Woodworking Tips When Working With Plywood

Of all types of engineered wood, plywood is one of the most common. Plywood is made out of thin sheets of wood veneer. The veneer sheets are bonded through heat, pressure and strong adhesives. The more the veneer sheets bonded together, the thicker the plywood.

Like any other type of engineered wood, there are techniques on how to work properly with plywood.

Here are some wood working tips when dealing with plywood.

Avoid cross-cutting, or cutting across the grain, when cutting plywood. Plywood is more likely to chip if you cross-cut. It is better to cut along the length of the grain to avoid plywood chipping.

Another great woodworking tip when cutting plywood is to score a line first. This creates a much cleaner and crisper cut than cutting the plywood immediately with a saw. Scoring can be done with a knife or the tip of the saw.

It is also a good idea to put masking tape on the line where you will cut the sheet of plywood. This will prevent the wood fibers on the edge when you saw through the cut line.

Let’s talk about another property of plywood. Because any type of wood is porous and can absorb moisture, it expands. This holds true to plywood and presents a problem especially when you are dealing with precise measurements.

Here is a good woodworking tip to compensate for plywood expansion. Give an allowance of 1/8 of an inch on the frame or structure where the plywood is to be installed. When water causes the plywood to expand, the extension will accommodate, minimize or totally eliminate the gap left by the allowance.

An additional woodworking tip to ameliorate plywood expansion is to nail plywood securely to a wooden structure or backing. The nails should be 3/8 of an inch away from edges of the plywood. Finally, take note that spacing of the nails is important. Woodworking experts recommend that nails should be spaced no more than 6 inches apart.

To reduce plywood expansion, it is also a good idea to coat it with waterproof finishes. Shellac and varnish are examples of good waterproof coats. However, there are now a lot of waterproof-treated sheets that are available in the lumber store. Always check with the lumberyard and select waterproof plywood.

It is also a good idea to use oil-based finishes on plywood to eliminate fuzz. If, after applying finishes, the fuzz is still present, remove it by rubbing the surface lightly with fine grade sandpaper.

These woodworking tips should let you work on plywood with ease. If you want to try it out for yourself, take a look at my woodworking plans.