Plywood or Veneer

[wbarnes]

I’ll be building a double vanity in the not too distant future which raised some questions about material selection. Is veneered plywood essentially the same as buying veneer and applying it to a substrate in this application? Is there an advantage of one over the other aside from cost and time?

I can get 3/4 white oak ply from The Hardwood Store for $189 a sheet, while the white oak veneer I’m seeing online ranges from $50 - $125 for 4’ x 8’ ($90+ from reputable woodworking sites like Rockler and Woodcraft and around $50 from BORG and Amazon) plus whatever substrate I went with. It seems like the cost of veneer would make it prohibitive for use in this instance. Am I missing something?

If veneer truly is the superior product for this, can anyone point me to a good YouTube video or other place to learn good veneer techniques and tools required please?

 

[zdorsch]

I’m curious about the differences/advantages of one of the other as well.

When I priced veneer sheets, plywood comes out much cheaper and is less work! It seems like staring with plywood that has already been veneered on both sides would be much easier and with one sheet the grain matching would not be an issue.

 

[BKHam]

while hammer veneering is an option, not a very good one for large scale projects. I think you might have an issue with applying the veneer unless you have a large vac bag or other type of press. the work associated wtih that might be prohibitive.

 

[Roger45]

My take on when to veneer something or use a premier plywood is simply does my designer (wife) happy with the look of the plywood. I have used Oakwood Veneer to buy sheet of veneer that was peel and stiick and worked out just great. Example website: Veneer Sheets - All Veneer Species - Walnut Burl - Oakwood Veneer
The next step in the rabbit hole of veneers is web site: Joe Woodworker - Woodworking, Vacuum Pressing and Veneering Website he provides a lot of knowledge and everything you need to get started.

 

[old and in the way]

Will:

Unless you are set up to veneer, and have the tools and skill set to do so, you will be better off with buying the white oak plywood. You can buy white oak veneered plywood core or MDF core, cut your materials for your project, and move on. Some plywood retailers/wholesalers will have the end of the sheets marked such that you can buy sequenced sheets that will have the same veneer flitch used, so that the color and grain match from sheet to sheet.

Using available veneer sheets (Oakwood, et al) will require you to glue and press the sheets, and you will need to purchase the core material as well. Peel and stick veneer, or using contact cement to apply veneer, is fraught with problems, and many of those problems will manifest themselves during the finishing process of your project, especially on a vanity with its subsequently humid environment after installation.

The majority of projects I built as a cabinetmaker used "commodity" sheets from plywood vendors. Veneering is great if you can make it work, and I would use it for projects that needed something unique, such as walnut burl or quilted maple veneer, or a sketch face, or for work that was not flat or rectilinear. For those projects I would buy raw veneer flitches, match and cut them, tape them, and glue and press them in a vacuum frame press.

If you can find already veneered sheet material that serves your purpose, you will be ahead of the game by using that material. Hope this helps.

Tone

 

[Ricksmi]

while hammer veneering is an option, not a very good one for large scale projects. I think you might have an issue with applying the veneer unless you have a large vac bag or other type of press. the work associated wtih that might be prohibitive.

Don't forget that this was a common method of using veneers back in the day as the saying goes, regardless of whether you were making a dinning room table or a small keepsake box hammer veneering was the way to go. I have tried it many times and it is remarkable how well it works but it is a messy hide glue everywhere job.

 

[wbarnes]

Will:

Unless you are set up to veneer, and have the tools and skill set to do so, you will be better off with buying the white oak plywood. You can buy white oak veneered plywood core or MDF core, cut your materials for your project, and move on. Some plywood retailers/wholesalers will have the end of the sheets marked such that you can buy sequenced sheets that will have the same veneer flitch used, so that the color and grain match from sheet to sheet.

Using available veneer sheets (Oakwood, et al) will require you to glue and press the sheets, and you will need to purchase the core material as well. Peel and stick veneer, or using contact cement to apply veneer, is fraught with problems, and many of those problems will manifest themselves during the finishing process of your project, especially on a vanity with its subsequently humid environment after installation.

The majority of projects I built as a cabinetmaker used "commodity" sheets from plywood vendors. Veneering is great if you can make it work, and I would use it for projects that needed something unique, such as walnut burl or quilted maple veneer, or a sketch face, or for work that was not flat or rectilinear. For those projects I would buy raw veneer flitches, match and cut them, tape them, and glue and press them in a vacuum frame press.

If you can find already veneered sheet material that serves your purpose, you will be ahead of the game by using that material. Hope this helps.

Tone

Thanks for the detailed explanation. That was exactly my take on the situation and in general when veneer would be used (unique pattern, species, etc).

 

[Rwe2156]

Hey Will, I think you're right about the cost. A while back I did some shopping for 4x8 white oak sheet veneer and it was about the same as 3/4 ply at my distributor. Oakwoodveneer.com.

I've done some veneering but wouldn't consider myself an expert. I do not have a vac press. I agree with Rick, the only advantage I can see in veneering it yourself is grain selection, like the option of using figured grain for door panels.

If you did DIY it, you would veneer individual components, not a full sheet. As far as the set up, you don't need much if you use the hot iron/PVA method. It works very well. Oakwood has a video on this.

Another subject but you should give some thought to using ply for doors. It's a bit risky depending on the environment re: warping, especially in a high humidity environment like a bathroom.

A good rule of thumb is don't leave plywood hanging out in the air with no support. The best approach is to make frame and panel doors of solid wood and use 1/4" hardwood for the panels. You can do shaker panels with just a table saw or router. With some practice and dialing in the cope joints, it's pretty easy to make a door.

 

[whitecrane8]

+1 for the PVA and hot iron process. VASTLY easier than contact adhesive. For plain face veneer, hardwood plywood is probably competitive. Given that you are making a "show" piece of furniture, you should at least review your options. The very best, unusual and figured wood is always going to end up in veneer, not on a commercial 4'x8' sheet of plywood