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I am in the process of making a bedroom set with 2 dressers and 2 nightstands, 3/4 inch plywood boxes with 1/4 inch plywood on the back and drawers on the front. I am almost ready to work on the top. What are the pros and cons of making the top out of solid plywood with edging vs. solid hardwood. And If I do use the solid wood, what is the best way to fasten it to the plywood box?
Jay
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(11-27-2018, 11:52 PM)jvanbrecht Wrote: I prefer solid wood, easier to round the edges. I find plywood with edging leaves sharper edges, and for me at least, the banding eventually peels off, but that may have sometime to do with my crappy gluing skills....
As for attaching, I'm lazy, and use screws, or dowels and glue.
I am also concerned about the expansion and contraction with the solid wood tops.
Jay
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I like solid wood tops for their durability. Even when the face veneer is something like red oak, they are typically very thin and the lower layers are very soft, so plywood dents easier.
Solid tops are also easier to fix/refinish, too. My wife's perfume bottle leaked on a dresser I made and distorted the finish a little. At some point I won't be worried if I have to sand it down to bare wood. We had a car air freshener leak on some hall table with a plywood top and the veneer delaminated in that spot
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I'd do solid wood for the top, and attach it as you would a small table top etc. Elongated holes, Z clips, wooden "buttons" etc. There are various "tried and true" methods for attaching solid wood tops, just pick one.
If you are in a stable climate, then movement might not be enough to worry about, but I'd account for it anyway. Weather app on my phone says it's 87% here at the moment, so I tend to allow for some movement, in case it drops down to 60% for some reason.
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I'd go solid wood as well in this case. my favorite way to fasten them is elongated holes in the carcase, then wood screws into the top. I use elongated washers under the screw, but a lot of folks just use washer head screws.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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You don't have to use edge banding for a plywood top. You can apply solid wood moulding around the edges. That said, I prefer a solid top. A solid wood top will have more movement than a plywood top, but it will also tolerate dings and scratches better from a repair perspective. The veneer on most commercial plywood is so thin, it doesn't take much to scratch through the veneer or sand through it during a repair. FWIW, there's a lot of commercial furniture out there with plywood tops capped with a veneer. Especially if it's mahogany or some exotic wood.
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Allan Hill
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I am currently making an Enfield cabinet from cherry ply. The sides, shelves, and back are ply. The face frame and door are solid cherry. The top is a piece of ply that will be glued and brad nailed to the top. The edges of the top will be hidden by solid cherry molding. The cherry ply I am working with has pretty solid veneer so I am not too worried about damage to it. I did make some night tables to match the other bedroom furniture and used ply for the box and solid for the top, so I have done it both ways.
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I've used both materials in construction. It just depends on my particular design. Because I live in WA where the temperature and humidity varies but little through the year I don't need to take many precautions in the design and none when using plywood. With nightstands I probably wouldn't be concerned with wood movement since the width of the top isn't likely to be large enough and if you finish both sides you will mitigate moisture absorption. For the dresser it may be easiest to make some blocks or brackets with oversize holes or slots. You can find a calculator on line and estimate the amount of expected movement for your region and design accordingly.
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Solid wood will look much better, easier to repair, and provide a more durable surface, IMO.
Plywood will be quicker, potentially flatter depending on your tools/abilities, and probably cheaper. Attaching plywood to the base won’t have to account for wood movement as much.
Corner blocks with elongated holes in the corner blocks, a wood screw and oversized standard washer would work just fine for attaching either plywood or a solid wood top to the base. There are many ways to attach top. Figure 8 retainers are another simple way to attach it.
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The main advantage to plywood is you don't worry about movement, or gluing up a panel.
But IMO that's a very minor advantage compared to the "cheap furniture" look a plywood top will have.
That said, if you don't have the wherewithall or experience to do panel work, plywood with a uniform grain will look ok.
The edge banding can be enhanced with an inlay along the glue line.
If you go with plywood, I recommend tempered glass over the top.
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