Chris H Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 I'm not familiar with the phenolic ply's quality but know b/b is pretty good stuff. With that said, I really like the look of the phenolic ply. It would look pretty cool as cabinets and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I think you would be extremely disappointed with the phenolic! Reading the description it's intended use is for concrete forms. I do not believe the quality of this would be very good for shop furniture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Coming from schools with furniture made completely of melamine, I cannot see the negativity toward phenolic. It would not be a traditional build but is certainly doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Autorotate Posted March 11, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I have used both in my shop. I started out using it for the top of my table saw out feed table. Because of Its really slick surface the wood slides easily over it. I also used it for all my drawer fronts. After the out feed table I decided to carry it over to other shop furniture so it matched. If you use it just make sure to bevel the edges because the phenolic edges are really sharp. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I haven't used it in the shop, but the durability of phenolic is really impressive. A family member build a deck out of the stuff, and even in the pacific northwest wet, its held up for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Autorotate, Did you use the Tigerform brand of Phenolic Plywood? It's special order only, so I don't want to order a pallet only to find out it's junk. I can't really find many reviews of the product online at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel.F Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I was having the same dilemma. Thanks for the insight guys. Marcel--- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autorotate Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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