Building a built-in bookcase from laminated sheets of baltic birch plywood
alexheald
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I have a client who wants a paint grade bookcase with the look of thick (1.5″ to 2″) vertical and horizontal members (all fixed shelves) but without a face frame. I plan to join all parts with dominoes.
I would like to build it out of plywood and am considering screwing together 2 sheets of ¾” or 1″ baltic birch for all the components. I’d then add ⅛” poplar edgebanding to all showing edges for painting purposes. I think this should work, my only question is if I should have a third, central layer sandwiched between the 2 thicker layers of plywood to balance it out and prevent bowing along the length. I know that plywood is constructed of an odd number of plys for this reason, so the thought comes to mind…
Thoughts?
Replies
Depends on the span of the shelves. But one option to keep it to the two 3/4 plys, I have routed each of the plys half the thickness of new steel form stakes use stakes that are almost the length of the shelf. One near the front and one near the back. I would glue using Gorilla glue and clamp overnight. I would also glue a piece of solid 3/4 stock to the front of shelf instead of edgebanding.
I’d give your client the full 2”. Two 1/2” pieces of Baltic birch. On the front miter a 2” piece for the edge. On the edges that don’t show use a 1” strip between. This is after all paint grade. You can fill any minor imperfections. Or use MDF