How to Build Beautiful Cases from Plywood
Smart joinery turns eye-catching panels into sturdy furniture
Synopsis: There’s a lot of creative freedom in building cases with veneered panels. Veneer makes it possible to use a variety of exotic woods and dramatic figure, and wrapping those patterns around the entire case piece. Veneered panels also make it possible to use an entirely different look for the inside of the case. Craig Thibodeau has been building furniture this way for years, and shares his methods so the experience will be easier for you. It starts with the substrate, then moves on to design and joinery, whether you choose a frame-and-panel case or the smooth look of a mitered case piece.
A lot of articles have been written about making veneered panels with a vacuum bag. Most of these take you as far as trimming the panel and popping it into a door frame, or maybe applying edging and turning that panel into a tabletop. Those techniques…
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Beautiful cases out of lowly plywood. I love the simple construction and the imaginative designs. And the construction and joints look pretty bomb proof
Craig, after listening to your @makercast interview where you reference FW mag, I went back and reread all of your FW articles. Each of your articles contains many good ideas and are informative. I love your marquetry work as well. This article has some great techniques, and as you mentioned, what you cover is not usually included in a veneering article.