somebody who is much smarter and more efficent than I am please tell me how to get the most out of a 5x5, seeing how they are sold almost totally for cabinet work, or am I doomed to muscle the 4x8's in my little shop.
Thanks, PB