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From the Plykea website: "we prefer to celebrate the beauty of the plywood edges" Am I missing something? Did they seal them with epoxy? Because plywood edges

From the Plykea website: "we prefer to celebrate the beauty of the plywood edges" Am I missing something? Did they seal them with epoxy? Because plywood edges are notorious for taking in water and turning it into a swelling, rotting, falling-apart mess. If I'm making a counter top or low kitchen cabinet, I'm using solid wood or an alternative (preferably of whatever's at the local reclaimed building materials store) For those into DIY, if you're going to remodel an entire kitchen, it's not hard to make your own wood faces of any size. You do need to buy a few tools, but they're tools you can keep using for decades. A circular saw, some pipe clamps and pipes, wood glue, a saw track, sandpaper + sanding block, and lots of 2x4s, are enough to make anything from dining tables to doors to kitchen counter tops to cabinet doors.

operatingthetan 4y ago
See Kerf for a cabinet maker that uses a lot of europly/appleply with exposed edges: https://www.instagram.com/kerfdesign https://www.instagram.com/kerfdesign
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  Japanese DIY speaker-builders love the exposed ply-edge thing. Maybe a sign of the times we live in when a multi-ply plywood means quality (as opposed to particle board, low-ply construction plywood ... OSB?)
samwillis 4y ago
We went exposed edges, and finished with Osmo (https://osmouk.com/ https://osmouk.com/) works really well. It's not like it's being rained on like outside, if your cabinets are getting wet enough for that to happen the chipboard carcasses with blow out first. Baltic birch also tends to use an exterior grade adhesive for gluing the layers together. 100% agree on the tools, I brought a track saw for the project. First time using one, they are brilliant, and no need to get an expensive Festool. I got this one (https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb690csw-185mm-electric-plunge-saw-240v/3875p https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb690csw-185mm-electric-...) and it's perfect for the job.
- el_benhameen 4y ago
  I can see the tracksaw being useful for breaking 4x8 plywood panels down to door size, but did you end up using a table saw for shorter cuts?
  - throwaway892238 4y ago
    Maybe it's because I work on so many slapped-together projects, but I barely use my table saw anymore. Instead I use my cordless circular and a reference, usually my speed square. If I don't need too much precision I just hold the short piece and square in one hand, lean it against the corner of my deck, and cut. Other times i'll grab some squeeze clamps and scrap wood, make a quick fence/jig on a table, and cut against that. It's just so much faster than setting up the table saw outside (I don't have a woodworking bench). If I have to make a bunch of cuts in succession I might use the table saw, or again I might use the circular. I've been too lazy to build a crosscut sled; if I had one I'd use the table more often.
    - lagniappe 4y ago
      If you're ripping down 4x8's, I've noticed that using a piece of foam insulation on the concrete is the perfect size
- donutshop 4y ago
  Osmo oil is the best. Highly recommend it as well.
  - l33tbro 4y ago
    Took me a while to work out Osmo, but I finally understand how to get an amazing finish with it every time (using a spatula of all things!).
  - greedo 4y ago
    Osmo and Rubio Monocoat have really made finishing wood easy for amateurs (as well as professionals).
majormajor 4y ago
I haven't looked at the Plykea stuff in detail but clear seals on everything seems to be the standard these days even for "natural" looking finishes. For large enough cabinet doors where you want a flat, flush, uniform look, plywood gives you dimensional stability which is a big deal. Also seems to be common. I'd band the edges in most cases though vs painting or such. Especially if you're DIYing, cause depending on just what level of fit and finish you want, you're gonna have a hard time getting things perfectly square, perfectly flush with most wood you'll be able to buy, without getting into jointers and planers and other fun stuff. It's easy to do "pretty good" and very very hard to do "very good" without either a significant investment in tools or time or both.
blagie 4y ago
Plywood edges, nicely finished, with a clear seal, can be beautiful in some contexts. That said, they're ugly, noisy, and distracting in *most* contexts I've seen them used. It takes a good designer to make them beautiful.

operatingthetan 4y ago

See Kerf for a cabinet maker that uses a lot of europly/appleply with exposed edges: https://www.instagram.com/kerfdesign https://www.instagram.com/kerfdesign

JKCalhoun 4y ago
Japanese DIY speaker-builders love the exposed ply-edge thing. Maybe a sign of the times we live in when a multi-ply plywood means quality (as opposed to particle board, low-ply construction plywood ... OSB?)

samwillis 4y ago

We went exposed edges, and finished with Osmo (https://osmouk.com/ https://osmouk.com/) works really well. It's not like it's being rained on like outside, if your cabinets are getting wet enough for that to happen the chipboard carcasses with blow out first. Baltic birch also tends to use an exterior grade adhesive for gluing the layers together. 100% agree on the tools, I brought a track saw for the project. First time using one, they are brilliant, and no need to get an expensive Festool. I got this one (https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb690csw-185mm-electric-plunge-saw-240v/3875p https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb690csw-185mm-electric-...) and it's perfect for the job.

el_benhameen 4y ago
I can see the tracksaw being useful for breaking 4x8 plywood panels down to door size, but did you end up using a table saw for shorter cuts?
- throwaway892238 4y ago
  Maybe it's because I work on so many slapped-together projects, but I barely use my table saw anymore. Instead I use my cordless circular and a reference, usually my speed square. If I don't need too much precision I just hold the short piece and square in one hand, lean it against the corner of my deck, and cut. Other times i'll grab some squeeze clamps and scrap wood, make a quick fence/jig on a table, and cut against that. It's just so much faster than setting up the table saw outside (I don't have a woodworking bench). If I have to make a bunch of cuts in succession I might use the table saw, or again I might use the circular. I've been too lazy to build a crosscut sled; if I had one I'd use the table more often.
  - lagniappe 4y ago
    If you're ripping down 4x8's, I've noticed that using a piece of foam insulation on the concrete is the perfect size
donutshop 4y ago
Osmo oil is the best. Highly recommend it as well.
- l33tbro 4y ago
  Took me a while to work out Osmo, but I finally understand how to get an amazing finish with it every time (using a spatula of all things!).
- greedo 4y ago
  Osmo and Rubio Monocoat have really made finishing wood easy for amateurs (as well as professionals).

majormajor 4y ago

I haven't looked at the Plykea stuff in detail but clear seals on everything seems to be the standard these days even for "natural" looking finishes. For large enough cabinet doors where you want a flat, flush, uniform look, plywood gives you dimensional stability which is a big deal. Also seems to be common. I'd band the edges in most cases though vs painting or such. Especially if you're DIYing, cause depending on just what level of fit and finish you want, you're gonna have a hard time getting things perfectly square, perfectly flush with most wood you'll be able to buy, without getting into jointers and planers and other fun stuff. It's easy to do "pretty good" and very very hard to do "very good" without either a significant investment in tools or time or both.

blagie 4y ago

Plywood edges, nicely finished, with a clear seal, can be beautiful in some contexts. That said, they're ugly, noisy, and distracting in *most* contexts I've seen them used. It takes a good designer to make them beautiful.