Making Edge-Grain Patterned Plywood

Another experiment with Patterned Plywood. This time I'm experimenting with patterned plywood edge-grain? This is a very DIY friendly technique that looks more complicated that it is...
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This channel is also supported by Rockler. Thanks Rockler!! Rockler products used in this video:
Rockler Sure Foot Clamps www.rockler.com/surefoot-alum...
Rockler Bandy Clamps www.rockler.com/rockler-bandy...
Rockler Marking and Measuring Pouch www.rockler.com/marking-and-m...
Rockler Glue Paddles www.rockler.com/rockler-glue-...
Rockler Bench Cookies www.rockler.com/bench-cookie-...
Rockler Bench Cookie Finishing Cones www.rockler.com/rockler-bench...
Additional products used in the build (affiliate links)
12” Speed Square amzn.to/3iN0hov
Festool Track Saw amzn.to/3x5Hxpc
Saw Stop 36” 3hp Cabinet Saw amzn.to/3eQyQZR
Mirka Deros Sander amzn.to/3eRsg5e
Jet 14” Bandsaw amzn.to/3kT6B0i
Kreg Bandsaw Fence amzn.to/3x31PQb
Starbond CA Glue amzn.to/3rJIx1v
Empire Framing Square amzn.to/2WiBMrF
GVS Half Mask Respirator amzn.to/3zthlGI
Weldwood Contact Cement amzn.to/3zyH6Wm
Titebond 1 Wood Glue amzn.to/3x1QiRj
Glue Bot Glue Bottle amzn.to/3zr79OQ
Table Saw Blades I use (affiliate links)
Note because I have a 3 hp saw I use “ industrial” 1/8” kerf blades. If you have a lower power saw you'll want to use "Thin Kerf" Blades.
Cutting splines, crosscutting, and general usage | Freud 10” x 50T Combo Blade
Industrial amzn.to/31q5w56
Thin Kerf amzn.to/3cqIYHK
Ripping and milling | 10” x 30T Glue Line Ripping Blade
Industrial amzn.to/3w6Yv7B
Thin Kerf amzn.to/3svkLpg
Plywood | 10” x 80T Freud Ultimate Plywood Blade
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Thin Kerf amzn.to/2NZf3NB
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[@LoaFrz]

Plywood industry working REAL hard on making plywood a viable and consumer friendly option with its main two faces. And this guy comes in without a care and hides it. Genius, love the content.

[@itsmehere1]

This man literally just made damascus wood

[@jesterman1302]

Totally

[@TheDrunkhammer]

I laughed so much

[@idontwanttopickone]

If you veneer the original plywood (before you started the process) with a very different looking wood. Maybe a brightly coloured stained veneer or brightly coloured plastic, or even if you started by glueing two pieces of plywood together with a coloured resin. Then you'd end up with a thin line of colour that would add a lot to the finished pattern. I actually really liked it before you veneered it. Those little squares added a nice little detail around the edges.

[@inthefade]

Agreed

[@Blackraven6]

I think I'd just used a chamfered edges on those.

[@giovannimoriggi5833]

Plastic………………😳

[@davidelliott5843]

Glueing plastic to wood is unlikely to be reliable. Gluing three sheets of thin ply is unlikely to deliver a flat sheet. Not to mention the silly costs of Baltic birch plywood.

[@calfagra]

Agree, the veneer actually make it like plywood again with different pattern and hiding those trace of artistic hardwork

[@ordelian7795]

8:44 you can see a spiral pattern form as the diamond ones misaligned.

[@giavri2010]

looks so much better to me bro.reminds me an ancient greek pattern

[@kennyk4134]

Well spotted.

[@dottyjyoung]

Daaaaaaaamn! Y'all are quilting in the comments section, I love it.

[@dottyjyoung]

Yep, thats a greek key design. Very popular on wedding bands too

[@ifollowjesus1667]

Wow, I am a woodworker and have never liked plywood until just now. You are very talented and this is definitely high end material that you just created.

[@jamesconroy7030]

"Great temporary solution" Yeah, that should be Harbor Freight's motto.

[@northwestgardener5076]

We all go there first, and then upgrade later.

