Does plywood expand and contract?

Does plywood expand and contract?

Plywood and oriented strand board (OSB), like all wood products, will expand or shrink slightly with changes in moisture content. If the wood structural panels are tightly butted, there is no room for expansion and buckling can occur. That can mean costly, time-consuming callbacks.

How much does pine expand and contract?

In and Out A board cut across the grain, or perpendicular to the growth rings, may expand as much as 1/4 inch for every 12 inches of width, while a quarter-sawn board may expand 1/8 inch.

What is the most stable plywood?

Veneer core plywood is the basic plywood with layers of wood bonded together. It’s very strong. MDF core is comprised of layers of wood ply sandwiching a core of MDF, or multi-density fiber. It’s very stable with a more consistent thickness than veneer core plywood and is often used for doors.

What kind of plywood do you use for furniture?

If I needed large sections of clear cherry or walnut, I would probably consider plywood. It does save time though. Good veneer work requires two veneers, a top finest grade piece and bottom lesser veneer for stability, with an inexpensive stable core.

What’s the best way to make wood move?

The most obvious option would be to make the top more like a frame and panel. So the two cherry pieces would be set into a groove that goes all the way around the inside perimeter of the lid. The panel would essentially float, and thus be allowed to move. But of course, this changes the look.

Can You Surround a piece of ply with wood?

You can fully surround a piece of ply in that situation and have no adverse effects. And based on this design, the ply edges would be completely concealed and no one would have any idea that it was a piece of plywood. In fact, that would be the way I would do it if I wanted to adhere to that specific design.

Do you have to account for wood movement?

I too was very surprised when I first learned that we have to account for wood movement. I remember thinking at the time, “Oh great! Something else to worry about!” lol. The interesting thing is there are always exceptions to the rules and there are nearly always workarounds. Depending on the size of this box, you may never really have a problem.