making plywood - messed it up

[bob]

Ref: my July 16 post. Okay, I messed up pretty good. I got in a hurry last week to make some white mahogany (aka "primavera") plywood to back a china cabinet under construction. I did not go back and re-read the posts and follow the good suggestions offered up by this forum. No, I just slapped some white glue on my thin stock and backing board (cheap 1/4" ply), stuck them together without crossing the grain and weighted them down with gas cans, cement bags - anything lying around. Surprised me, but the end product looked pretty good. A week later, the boards were cupped and the thin stock had split. Ruined.

So, learn from my mistake.

This weekend, I'm going to follow the forum advice - use contact cement, a J roller, and cross the grain. Hopefully, I will have better results.

Stupid. There's no other word to describe my actions last week.

[bridger]

[Frank Ketchum]

I would suggest using MDF (1/2" or 3/4") instead of the cheap POS plywood from the borg. It is much more stable. Check and see if you can buy on ebay some veneer of your wood and attach it to the substrate. I would use either regular wood glue and a roller and follow with even pressure until it sets (a couple layers of plywood on top and bottom with weight on top). I hear ebay is a great source for veneers. Be sure to veneer both sides to prevent warping (or will you ignore advice again? :)

Frank

[bob]

Why is that necessary?

[bridger]

first rule of veneering. balance forces, or it's gonna warp. if not right away, later, but usually right away.

[Robert Bonomi]

[[.. munch ..]]

Sure there is. "Educational"

There's an old saying: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The 'good news' is that you _have_, apparently learned. After only one time. This puts you ahead of a *lot* of the rest of the world.

[mac davis]

not stupid, just character building... my wife says that's why I'm such a character..

On the brighter side, not only won't you make the same mistake again, but you've made sure that a lot of folks here won't either..

"experience is the ability to recognize your mistakes when you repeat them"

[Brett A. Thomas]

I'm partial to "experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." Which allows you to say things like, "Well, that was great experience..."

-BAT

[Mark & Juanita]

one I heard today:

A smart person learns from his mistakes; a brilliant person learns from other peoples' mistakes.

So, you helped make a bunch of other people into geniuses with your post. :-)