RE: Rebuilding a cabinet

Jim,

In my area of the country (Maryland), the big box home improvement stores
sell something they call SANDED PLY. It is plywood, usually available in .5
and .75 inch thicknesses, and has one side of it sanded a lot smoother then
your usual plywood. And it was only about $22 for 4x4x3/4 last time I
checked, but that was about 6 mos ago.

Good luck with this, and let me know how your project goes. I am
threatening to do the same with one of my games.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-vectorlist@vectorlist.org
[mailto:owner-vectorlist@vectorlist.org]On Behalf Of EvilJim
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 3:12 PM
To: vectorlist@vectorlist.org
Subject: Re: VECTOR: Rebuilding a cabinet

Sounds like about what I expected, given my own experiences with
different wood products. I expect I will end up with ply, as I don't
want to build something that is in danger every time it is moved or
anything is moved around it.

Thnx for your insights.

Malcolm Mackenzie wrote:
> Jim,
>
> I feel your pain. Having restored a number of cabinets, both particle
> board and plywood as well as buiding a few from MDF from scratch, I
> have some opinions.
>
> I'm assuming that originality is not your primary concern. Here is
> how I feel about the possible choices:
>
> MDF:
>
> Pros: Cheap, requires very little finishing for a flat surface, cuts
> easily. There are now MDF veneers available that have a thin layer of
> real wood on the outside that can be stained too look like more
> expensive plywood veneer.
>
> Cons: HEAVY, does not hold screws well, deforms easily on edges when
> bumped, splits easily, swells when exposed to moisture
>
> Particle Board:
>
> Pros: Cheap, cuts easily, holds screws relatively well
>
> Cons: HEAVY, Hard to get a smooth surface when painting, breaks easily
> on corners etc, swells when exposed to moisture (including paint if
> you're not careful).
>
> Melamine:
>
> Pros: Don't have to paint it! Otherwise the same as PB.
>
> Cons: Easily scratched, difficult to cut without chipping exterior
> surface, can't use wood glue, textrure can show though applied side
> art. Otherwise same as PB
>
> Plywood (I'm talking about cabinet grade maple or similar, not
> exterior grade):
>
> Pros: Much lighter than any of the other materials, stronger, holds
> screws well, not as fragile on corners, not subject to swelling, glues
> well.
>
> Cons: More expensive, reqires more effort to get a smooth finish.
>
> My own prefference is to use plywood. Once you've tried to move a 4x8
> sheet of PB you'll appreciate plywood. -Malcolm
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Received on Wed Sep 26 16:26:44 2007