Working with Birch Plywood

Birch plywood is an inexpensive wood you can use for many types of projects. Birch plywood, or wood with a birch veneer, can give you the appearance of birch hardwood without the cost.

Cheaper than Hardwood
Birch plywood has many of the same characteristics of other types of plywood, but tends to be superior in quality. With high-quality birch plywood, you don't get as much splitting, and working this wood doesn't generate as much waste. Birch plywood from a good manufacturer won't split, and is great in somewhat decorative applications where you'll see exposed wood. It's also known for its consistency and a lack of voids in the layering. Birch plywood doesn't work in all applications where you'd normally use birch hardwood, but when you can make the substitution, you'll save a lot of cash.

Uses for Birch Plywood
Building some cabinets? Minor home improvement project? Any application where you'd use plywood can be enhanced through the use of birch plywood. If you get high-quality birch plywood, you'll have a sturdier, harder material that provides greater strength and durability. Birch plywood is recommended in many jig plans. You can even use it for flooring, if you join and seal it properly.

Most wooden dollhouses are actually constructed from birch plywood. You can also use it to build things like doghouses, storage shelves or other small structures. Because the sides of birch plywood are smooth, it lends itself naturally to applications where kids will be using the project. It doesn't require a lot of finishing to be safe and beautiful.

Birch plywood is primarily used to build sturdy, functional furniture. You can use birch plywood in any application where you'd normally use plywood, including dresser drawers, shelves and desks. You may not want to use it in applications where you'll see an edge, unless you like the plywood layering effect.

Birch plywood isn't solid birch hardwood. Instead, it's several layers of birch veneer pressed together and adhered with a glue or resin. Birch plywood is less expensive than solid birch lumber. It's not a single piece of wood, and it's much easier to find birch for thin veneers than birch large enough to make hardwood lumber.

Apart from its smoother surface, birch plywood has all the characteristics of regular plywood. It's good for paneling, flooring and decoratie elements, but it shouldn't be used on its own as load-bearing wood.