[@ToolforOffice]

Hater. I've had a 20 dollar Chicago grinder last longer than a Makita before. Obviously it's an exception to the rule but don't be a hater

[@jamesconroy7030]

@@ToolforOfficeI don't hate them. I said they were great.

[@ToolforOffice]

@@jamesconroy7030 I must need to learn to read again I suppose

[@ThatVatoKingDirk]

Are they not? HF has gotten me out of so many problems.

[@l3d-3dmaker58]

i love the way it looks when you offset it by one or three and it looks like a very cool spiral pattern, would have loved to see you use it! looks much more refined and complex, would personally love it on a piece

[@Skitad]

I was about to say exactly the same thing

[@simonstucki]

noticed that too at around 8:20

[@evelinagarcia6352]

@@simonstucki Evidently I missed it so I looked for it at 8:20 to see what the big deal was and didn't find it. Well I kept going a bit more and WHOA, there it is @9:20-9:21. Wow!!!; that is terrific! Attention to detail. Thanks

[@evelinagarcia6352]

You are right! I totally missed that. It would look absolutely amazing. Good eye.

[@exintrovert6803]

Pause video at 9:42 for a great view of the spiral pattern.

[@bgrove777]

This is one of the most inspirational carpentry vids I've ever seen. Keep on truckin'

[@steadfasttherenowned2460]

Bonus, I've been looking for different ways to apply veneer. This is the first time I've seen contact cement used. Usually it's a big elaborate glue and clamp process. I came for the plywood pattern and left with a new to me veneer process I am definitely going to try.

[@lukejones7366]

2p10 super glue / activator is an excellent option as well

[@TheBeaker59]

We use a 40mm silicone rubber roller to roll afterwards much better than the ply idea though that is a good start point.

[@johnfarrar1482]

Using contact cement with veneer is a bad idea. Not permanent, it'll bubble eventually. Get a vacuum press and use Titebond

[@gipsasl]

Bro if you have Wood Glue you don't need to use any toxic Glues. We make Bespoke Furniture in England mostly we use PVA,which is wood glue.Don't know Why everyone thinks they need some sort of epoxy to glue Venner..... After All veneer is just thin piece of wood

[@Djlukz]

It is what they use for laminate to adhere to the particle board.

[@MakerCuisine]

Wow the pattern is incredible, i imagine that would look great to have the pattern continue all the way around the piece. Top, bottom and all the sides

[@Rustybear59]

I really admire your ability to think outside the box with your woodworking! This is outstanding! Thank you for sharing!

[@Kritacul]

A person going way beyond their means to bring better quality and design is always great to see. For craftsmanship like this, you deserve to be paid top dollar because of the quality.

[@AlanWhiteman]

As always, an awesome and inspirational presentation. You definitely make complex/sophisticated stuff look simple and practical.

[@seandegroote1915]

I love your stuff Michael! This is such a neat way to take exposed ply edges to the next level!

[@SunraeSkatimunggr]

That is sooooo pretty. I used to use plywood for wood carving of sculpture many years ago, before my hands go very arthritic. I loved the topographical look of the human form carved with all those layers.

[@wkurick]

This is amazing, truly creative not to mention visually appealing! You’ve truly made it addicting to watch your videos using bb ply especially. Thank you for open sourcing these innovative concepts with the rest of the woodworking community 🤙👊.

[@ebw78756]

Wow! I don’t know how I stumbled upon this video but I enjoyed it so much! That veneer is stunning. It makes me want to sell everything I own and set up a woodworking shop in my garage. You are a true artist.

[@MichaelAlm]

Hahaha! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bluesky6327]

This is a really thorough and thoughtful how-to video, but honestly, for me, the biggest benefit is pure inspiration. I’ve worked with a lot of reclaimed plywood and saved those little offcuts because they’re just too cool to waste. Your ideas have inspired me to create inlays and edge banding with those old beauties. Fantastic content, looking forward to viewing more of your work!

[@pinkyhotmessx69]

I'm like you I can't bare to toss left overs because they can somehow be used for something cool

[@JuanCruz-et8so]

Woodworking is one the most beautiful and satisfying jobs to do. Thank You to all The wonderful Skillful wood workers for making beautiful work.

