I'm in the midst of a new sideboard style project. It will have a maple ply carcasse with Sapele tabletop, drawer faces and framing. Sapele is fairly expensive ~$4.5 / BF for 4/4 stock. I didn't really consider solid wood construction partly because of stability, mostly because of perceived cost considerations. I'm estimating the cost of materials for this project at ~$300. This doesn't include consumables I already have like Dominoes, finish products, metal for legs, glass for door faces... etc.
I was thinking how much the project would have cost if I had chosen to go solid wood and I discovered that it would have been fairly equitable! Wow, I hadn't even considered how expensive quality plywood is. I may reconsider my construction materials in the future. I guess I just assumed that solid wood construction would be much more cost prohibitive. Actually, never really figured it out before.
I was thinking how much the project would have cost if I had chosen to go solid wood and I discovered that it would have been fairly equitable! Wow, I hadn't even considered how expensive quality plywood is. I may reconsider my construction materials in the future. I guess I just assumed that solid wood construction would be much more cost prohibitive. Actually, never really figured it out before.