Blockboard vs plywood

[Hornbeam]

I am just starting a full kitchen refit using oak veneered board which will be fully lipped.
Normally I would use double sided veneered ply but have been offered 3 options
veneered birch which is definitely the best but 50% more than anything else
veneered malayan ply. appears Ok but some voids so concerned these may show through face veneer
veneered blockboard. Never used it before. How dimensionally stable is it . Is it ok to lip it across the end grain of the blocks
Any comments appreciated
Ian

 

[MikeG.]

Blockboard is what old drawing boards were made out of, and dimensional stability was critical there. However, that went out of favour years ago, and I'd be extremely cautious of a new modern blockboard. I take it you're trying to avoid MDF?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Blockboard or laminboard, Mike? I've yet to see flat piece of blockboard.

 

[MikeG.]

Blockboard.

 

[Bodgers]

Blockboard is what old drawing boards were made out of, and dimensional stability was critical there. However, that went out of favour years ago, and I'd be extremely cautious of a new modern blockboard. I take it you're trying to avoid MDF?

Blockboard is what old drawing boards were made out of, and dimensional stability was critical there. However, that went out of favour years ago, and I'd be extremely cautious of a new modern blockboard. I take it you're trying to avoid MDF?

I see Craig Thibodeau, a guy who builds a lot of ultra high end stuff in California uses it quite a bit as a substrate. Hardwood faces with softwood block core.

I've used it once for an integrated sewing desk across a long stretch, primarily because it was light and very rigid. I laminated thin Oak veneer plywood to the top.

The quality was ok as well - not amazing, but it was consistent and very usable. I bought it from Hanson Plywood.

No doubt there is patchy stuff being sold, but I'd definitely consider it again for when you need long stretches and need to keep weight down.

 

[Mike Jordan]

I use a lot of block board and find it largely stable. It's usually stored flat so the top sheet tends to be out of shape perhaps because of moisture differences in each face. I suggest that this is the most satisfactory type of lipping.[attachment=0]image.

 

[AndyT]

To save this thread veering off into "you can't get blockboard now" we covered some of that ground here
what-is-this-engineered-wood-called-t115879.html

 

[Hornbeam]

Andy it is definitely blockboard, similar to Mike jordans picture. Available from Potters in Nantwich.
Dont want to use mdf as it is very water sensitive
My gut feeling is to go with the more expensive birch core ply as the cost doesnt seem that much after you factor in £1200 for worktops and £600 for splash backs
ian

 

[Mike Jordan]

My current supplier is Brooks Bros, Nottingham.I understand that they have branches through the country.

 

[Mike Jordan]

The pros and cons of block board to my mind are - -the blocks tend to telegraph through the outer veneers and give a slight wave effect to the veneered surface, the larger the size of the blocks, the greater the effect. This problem has always been apparent even in past years when the core was made of hardwood,now it's "gone green" with softwood core material the effect is probably a little more pronounced.
It's a good reason not to use a high gloss finish that exaggerates the visual effect.
As with plywood, It's possible to find sheets with glue lines that ruin TCT router cutters in short order.
On the plus side it's real wood not weetabix/ formaldehyd in a toxic mix, lighter in weight and much less likely to sag than MDF.
I use veneered MDF for panels inside small doors since I can't buy ply with veneers on both faces locally. The advent of the CNC machine to cut sheet materials seems to have made veneered MDF more popular since the lack of glue lines is easier on the cutter edges. The ultimate horror in boat furnishings must be the use of veneered MDF without edge lippings but with proudly moulded edges showing off the core material

 

[ED65]

While we're on the subject of blockboard, could anyone weigh in on whether stuff with gaps between the staves is just low-end product, was this a common thing in previous years, anything?

Sorry no pics but I saw a vintage desk a long while ago, possibly from the late 70s or 80s, and the thing that made me check around the back was a pronounced washerboard effect on the top. Sure enough it was blockboard as the texture had made me suspect. But there were small gaps between the (softwood) core pieces, which I imagine made the problem a lot worse than it would have been otherwise.