Coop Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 My brother has been tasked with building this. Anyone kind enough to go to this site and view the different views and give their advice, would be appreciated. The question is in constructing the arched cabinet case itself. Would laminated hardwood be the only answer? Due to the depth, the mdf form would be a monster. I see that bendable ply is available but have never used it and it may be out of the $ question, even if it works for this application. Thanks for looking. https://www.burkedecor.com/products/tolle-cabinet-by-bd-studio 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 I’ve used the bendable ply @Coop but I’ve never applied veneer to it but I don’t see any reason it couldn’t be done after it was bent. Looking close at the pictures it appears that what they used was thin also, you can see blocking inside on the curve and at the corners and edges. I’m guessing a shallow rabbit on a frame and thin ply glued to it, I’ll look closer tomorrow, nice looking piece if done right 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Bending ply seems like the way to go. I've not attempted it on something that large, but it's easy to work with and can be veneered as long as it's applied to both sides evenly. I used it on the bow front cabinet I made a few years ago. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainjer Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 3 hours ago, treeslayer said: I’ve used the bendable ply @Coop but I’ve never applied veneer to it but I don’t see any reason it couldn’t be done after it was bent. Looking close at the pictures it appears that what they used was thin also, you can see blocking inside on the curve and at the corners and edges. I’m guessing a shallow rabbit on a frame and thin ply glued to it, I’ll look closer tomorrow, nice looking piece if done right I agree. The sides is thicker the curved top. I would bet the top is 1/4" or 2 layers 1/8" plywood that was bent. With 1/8" you can bend a 9" radius if you wet it. I pretty sure you can bend a 24" radius with 1/4 if you wet it. I built a teardrop trailer in 2005. On the Teardrop and Tiny Trailer forum there were lots of build with those tighter radiuses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 The arch might also be made like a segmented half-ring, with veneer over it. A staved half-ring would be quicker to build, but would expand in an opposing direction to the sides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 It's just time and forms. Many will pass on it for something more simple, challenge yourself.. Paint or stain? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Coop I used bendable ply on this armoire I made nearly 20 years ago. In this case it is just tacked on but could just have easily been captured in a shallow groove. FWIW this is about 1/8" - 3/32" ply and I glued canvas to the back side which helps keep it from cracking, it has held up very well over the years. Not sure where I read about using the canvas for the back but that worked out well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Coop - Bending ply comes in 4 x 8 and 8 x 4 sheets, depending on which direction you want it to bend. I've used ⅛", ¼" and ⅜". It's hard to tell from the interior photos if the canopy is thinner than the sides, but if not, he could easily laminate one piece of 3/8" ply to another. The important thing is simply to keep the alternating grain direction oriented so that he winds up with an odd number of plies overall, including the veneers. The bending ply can be sanded uniformly, removing an equal amount from each side to compensate for the veneer thickness, if necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 13 hours ago, Mick S said: Bending ply seems like the way to go. I've not attempted it on something that large, but it's easy to work with and can be veneered as long as it's applied to both sides evenly. I used it on the bow front cabinet I made a few years ago. Wow! Your project was perfection but, my favorite parts were all the clever jigs you used in this project. The dovetail jig was genius but, the jig that made my day was cutting the grooves in the curved drawer fronts I will steal this idea or some variation at some point. You inspire me with every project I've seen of yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Thank you, Dave. Very kind of you. I was just on Instagram reading a post by Michael Fortune in which he talks about people who influenced his approach to woodworking. One was, according to Fortune, a master at making jigs for executing complex tasks. I try to stress that to the people in my own classes. To me, it's a huge part of woodworking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 This isn't a small bend. It's large I believe 19" deep and ovef 8' long. This small stuff isn't comparable... From left to right is over 8' long. First problem. Seam it at the top? Change the radius configuration...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 This is the sort of stuff I would like to build in the future. It has a period taste. I agree with Billy that there's a seam at the top. You only have to build one form. Oak is a relatively inexpensive hardwood. I don't know how many cabinets the company plans to make but wouldn't it be more cost effective if it was laminated hardwood? It weighs almost 200lbs. What we should do is draw up a 3 view plan, bill of materials, etc. and post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted February 22, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 I gave brother the link to this sight to view y’all’s comments and all are appreciated! As he has never done veneering before and built this a couple of months ago (doors, jamb and casing) he has decided on oak bent lamination. Again, thanks all for responding. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Talented man, invite him to the forum @Coop I know I could learn from him 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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