Expert: Jamie Yocono - 9/18/2006

Question

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Followup To
Thank you very much for your reply. I need a bit of clarification, would you use 2- 3/4" plywood as oppossed to plywood/poplar? I was thinking poplar on top would have better screw holding to screw the slate down.

Question -
I am building a pool table. Under the slate I need 1 1/2" support for the slate to sit on. I was thinking of using poplar glued to pine and was wondering if different expansion of the two would be a problem. My other thought was poplar on 3/4" plywood be Im not sure if the ply is strong enough. I know poplar on poplar is best but trying to save money. Thank you, Mike

Answer -
Mike,

Pound for pound, plywood is stronger than solid wood for the following reasons: the layers of wood, glued perpendicular to each other, create superior strength AND stability. It's not going to move much, either. And the adhesives stiffen the panel, as well. Add all that together and you have a very strong, stable, engineered product.

Here's a link to read about it:

http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00016.asp

That said, I think plywood would be the best solution to your pool table dilemma. If it were me, I would use plywood, with poplar as the solid wood for bracing/struts, etc. I like Poplar better than Pine for anything furniture-wise. It's a hardwood, and I prefer to only use hardwoods in my work. Plus, it will machine better, and accept fasteners better than Pine.

There are many types of plywood out there, and since it's not going to show, you might want to look for a Baltic Birch plywood. It contains more plies, and less voids, and it has exceptional strength. You might have to call around, and true Baltic Birch plywood is usually available in a 5' x 5' panel. But I've been able to find it in 4 x 8 sheets quite easily. I think it will do the trick for you quite nicely.

OK, Good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com  

Answer
Mike,

If there is good bracing under the plywood, which will keep it from sagging or bowing, I think you will be fine using a double layer of plywood instead of  plywood/poplar. Plywood has really decent screw holding capability, as long as you're not screwing into the edges.

I buy my screws from a company called McFeelys. Their website is www.mcfeelys.com.  They make all sorts of specialty fasteners, like ones made for particle board, solid wood, exterior wood, and so on. I think they make a special screw for plywood, if I remember correctly. It might have deeper threads, spaced a little further apart than a normal wood screw. Their screws are really great, you might want to read about them on their website, and then see if you can find something local. If you get a chance, you might want to get one of their catalogs. It may sound boring, but their catalog is like an encyclopedia of screws. Who knew!

I always wanted to build a pool table, just never got around to it. When you finish, I'd love to see a couple of pictures. Heck, I'd even like to see a couple of "in progress" pictures. If you get a chance, send me a few - jamie@wooditis.com.

Good luck, sounds like a very cool project to be working on.

Jamie