Hardwood plywood solves a lot of woodworking problems. It provides large, stable panels without the expense or wood-movement concerns that can come with building the same parts from solid hardwood.
But plywood isn't always perfect right out of the sheet.
Sometimes only one face looks good. The species you want may be difficult to find in quality plywood. And thin plywood that's perfectly adequate for a small drawer bottom may not be stiff enough for a larger one.
Rather than choosing a different material, you can often modify the plywood to better suit the project. Here are three useful techniques.
1. Make Plywood with Two Good Faces
Most hardwood plywood has a clear hierarchy between its two faces. One side is intended to be seen, while the back may have a lower-quality veneer.
That's usually not a problem. The less-attractive face often ends up inside a cabinet, against a wall, or hidden behind a door.
But what happens when both sides of the panel are visible?
You can make your own two-sided panel.
Start with two pieces of thinner hardwood plywood and glue them back-to-back with the good faces facing outward.
Spread a thin, even layer of glue between the panels. Good glue coverage is important here because you don't want voids or bubbles trapped between the layers.
Then sandwich the assembly between several layers of MDF while the glue cures. The flat MDF cauls distribute the clamping pressure over the panel rather than concentrating it only beneath individual clamps.
Once the glue cures, you have a thicker, stable panel with an attractive hardwood face on both sides.
WOODSMITH TIP: Start Oversize. For a laminated panel like this, leaving the plywood slightly oversize before glue-up gives you the opportunity to trim the edges flush and cut the finished panel accurately afterward.
2. Make Your Own Hardwood Plywood with Veneer
Sometimes the problem isn't the back of the plywood — it's finding the face veneer you want in the first place.
That's what came up when building the drawer fronts shown here.
The drawer faces are surrounded by strips of bead molding. Making the drawer fronts from solid wood could create problems because seasonal expansion and contraction could open the molding joints.
A plywood core provides a more stable foundation.
But good-quality mahogany plywood can be difficult to find. Instead, start with Baltic birch plywood as the core and apply hardwood veneer to the face.
This approach offers another advantage: rather than being limited to whatever plywood is available, you can select high-quality veneer that complements the solid hardwood used elsewhere in the project.
The result combines the stability of plywood with the appearance of the hardwood you want.
3. Reinforce Thin Plywood Drawer Bottoms
Plywood is also a natural choice for drawer bottoms.
Unlike a traditional solid-wood bottom that needs room for seasonal wood movement, a 1⁄4" plywood bottom can be glued into the drawer front, back, and sides. Once glued in place, it becomes part of the drawer structure and contributes to the strength of the assembled box. But there's a limit.
A wide drawer or one intended to carry heavy items can cause a thin plywood bottom to sag — or potentially fail under enough weight.
The fix doesn't necessarily require rebuilding the drawer with thicker material.
Cut an auxiliary plywood bottom and glue it to the underside of the existing drawer bottom. The added layer brings the combined thickness close to 1⁄2" and provides additional stiffness and support.
This can be especially useful when you want the advantages of a thin bottom captured in grooves while still needing extra support across a larger span.
WOODSMITH TIP: Plan for the Load. Think about what the drawer will hold before settling on the bottom construction. A small drawer carrying lightweight items places very different demands on its bottom than a wide drawer filled with tools or other heavy objects.
Make Plywood Work for the Project
One of plywood's biggest advantages is its versatility. You don't have to accept the sheet exactly as it comes from the lumberyard.
When both sides will show, laminate two thinner sheets to create a panel with two attractive faces. If you can't find the hardwood plywood you want, apply a carefully selected veneer to a stable plywood core. And when a thin drawer bottom needs more support, reinforce it with a second layer underneath.
Each technique starts with ordinary plywood but adapts it to meet the appearance, stability, or strength requirements of the project.
Get More From Plywood in Your Workshop
The right plywood can make a project easier to build and improve the finished results. Learn more about choosing sheet goods, understanding plywood construction, and selecting the best material for cabinets, furniture, jigs, and other woodworking projects.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOOSING PLYWOOD → Choose the Right Sheet Good for the Job
