I'm planning to make some walnut nightstands and need side panels that are 1/2" thick, 15" wide, and 20" tall. I know plywood is generally recommended, but I've got a ton of walnut lying around that I'd like to use. My main worry is about warping and movement, especially since these panels will sit inside a stick and cope face frame. Should I just stick with purchasing walnut plywood, or is it worth trying to make the hardwood panels? Any tips on minimizing movement would be super helpful! Thanks a lot!
2 Answers
If you already have the walnut stock milled to the right thickness, you might as well give it a try! But if you need to resaw or plane it down, I’d suggest saving that wood for another project and just buying plywood instead. It's usually a safer bet for minimizing warping.
If you have a bandsaw, you could resaw the walnut into thin veneer (around 3/32") and then glue it onto MDF. That way, you get the look of walnut without the warping risks! Just make sure you have a solid method for bonding the veneer to the MDF; since I don't have a vacuum press, I'm curious how I'd do that with four panels too!
Do you have a good way to bond the walnut to the MDF? I’ll figure out the resaw part, but I'm unsure about the gluing!
Yeah, I’d have to resaw or mill it down, unfortunately!