Norm Abrams Workshop Hutch

[Peter G Denmark]

Hi everybody.

Have any of you made Norm Abrams workshop hutch?

I've been thinking about building the lower part of it (i like my upper cabinets to be wall mounted, and have doors), but in an elongated version.

Thing is - in my part of the world, birch plywood is extremely expensive, so the lower part of the cabinet would run me 600£, which is a bit much.

I have never used plywood before, so i wondered if regular 5-ply construction plywood would do the trick (less than half the price)?
I plan on painting it. I realize that some small air pockets might occur between the plys, but does this affect the structural integrity to an unacceptable extent?
I can se the plywood Norm uses is a 5-ply birch, and not the 11-ply version.

The joinery for the drawers is going to be reinforced rabbets, and not the dovetails Norm uses.

I don't want to use MDF. It leaves the shop a slippery mess, the dust sucks, it's heavy, and it doesn't take screws very well (i like it for cabinet doors though).

Thanks friends

 

[brianhabby]

I would have thought that any regular ply would do for that kind of project in a workshop. The expensive 11-ply birch plywood you refer to would definitely be overkill in my opinion.

regards

Brian

 

[mn pete]

Agreed, and if I remember correctly that hutch is pretty beefy structurally, so standard ply should offer plenty of strength.

 

[Peter G Denmark]

Thank you for the input fellows.

Found a place that sells 20mm 5-ply plyood for 22£ for a 1220x2440mm a sheet, that actually has one knot free side, that ould take paint well. He'll let me have 10 sheets for 200£, so i'll go for that . The 12mm stuff i have plenty of.