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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Finishing an oak bookshelf system

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Expert: - 10/17/2009


Question

The wood for the carca
I am building a bookshelf system for our library. The floor is Brazilian cherry and we wanted to have the bookshelf come close to it in texture and color.  Unfortunately, I purchased oak plywood for the carcass and now find that the grain will not come close to that of the floor.  We can come close in color but the oak grain is much more prominent.  I have suggested to my wife that we paint the carcass with a dark brown or black paint and make the face frame of cherry with stain close to that of the floor.  She is not excited about this and asked me to seek for other options.  The photo I attached shows one of the carcass panels and the back.  In front of these are several scraps of the oak on which we have tested different stains.  The existing floor is also shown.

Answer
Hi Ed, if you haven't made the faceframes yet, you could veneer the sides of the carcase with 1/4" plywood (Mahogany,Cherry,Birch,or maybe Luan), which ever will finish a closer match)and then make the faceframes out of Cherry, Ipe, or Mahogany. This wood, which isn't a Cherry at all, really known as Jatoba, is close to a Mahogany, Ipe, or similar, which can get expensive...but the 1/4" sheets aren't too, too bad, and wood give you a much better match than radial cut Oak plywood.Hope that helps- Post back if need be- it would be a shame, (and butt ugly IMHO), to paint the large sides of this piece, it would still look better with the Oak, especially with a deep rich clear finish that was color matched to the floor...........regards- Greg
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThanks, Greg. We live out in the country of eastern PA but I will try to track down some cherry plywood. I found a cherry veneer on paper backing on line. The vendor appeared to believe this would be as good as 1/8 or 1/4 plywood and might be easier to work with. The biggest problem I see at this point is that I already drilled the holes for shelf supports but should be able to get around that with some work and planning. I am blown away with how rapidly you people provide responses. Sites I have used in the past took weeks to respond if they responded at all.


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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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