Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 03, 2005 03:56am | #1

   Poplar?

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   DaveBarker | Dec 03, 2005 04:28am | #2

   I will probably use poplar for the face frame. The local plywood supplier has a decent birch ply for about $42/sheet. I really liked the MDO for paint-grade work the last time I used it. Guess I forgot how expensive it was. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that it's used a lot for signage, probably because it paints so well.

1. 
   notDusty | Dec 03, 2005 06:02pm | #3

   Dave ,

                   Along with Poplar or Soft Maple for the face frames , often times I use Maple shop plywood . The Maple veneer seems to be less fuzzy and smoother in general then Birch , for about the same cost.

                             dusty

2. 
   forestgirl | Dec 04, 2005 01:16am | #4

   "I vaguely remember reading somewhere that it's used a lot for signage, probably because it paints so well."  Yep, and it's also pretty weather resistant.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   mudman | Dec 09, 2005 08:58pm | #5

   Unless I am concerned about water damage I use MDF. No wood grain will show through. Other than that Birch is OK, I generally prime with two coats of shellac (Zinzer BIN) sanding in between with a block. That levels out the finish so no grain shows.

   Mike

3. 
   GRW | Dec 10, 2005 07:57pm | #6

   Poplar is good, but in my area I can buy brown maple for the same price. I find brown maple to be stronger, and is harder to dent than poplar.

1. 
   mudman | Dec 15, 2005 07:59pm | #7

   Machines better too.