question about birch plywood

[Mike in Mystic]

Hi everyone,

I have a chest of drawers to build and I found a design I like which calls for using some plywood for frame and panels that will be visible. I have a lot of ash that I am planning to use for the majority of the project, but the only plywood I have is baltic birch. Is it a bad idea to use these two together in terms of achieving an even finish? I'm not 100% sure what we'll do for the finish at this point, but it will likely be a dark-ish stain. God help me if SWMBO wants this to be whitewashed like the rest of the nursery furniture (that's where this piece will be headed, too).

Any tips will be helpful!

Thanks,

Mike

p.s. I DAGS and didn't find anything too specific about this.

[Paul Andersen]

I would not use these two together because of the large difference in appearance (grain). Ash frame and oak plywood panels would probably look ok but the ash is most likely not going to stain as dark as the oak, though this may be okay.

Experiment on some scraps and see what you think. If you have enough ash, you may want to consider making raised panels out of it and skip the plywood (a possible excuse for a new router bit too).

Woodchip

[Mike in Mystic]

That's about what I figured, too. I do have enough ash to make raised panels, and already have the bit, too, but I've just had a terrible time getting the glued up panels to stay flat long enough to get them into frames.