Thickness of ply

[Matt_S]

Hi,

I wondered if someone could give me some adivce. I\\\'m building some units for a work room, a couple of chest of draw units with a desk panel suspended between the two so the whole thing can be closed up some what.

I wondered what thickness I should be considering for the chest carcass? Unit is approx 800mm wide by 700 tall and 650 deep, 18mm or 25mm?
Want it to be strong enough, equally though don\\\'t want it to be overly heavy!

thanks

 

[Scrit]

I'd go for 18mm - 25mm is much more expensive for a furniture piece. Have you considered how you are going to finish the edges and surfaces? Birch ply can be edge machined with a router and sanded to a reasonable surface, but far eastern ply almost always needs a solid wood lipping or veneer adding to make them acceptable.

I'd also consider using veneered MDF or chipboard and edging them with veneer tape or solid wood lipping - they will look pretty much like solid wood, will finish to a higher standard than most plywoods (which frequently have face veneer defects or patch repairs) and the cost won't be hugely different. And if cost is an issue, then the lowest cost option would be to use 18mm MDF and then paint it. MDF has the advantage of having no nasty splinters, unlike plywood, however the dust when you cut it can be a nuisance unless your saw has some form of vacuum cleaner attached to it.

I feel that plywood only really comes into its' own if absolute strength is required or you need to carry extremely high weights (on shelves) with reasonable deflection.

Scrit

 

[Matt_S]

Thanks for the advice, I had considered the veneered MDF, and havent completely ruled it out. I do like the look of ply when you can see the edge.

 

[Scrit]

You can get "plywood" edge banding called "Triplex" which looks like plywood. It's designed for use in kitchens, etc.

Scrit