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To laminate or not to laminate?
VinceVega:
I'm a good deal into the woodworking portion of my cocktail cabinet. I am striving for that classic 80's woodgrain look that has spousal approval. I have all my panels cut from 3/4" oak plywood, but let me tell ya - that stuff splinters like a mofo. My plan was to stain it - and fix any splintering with wood filler. I tested the wood filler today, and it really doesn't match... at all. To make matters worse, I messed up on the front panel and I need to buy another sheet of wood.
Now that I'm in this position, I'm toying with the idea of starting from scratch with MDF and laminating the entire thing in woodgrain formica. It'd mean a lot of wasted work (and wood), but I've already got the router and laminating would look so nice. But I've heard it can get expensive - and time consuming.
So what should I do? Anyone on here laminated their whole cab, and if so was it worth it? I have no idea how much the stuff costs.
Epyx:
Quite a few of us on here have laminated their cabs. Take a look at my Aliens project (current project) in my signature...was done about 90% with laminate. Tutorial in signature also deals with how to best apply laminate.
Laminate will cost you roughly $50-120 per sheet...for a cocktail you can likely get by with 1 or 2 sheets total. Laminate provides a very nice finish and is dead simple to apply and much easier than a great paint job. However, there is a time and place for both.
Nacimroc:
Could you not just carry on with your plywood, then use filler, sand smooth and laminate it then. Instead of making another out of MDF to laminate. Laminate isn't hard to apply and gives a nice finish but it is expensive. If you do plan on going with MDF, it shouldn't be hard if you keep the originals and copy the pieces with a flush trim bit on the router ?
mlalena:
I agree with trying the filler option first, but if you are going the laminate route, you should also consider a real oak veneer - think laminate, but with real wood. Oak plywood is nothing more than plywood with a veneer already applied - a thin layer of real oak on one or both sides. I think the veneer would be cheaper than laminate and it should apply just like laminate.
VinceVega:
If I do go the laminate route, there are two reasons I wouldn't use the pieces I already cut. One, I messed up the front panel and don't have any wood left, so I have to buy a new sheet anyway. Two, the plywood I was using was 3/4", so with laminate applied the T-molding wouldn't go right to the edge (as seen in Epyx's tutorials). It's nitpicky but if I'm already buying wood I might as well go with 5/8".
Also, reason 2.5 - I'm not totally happy with my saw work so far. I have a router now and I think I can do better.
The cost is the only thing that scares me. I may have to investigate that veneer option.
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