# Newbie - Display cabinet plywood advice



## geeksy (9 Apr 2021)

Greetings all,
Newbie here, looking to learn woodworking and DIY. I am planning to build a storage/display cabinet for my living room, with 18mm plywood using pocket jig holes. Glass doors with 12mm plywood for the casing. Any ply cuts will be covered by edge banding or decorative wood panels/moulding. Finally, the entire structure will be painted and glossed, ideally using wood finish and gloss oil based polyeurethane.

I was looking at Birch plywood but due to the cost and being newbie, I want to try start with a low cost budget. Came across General Purpose Hardwood Plywood from Selco and they can cut to the measurements as I need.

Can I please get your opinion of this plywood, does it fit my needs or should I stick to Birch or any other suggestions welcome.

*Edit - There won't be any heavy stuff in the cabinet, very light weight. Although I may add a layer of architrave on top for style 
Thanks in advance.

Raj


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## robgul (9 Apr 2021)

The key thing to look for is the number of "plys" there are - the better the quality the more, thinner, ply layers and the more stable it is. From what I've seen Birch ply usually has about 40% more plys than "ordinary" plywood. The way that the cheaper ordinary stuff cuts isn't usually as crisp as Birch. 

Given you're going to edge band and paint finish you'll probably get away with the cheap stuff - but if it was me I'd get a small sheet of the ordinary and try it out with cutting and pocket holes (I assume it'll be 18mm you'll use - thinner than that and pocket holes are very iffy.


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## geeksy (9 Apr 2021)

Thanks Rob. Just made a trip to the store and looked at the ply, there were few dents and scratches, would need fair bit of filling and sanding. so changed my mind and came back. Birch it is then


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## robgul (9 Apr 2021)

geeksy said:


> Thanks Rob. Just made a trip to the store and looked at the ply, there were few dents and scratches, would need fair bit of filling and sanding. so changed my mind and came back. Birch it is then



Be interested to know what you pay for and 8 x 4 of 18mm Birch (and which grade it is - various combination of letters denote for front, back or both sides)


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## geeksy (9 Apr 2021)

I have been quoted £65 incl VAT for 18mm 8x4 sheet B/BB, haven't seen the product yet. May pop in tomorrow to buy


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## Rorton (9 Apr 2021)

£41.40 for 18 x 2440 x 1220mm Birch Plywood BB/BB EN314-2 / EN636-2S from one of my local yards


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## Junah (9 Apr 2021)

Rorton said:


> £41.40 for 18 x 2440 x 1220mm Birch Plywood BB/BB EN314-2 / EN636-2S from one of my local yards


Is that for one sheet including VAT or a quantity, seems very reasonable. They come in 5ftx5ft sheets around here for some reason and I paid about £60 for one sheet 6 months ago.


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## geeksy (9 Apr 2021)

Rorton said:


> £41.40 for 18 x 2440 x 1220mm Birch Plywood BB/BB EN314-2 / EN636-2S from one of my local yards


That is a very good price indeed, nothing in Manchester I can find for that price sadly


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## Rorton (9 Apr 2021)

yeah single sheet incl VAT - its £34.50 plus vat for a single sheet
12mm is 26.50 + vat
24mm 61.10 + vat

they do cuts too, I usually get them cut into manageable sizes to get in the car (600x1200) unless making something bigger


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## robgul (10 Apr 2021)

Plywood is a real jungle with letters delineating the quality - whether knots are visible, how big the knots are, whether there are patched areas etc - the pdf document attached from Lathams is a pretty good reference (and some cool ply projects too)

Unless I have absolute confidence in the supplier I'll always go and select my sheets at the supllier's yard. 

[Some unscrupulous suppliers that sell online have been known to sand off the grade markings and stamp new ones . . . ]


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## geeksy (10 Apr 2021)

Thanks all


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## recipio (10 Apr 2021)

Have you considered MR MDF. ? It will give a far better painted finish than plywood for probably half the price. Putting a solid wood lip on any panel product will also give a stronger and better looking edge. Shelves are less likely to sag. It seems a shame to buy a premium product like Baltic ply and then paint over it.


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## Tugalis (10 Apr 2021)

The 5 x 5 sheets are laminated with an internal glue, the 8 x 4s use an external rated glue, for those that are interested. The main issue with the cheaper grades of plywood are they have a tendency to have voids or glue spots on the inner layers which can cause issues when you come to finish the work. Birch is great as it should have zero voids. Hardwood faced is a great option, its fairly strong and usually has a poplar core which means its nice and lightweight. 

If you are planning on painting the boards then you might be better off using MR MDF as per recipio's comment. Its great to machine and works really well for cabinetry. In fact, the only reason we use Birch ply when building a cabinet is if we are staining or clear coating it, the rest of the time we will use MR MDF, as long as weight isn't an issue as it can be quite heavy. It would be easier in terms of the prep work before you paint as well, less sanding. Worth a thought.


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## geeksy (12 Apr 2021)

Thanks Recipio and Tugalis, will check out MR MDF. Although I prefer it be light weight, not absolutely necessary so might have a look at it.


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## TheTiddles (24 Apr 2021)

Ply will be heavier than MDF. If you really want it light then poplar ply is the way to go


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