[@Alakay77]

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and know how! I'm studying to be a woodwork teacher, and am excited to share this with my students in the future :D

[@donnecheli2721]

That ‘wood’ look great as plywood end grain laminate countertops

[@laurendao4467]

I just love watching your creativity unfold in pushing these ideas further and further. Really excited to see next week’s project!

[@martinpanev6651]

By the way, anyone who does not have all of these tools, dont be discouraged! It is entirely possible (and I, a total noob have done) this all by hand :D

[@Arterexius]

Even if someone doesn't have the shop, but owns a jigsaw that can be angled, then it's still possible to do with relative ease (and without spending oceans of time on it). Did you do yours entirely by hand? If so, that must have taken an insane amount of time

[@martinpanev6651]

@@Arterexius Yep. It took a while but it inspred me to keep going and upgrade my tools!

[@Zogg1281]

That does give your ply wood so much more style!! It would be interesting to try to do a whole kitchen like that..... possibly with different patterns in different areas 🤔 I have a bench that I want to build in my workshop so when I get round to it I think I'll give this a go...... fancy workshop furniture 😍 👍👍👍👍👍

[@mikesegarra869]

This was really impressive someone get this guy a bagel!

[@ardemus]

I liked the look of the exposed edge of the plywood-edge-edge-banding.

[@s.wilson5199]

I appreciate how you model good safety practices!👍

[@katevanhoudt]

Gorgeous! Love your attention to detail and design. Nice shop. Love those long clamps.

[@stanwiggins3423]

Very informative Michael, and the diamond pattern is really great looking. The chevron pattern looked great too, but the diamond really popped. Thanks.

[@ronhansen7717]

When gluing on the veneer, lay down several thin strips of wood across the substrate and put the veneer on top of the strips. Pull the strips out one at a time and allow the veneer to attach to the substrate a little at a time. That way you won't position the veneer in the wrong place. Once the two pieces touch, they are not coming apart. Use a j-roller instead of a piece of wood to finish the adhesion. This is pretty much the same as attaching plastic laminate like Formica. I once positioned a large piece of plastic laminate incorrectly and had to remove it. I wound up using Autozone's brake cleaner to spray between the layers. It dissolved the contact cement immediately and I was able to clean it up and re-glue it. It was simply amazing. I haven't tried it with wood veneer and I hope I will never have to.

[@chichidouglas5078]

Thanks for the info. I've had the same thing happen but it wasn't a big piece so I just made another one. But I always have brake cleaner for mechanic work and that would have been faster and no wasted material. I haven't made that mistake since but it's still good to know

[@wholegrain27]

@@chichidouglas5078 doesn't applying some heat release the contact enabling repositioning

[@chichidouglas5078]

@@wholegrain27 I had to finish a kitchen & bathroom remodel that someone else started and got fired halfway through. Nobody lived there and it sat through the winter with the heaters turned off and the countertops had bubbled up In several places. I didn't know how to fix it because I'd only used the prefabed countertop pieces. But I had used the pre-fab end caps that have dried glue on the back that you stick on using a clothing iron. So I used an iron with a damp hand towel under it. It took a while but it worked and I also had to put weights on it right after I rolled it because it would start popping up after a couple minutes. So heat does reactivate it but I've never tried to reposition a whole piece before.

[@kencase2325]

thank you for these ideas. I am thinking about using patterned plywood as the center slice in a bandsaw box!

[@joshn1678]

Wow, this is beautiful, I could think of a thousand different uses. Thanks for this.

[@gianniutube]

This looks so amazing! Wow, I’m bluffed! Kudos on having the idea and executing it so well.

[@themadsamplist]

I used to make my own plywood from all kinds of wood veneer. The veneer is thin so you get a lot of layers and if you use dark and light wood it gives a great effect.

[@sunnywithpuddles]

Awesome. Totally get covering the top with veneer, but I think the top edge pattern could also be a nice touch on some projects. Thanks for the video!

