Using Birch for Bookshelves

[djkert]

Hello,

I'd like to use some Birch Plywood from HD to build bookshelves. I like the look of the grain and was planning on an oil (or gel stain) finish.

My question is, I rarely hear about Birch being used for furniture except for the insides. Is there a reason for this? Do most people not like the look of Birch? Will I have a problem working with it? etc.

thanks,
Dennis

[cgallery]

The largest problem I have w/ birch is the splintering. Be careful when sanding near the edges, as the sandpaper can grab an edge and lift it quite easily.

[jon_ramp]

Just curious as I may soon be doing the same thing… are you going to use clear pine or something else for trim/accents to the plywood? Will they look nearly the same once the finish is applied?

[djkert]

Just curious as I may soon be doing the same thing… are you going to use clear pine or something else for trim/accents to the plywood? Will they look nearly the same once the finish is applied?

Either select pine or maple. The guy at the lumber yard says maple is a pretty good match, but pine would be cheaper. Haven't seen them side by side though.

[djkert]

The largest problem I have w/ birch is the splintering. Be careful when sanding near the edges, as the sandpaper can grab an edge and lift it quite easily.

You know, I just had this problem on my last project with red oak? Thought it was cheap router bits. Can someone confirm if it was the oak or the router bits? Save me some money on having to replace the bits.

[cgallery]

You know, I just had this problem on my last project with red oak? Thought it was cheap router bits. Can someone confirm if it was the oak or the router bits? Save me some money on having to replace the bits.

Not an expert, but these are my observations:

(1) Birch: Prone to splitting with the grain (especially plywood) when sawing on my table saw (the sharper the blade, the less splitting). But my router bits seem to machine it pretty nicely (not too much tearout).

(2) Oak: Doesn't split when sawing, but does tend to tear-out when machining w/ router bits.

In the case of oak, multiple light cuts w/ the router helps reduce tearout, as does a moderated feed rate.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

My question is, I rarely hear about Birch being used for furniture except for the insides. Is there a reason for this? Do most people not like the look of Birch? Will I have a problem working with it? etc.

thanks,
Dennis

It is not very inspiring for most folks. No figure, grain or interesting color to speak of. This of course may fit you needs nicely. A lot of "purist" don't like to stain wood. The arguement would be made that whatever color you are using, then use the corresponding wood and skip the stain. Example : If you are using a walnut stain, then use walnut wood instead of birch with stain. More depth, interesting grain, etc. Not saying those folks are right, but just more of a matter of preference.

I have not had a problem with birch tear out on table saw. I have not had a problem with birch tear out with router (though all I have ever used on any sheet goods is whiteside dado bits which are superior bits). As noted it is easy to lift the veneer away from the edges. It is also easy to sand through any veneered plywood.

Good luck and use what you like. If you are a beginner, then using a $35 sheet of Birch beats a $120 sheet of walnut!

[Tequila]

I've made an armoire out of HD birch ply with a maple face frame. The match is excellent, so no worries there.

The birch definitely doesn't have much figure, but that's what I wanted in the piece, so it works out just fine. You can get some figured maple if you want to add some interest to the piece.

[djkert]

The birch definitely doesn't have much figure, but that's what I wanted in the piece, so it works out just fine. You can get some figured maple if you want to add some interest to the piece.

What do you mean by figure? The pattern of the grain?

[LinuxRandal]

Also, part of the reason for the splintering, is the borg plywood tends to have a thinner veneer then your real lumberyard. However you do have a price difference. (why most of us learn with the borg). There are tricks to help minimize tearout, but I've heard both positive and negative about them, and have been using a gcss more on plywood. (guided circular saw system)

Yes, figure means the grain.

[drumpriest]

I have used birch ply on a few projects, mainly because I found some spalted birch ply in the stack, so I bought a few sheets.

The figure is indeed referring to the grain pattern. Birch can often be fairly bland when compared to figured maple, for instance. Spalted birch has a striking figure that I like. Sometimes though, you are after a figure that is more muted. Also, if you are facing your shelves with some other wood, perhaps it's what gets the attention.

[jking]

I made some display shelves several years ago for the store where my wife worked at the time. I found the birch plywood to be pretty easy to work with; I don't remember any splintering problems (I used a circ. saw & taped the cut line). I finished it with just spray lacquer & thought it turned out nice. It was fairly straight grained birch ply, not much figure. I thought it looked fairly close to straight grained maple.

If you're looking for a plain shelf (nothing fancy) I'd recommend trimming the edges with maple iron on banding (short shelf spans) or straight grained solid maple. It should match up pretty well.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Due to so many recommendations for trimming with maple, I thought I would advise that Lowes has 4 x 8 sheet of maple on one side and birch on the other. You could use maple on the outside and face the birch on the inside of the cabinet, giving you an exact match.

As far as the thickness of veneers, I find that cherry and walnut sheet goods are as thin, if not thinner than the Lowes red oak veneer. Of course that is not comparing apples to apples, as the lumber yards veneer may be thicker on red oak. However, on those very expensive sheets of cherry and walnut that I have used the veneer was possibly thinner than the red oak from big box stores. Quite honestly I don't see how it can really matter. As noted be careful sanding edges and you should be good to go. Use a sharp blade meant for cutting sheet goods and you should be fine on any tear out issues. Taping the cut line is also an excellent suggestion, but one I have never had to do.

[BrazosJake]

I've used the heck out of birch ply and solid birch, love it.

My first (and overly ambitious) WW project was a massive built-in amoire using birch ply from the BORG. Maple is a good match, but I face-framed it with solid 4/4 birch. Since I was running short on wood, I made an arched top for the frame from plywood and veneered it with some face-matched pieces from a nicely-figured piece of birch. Turned out pretty nice considering how little I knew.

Also built a train table for my son using birch ply top (the chinese stuff) and solid birch molding and legs.

I disagree about birch as uninspiring, I find the figure in the heartwood/sapwood contrast beautiful. It also machines quite easily and takes stains well. Unfortunately, LOML insisted the amoire match the faux-cherry blinds so everything got finished in Watco cherry, which works very well, if not especially durable. Both the ply and the solid wood took it very well. Be careful with BORG birch ply, the veneer is extremely thin and it can't take much sanding.

FWIW, if you can find it, solid birch typically costs a shade less than maple and is a bit softer. The two go well together since they're both diffuse pourus.