# Cherry Glue Up



## wlofton (Oct 11, 2010)

I am building a solid cherry wine rack for my sister as a wedding gift and don't want to buy a piece of cherry plywood to use for the back. I have 5/4 planks of cherry and thought I would saw them into 1/4" thk strips and glue them together to make the back to 1/4 x 24 x 32. What are some of the pitfalls I have ahead of me to do this OR do I just call it a day and order the plywood?

Thanks!


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

WL,
Not saying it can't be done, but with a glued up panel that size and only a quarter inch thick, I don't think it will end up being too flat or staying flat, even if you alternate the grain direction on the planks. Piece of cherry plywood would probably work better. Find a local mill shop for that.
Mike Hawkins


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Make it shiplap or T&G. It will add a little something to the design and it will be able to move with the seasonal changes and still be stable. Just staple it on the back of the cabinet, or use screws.


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## wlofton (Oct 11, 2010)

I wondered how much movement I would get. Another woodworking buddy told me cherry is famous for a lot of movement with the seasons. I think I will spring for the plywood....Rockler has the exact size for like $20. Besides, having the piece of mind that it'll not move or cause me to have to rework it is well worth the money.

Thanks again guys! I know I came to the right place for advice! :yes:


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## dining sets (Apr 24, 2011)

:no::no:Thanks.......for good post .:no::no:


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Leo G said:


> Make it shiplap or T&G. It will add a little something to the design and it will be able to move with the seasonal changes and still be stable. Just staple it on the back of the cabinet, or use screws.


 
I agree with Leo, it is a traditional way of doing large backs and adds quite a bit of pizazz.

Here is a corner cabinet I did with 3/4"x 2-1/4" V-groove ship lap. :smile:


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## wlofton (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the tips guys!

Nice work on that cabinet! I'm still working my way up to novice, someday I will get there. :laughing:


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

wlofton said:


> I wondered how much movement I would get. Another woodworking buddy told me cherry is famous for a lot of movement with the seasons.


Cherry's shrinkage is about 7% tangentially and 3% radially or quartersawn. It’s somewhere in the middle between stable and not so stable.


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## cramer (May 5, 2011)

I would definitely go for the ship lap. its not just good practise,, its looks good as well.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Leo G said:


> Make it shiplap or T&G. It will add a little something to the design and it will be able to move with the seasonal changes and still be stable. Just staple it on the back of the cabinet, or use screws.


I also like this idea. I think it will add to the looks.

George


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## wlofton (Oct 11, 2010)

firehawkmph said:


> WL,
> Not saying it can't be done, but with a glued up panel that size and only a quarter inch thick, I don't think it will end up being too flat or staying flat, even if you alternate the grain direction on the planks. Piece of cherry plywood would probably work better. Find a local mill shop for that.
> Mike Hawkins



So I went ahead and got the cherry plywood for the back panel but to my amazement it it's nowhere near the color of the cherry boards I already have. So do I just stain to match? 

The shiplap looks great but I don't have quite enough wood for that.


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

Is the plywood darker or lighter than what you have? Cherry will darken with exposure to sunlight and air. If the cherry plywood has been kicking around for a while it might be darker, or if it has been stored under other sheets it will be lighter. Similarly, freshly machined wood will be lighter, but will darken with age. Stick the lighter piece in the sun for a few hours. Do it in increments until it darkens enough. You’ll be surprised how effective this is. You might have more luck with this than staining, and might avoid differential darkening later - the idea is to get the pieces similar before you stain if is possible. Obviously, if the difference is great, the sun trick may not be effective. For non-believers of how effective this can be, take a scrap piece of cherry and place some opaque tape on a small section, then put it in the sun. Remove the tape and you will see the difference after even a few hours.


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