[@octowuss1118]

I think this got recommended to me bc I watch the Japanese woodworking vids. I love their patterns and how they plane it and make their own beautiful veneer

[@Gustav0ang1e]

That was extremely cool, I can see so many opportunities to use this. Oh the possibilities!

[@joelcopeland3018]

Your patterned plywood builds and ideas are simply amazing... keep them coming...

[@FurnitureFlippingForProfit]

Wow! So glad I found your channel! Thank you for your wonderful videos and thank you for sharing your talent with us!

[@yosecretsquirrel]

Mind blown, thank you. And thank you for reminding me just how satisfying working with wood can be. I was actually jealous of you.

[@AshenSoulHunter]

Seen oriental carpenters who do this kind of thing and instead of using a bandsaw to cut 1/8th inch strips, they use a hand plane to shave a paper-thin veneer for edging. Zero curf too so you get TONS more use from a single piece of stock.

[@martykorn9266]

Ive seen them hand planing paper thin strips. But I think doing that with end grain BB with 20% of the surface being glue joints would be impossible.

[@celinecounali]

Love it ! I would be curious to try 45° cuts, see if it is is solid enough, it would allow a uniform pattern all the way around (except for the last corner, unless you're a maniac enough to try to make a perfect fit with the size of the pattern :p )

[@Hessijames79]

What an awesome result. I even liked the look before veneering.

[@Lechanan]

Really beautiful, unique and creative! Thank you for the content! Glad this brought me to your channel!

[@underablackflag]

It just looks so good. The veneered piece is magnificent. Now I need to find an excuse to use this on something.

[@justinkinter8651]

You got that right, it looks absolutely stunning :)

[@SteveSiegelin]

I thought I was the only one that used a Japanese pruning saw as a flush cut saw! I discovered that a few years ago and it has become my favorite tool. If anybody else wants to pick one up you can pick a flush cut with a composite handle up at most harbor freights for $12. When I started buying them they were $6 but they've gone up a little! Well worth the purchase.

[@pinkyhotmessx69]

Amazon has done really neat ones

[@indycustommade3568]

Very nice look. That really opens the door to new ideas. Great job.

[@davel9015]

What a beautiful way to finish a plywood project.

[@Raeburnsart]

I feel like this would make a lovely surface for a painting with the decorative edge. Like a collab of painter and woodwork

[@MissMolly3377]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Would make a lovely edge, for a painting.

[@Justin-Outdoors]

Reminds me of 70s wallpaper.

[@cesalt2408]

I just love this technique!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!

[@davidpetersonharvey]

That's a really cool project. Thanks for sharing. I sent the link to my wife. She comes from a woodworking family and will love this.

[@jollygoodbeard13]

Wood workers are awesome people they have more patience than I could ever have

[@piratetaylor29]

Geez, I'd be honored to have a cutting board or cheese board that looks like that. A+++

[@georgedavies7903]

U8

[@chrisdavis1722]

Love anything with the patterned plywood on it. It’s so artistic and beautiful. Great job! 👍

[@Joeshmofoshoyo]

Just stumbled upon this clip, glad I did... I'm an instant fan

[@moralboundaries1]

I''m really interested in the mathematics of tilings and symmetry, I really enjoyed watching the chevron and diamond patterns come together so well. great stuff!

[@williamellis8993]

Great idea, Michael. Try running a groove in a piece of wood the thickness of your strips and using it to hold them when you sand the edge. That will reinforce them and keep the edge straight. Also, that piece of wood you used for burnishing the veneer is the same as the old hammer veneer technique. Take care. Bill

[@MEmarcenaria]

Lindo trabalho amigo 👍👍 parabéns 👏👏.🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@wooddiy4k740]

I'm really excited to see your project. On the other hand, your workplace is rich in materials. I like places like this.

[@nathanielsnyder1323]

man these on some frameless baltic birch cabinets would look so dope in my kitchen. amazing stuff Michael 👏🏼

[@hambeastdelicioso1600]

I like how if you offset the strips just a bit, you get a greek key pattern, too!

[@IAMCUBEMAN]

"No, pattern welded Damascus must be metal." "Hold my drink."

[@kbbb4227]

Nice. And those clamps look really good as well, thank you.

