Baltic Birch vs Phenolic - Shop Furniture


Chris H

Recommended Posts

I am currently in the process of having a new stand alone shop built.  As a result I will need to build a ton of shop cabinets/carts/benches/etc.

I am trying to decide between baltic birch plywood or phenolic plywood.  The structure of the two are very similar, the big difference is the face veneer.  In Phenolic it is a hard plastic like material (similar to a laminate counter top).  The cost is also significantly different (BB~$80/sheet, Phen~$50/sheet).  There is likely an opportunity for negotiation on both when buying by the pallet, but I am curious if others have much experience with both?  

 

The biggest downside I can think of for the phenolic, is that you lose the ability to glue up on the face veneer.  I will primarily cut dados/rabbets into slots for construction anyway, so that negates most of the concern there.  The phenolic is a much more durable surface, so that is a plus for work surfaces, but not really necessary for the cabinetry.  

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations between these two products?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you planned on doing any face frames on the cabinets you may, as you mentioned have a problem with the phenolic and glue adhesion.  Also will you get chipping when you cut your dados, and rabbets.  I know that usually where those cuts are, they don't show but...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was actually turned onto it when I used a scrap of it from a concrete form for an extended re-saw fence for my old band saw.  It's quality is actually pretty comparable to BB.  I don't know if I used this brand or not though.  Have you had any experience with it, to cause concern about quality?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Chris H said:

I was actually turned onto it when I used a scrap of it from a concrete form for an extended re-saw fence for my old band saw.  It's quality is actually pretty comparable to BB.  I don't know if I used this brand or not though.  Have you had any experience with it, to cause concern about quality?

 

No specific experience, was just concerned about the description.  Although seeing that its 11 ply, its likely better than I thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you use a blade for two-sided laminates, you should be able to cut it without chipping. Conformant screws hold like crazy and Titebond 3 will give some hold on plastic surfaces. It seems to eat into the surface a bit. Phenolic is wear resistant too. I would try some and see how you like it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used other ply by the Tigerform brand and i don't remember being all that impressed by it. Beings that it's special order is unfortunate. Could you order just 1 sheet to see if you like it before committing to a stack? If it was tigerform aka tigerply I'd go BB instead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/10/2016 at 8:13 AM, Chestnut said:

I've used other ply by the Tigerform brand and i don't remember being all that impressed by it. Beings that it's special order is unfortunate. Could you order just 1 sheet to see if you like it before committing to a stack? If it was tigerform aka tigerply I'd go BB instead.

I can, and have.  There is a $15 charge per order, so spreading over a pallet, is very minimal, but on a sheet or two, it's not inconsequential.  That said, even at $15 per sheet, it's cheaper than BB, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  

 

I'll try and report back once I have given it a test drive.  My shop isn't erected yet, so it will be a month or so.

 

Thanks for all the feedback.  Much appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It arrived today.  Overall I was very impressed with the packaging, the faces are flawless (Other than dusty).  Clearly, the packaging is what the service charge is for (two usable bead board panels on top and bottom).  Boards are in good shape.  The edges aren't perfect, but honestly it is consistent with most plywood, especially from a big box retailer.  

I will trim the edges anyway, so no real concern there.  

It'll be a while before I actually get to building with it, but I'll keep this thread updated if anyone is interested in the product.

 

IMG_1234.JPG

IMG_1233.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Autorotate, there's nothing I don't like about your shop, well, maybe the spotlessly clean floors?, even the Orange wall is cool! In the first pic, right below the top of your outfeed table, is that a crosscut sled and the curved block, protection from the blade?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On March 18, 2016 at 9:45 PM, K Cooper said:

Autorotate, there's nothing I don't like about your shop, well, maybe the spotlessly clean floors?, even the Orange wall is cool! In the first pic, right below the top of your outfeed table, is that a crosscut sled and the curved block, protection from the blade?

Thanks Cooper, Yes I glued the block on the back side of my cross cut sled for a blade guard. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.