[@RadarLeon]

This gets you a subscription i will now use this for my computer desk thinking about using a table router to remove the inner layers of the edge of plywood and pushing these in as side inserts on top would looks like a solid flat surface on the side would leave me with a bordered diamond pattern could even angle the ends of the inserts to make them seem to transition better

[@jewdd1989]

I’ve thought about using patterned ply as edge banding when you’ve done like the tambour shop cabinet, your wife’s ply and metal workbench, etc etc. I absolutely love it, if you added patterns mixing hardwood with ply it’d be stunning just like with your cutting boards and your tool chests… you’re the Micheal Angelo of woodworking with the art you implement in your projects. I can’t wait for next week, it’ll take forever to get here. Thanks a bunch for showing the process of your experiments lol

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks so much! Mixing patterns with hardwood is a great idea! I'm looking forward to sharing the furniture piece. It's going to be a good one 😉

[@myincarnation4922]

@@MichaelAlm I've worked with alot of plywood but honestly never thought about using it as a finished edge. Great idea. Thank you.

[@jewdd1989]

@@MichaelAlm I’m sooooooooo excited! Thanks a bunch for all the hard work you put in not just the builds themselves but the filming and the attention to detail in explaining how or why, your solutions for problems… phenomenal and greatly appreciated 🤘🏽

[@evilgenius3646]

4:35 If you cut that piece in half, couldn't you glue the 2 halves together at the notch ends? It looks like they would fit perfectly and you would have a square piece with no edge waste.

[@wizard-of-bacon9384]

Great idea

[@123jbuster]

that was actually a good idea

[@AnxiousCowboy]

no, sorry...

[@DraconicDuelist]

Maybe if every piece was the same length, but it looked like they had some variance.

[@njineermike]

That right there is commitment and attention to detail!

[@jodyshepard9482]

Wow! Who knew plywood could be soooo nice? Two secrets: great power tools and a gazillion wonderful clamps. Oh yes, very clever talented wood worker!

[@chemicallust77]

This would be a really cool look for larger speaker cabinets

[@bartloncke9359]

Rather than messing with paint rolls in order to apply contact cement, try applying it using a spray. You only need to cover the background with some scrap hardboard or paper. For smaller surfaces you need the double amount of glue as your roll absorbs a lot of contact cement.

[@erwinbenally8027]

I applaud your patience

[@DM-wp9vq]

Somebody has probably already mentioned this, but if not I'll give it a go. That plywood you made (the patterned plywood) wood (see what I did there?) look amazing as a tabletop in its own right. Just clamp all of the strips together and plane/sand them level and clean and arrange the patterns you want on a tabletop. Then flow some Envirotex/Epoxy over it to seal it up, protect it, and give it depth. I think that would look amazing! You could also ebonize it when using wood with higher tannin content, or do some selective staining on different pieces to create further pattern differentiation. Love what you created by the way! It's definitely amazing looking!

[@doubledarefan]

12:22 Clamp the strip between 2 boards to keep it straight and to allow you to apply a bit more force.

[@kidlatbangis4782]

or use steel bars

[@dollarbill93]

this is phenomenal. what a genius idea. well done and thanks for sharing

[@chelin7023]

To see is to believe! Great craftsmanship! 💚

[@runninghead]

Wonder if the ancient Greeks knew about lamination? That "Greek Key" pattern when the strips misalign is great!

[@african9686]

They relied so much on original materials.

[@n2darkness]

I wonder if you did a dado on the edge leaving about a 1/16 on each side and then inlaid the pattern pieces. That way you would have a solid top and bottom without having to use veneer

[@darkmagna9004]

Great idea. I'm stealing it! :)

[@kidlatbangis4782]

Good idea, but unless you smoothen the edges of the strips, you might see the burry edges of the strips merely filled solid with glue.

[@texasfossilguy]

@@kidlatbangis4782 smear very fine sanding dust into that or sand after gluing while the glue is wet.

[@MBMCincy63]

shivering black bell thumbs up! 3/6/23 watched this, most recent was the lathe case and build that I am aware of. I enjoy your material , skills you show.

[@ZSchrink]

This was a super neat introduction to your channel. This looks really amazing!

[@caesar2164]

Another way to make the edge banding invisible: cut a wedge of that patterned edge banding and cut a angled channel around the whole piece. That will hide the seam of the edge banding in the top veneer of the plywood. (See the way 3x3 Tamar does her hidden hard wood edge banding)

[@mrfochs]

This!!!! They even make a set of router bits that are both "diamond" shaped and "hour glass" shaped to match this up as edge banding with no visible top/bottoms. Using that and mitered ends would make for a really nice final look.

[@davidg8083]

I have tried the plywood blades that do not have carbide tips on them, but they dull fast and then burn. What works best for me is a 7-1/4" 24 tooth carbide blade that is about 1/16" wide and a zero clearance insert. It cuts great and usually does not leave any fuzz like you are seeing. The down side is you can't cut more than about 2 inches deep and a SawStop tablesaw will not work with anything smaller than 10" unless it's a Dado blade. Otherwise this is my go to tablesaw blade.

[@joshsoorlin579]

All that and you dont even mention what brand?

[@Gauge1LiveSteam]

Turned out great. I have a drawer project coming up. Will use your method. Thanks

[@yvonnehughes3036]

Wow. That worked out beautifully!

[@buffpanda527]

Curious if youve seen/thought about getting some japanese saw blades so you can make paper-thin veneer (yosegi shavings!). I do love the thicker edge so you can see the pattern on top as well though, but thats just personal preference! Looks amazing either way!

[@dyscea]

If you’re going to make even wider pieces, i noticed that when it was offset some more, it made loopy rectangular shapes. Nice job!

[@17Liberty76]

Fantastic idea. One of those that makes you wish you had thought of it. Absolute genius and impressive initiative

[@saraperry6667]

that finished product is INCREDIBLE!

[@woodandwandco]

Thank you Michael, I expect Baltic birch boards to outprice gold ounce for ounce once the lumber gods lay eyes on your edge banding.

[@Karl_Baeron]

Thanks for the great video, I really love the experiment! I've got a question: did you ever think about using epoxy as your bonding medium for patterned plywood?

[@a-fletcher]

I have to admit even that strip you cut on the wrong side actually looks amazing. Has a lot of potential with both sides having a nice feel to them.

[@Jerzak80]

This was really enjoyable to watch. Thanks for sharing

[@jcortese3300]

I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with a quilting pattern called "bargello." I'm sure you can replicate it with this technique, and it would look gorgeous.

[@AnxiousCowboy]

i disagree

[@Beacuzz]

I think it would be hard but nice

[@gregzambo6693]

They would make great inlays about a half inch in from the edge of a tabletop

[@darkmagna9004]

Another great idea! You guys are on fire!

[@MichaelChin1994]

I'm not studying wood work at all. Saw the thumbnail and was so taken by the pattern. Thanks for such a wonderful video!

[@noncin.2786]

Beautiful product and great to see your process!

[@googleyoutubechannel8554]

"I hear you're something of a woodworker?" "I prefer 'glueclamper'"

[@kasai7272]

In my head, I pronounced it like it was a German compound noun lol

[@abelolsen9656]

At first, I thought you gonna make a whole sheet with those diamond pattern cut inside of one ply of wood on top and bottom.

[@nullsnaggle5198]

...have fun with that😓(directed to anyone who wishes to do that)

[@heru-deshet359]

Perfection! I use something similar for inlays on furniture.

[@pinkyhotmessx69]

Thank you so much. I am so doing this on all my doors when I re veneer them

[@wllys55]

Use a new blade when sawing the strips. Should help with the “fuzzies”. Then switch back to old blade when done for regular cuts.

[@jeffcook8501]

Run a scrap board under the board you are cutting and you will get no fuzziness.

[@RetiredRhetoricalWarhorse]

@@jeffcook8501 You mean like the plexiglass he used but didn't work?

[@aidanwoodward3975]

Why do fuzzies sound like knockoff furrys?

[@HonoredMule]

@@RetiredRhetoricalWarhorse I believe a sacrificial board below will work better because it moves with the workpiece, providing more stable support for the edge fibers.