Balsa core Laminate
 

So, my wife & I met with a cabinet maker today who is going to build our new kitchen cupboards.
He had some samples of what he uses for the sides of his cabinets. When I picked up the
7x12" piece it seemed really light to me. So I looked at the core, and it's balsa. 4mm thick
core with .5mm maple veneers on both sides. The piece weighs about 5 ounces.
Dave

RE: Balsa core Laminate
 

I would definitely want something much more sturdy than that. Your dishes and accessories
for the dining room table add weight up quickly.

My wife and I remodeled our kitchen about 3 years ago. Even though we were on a budget
we opted for SOLID WOOD. If someone had shown me samples like that, I would
have laughed them right out of the house. You will probably spend more, but I would
suggest solid wood - NOT this "pressboard/composite" stuff either. I have seen
3 year old cabinets with pressboard/composite shelves - they sagged in the middle. I don't
even want to think what the cabinet sides and face will look like in another 2 years.

You get what you pay for (sometimes).

RE: Balsa core Laminate
 

Campy. The man said the "sides" of the cabinets, not the shelves. When I rebuilt my kitchen cabinets, I did essentially the same thing, and what I replaced was 1963 vintage stuff of the same sort.

Les

RE: Balsa core Laminate
 

OK, I've been in the wood working game for a long time. The piece you describe sounds more like a "skin", attached to the side wall of a cabinet. Why it would have a balsa core is beyond me. They usually have a light weight core of something like Luan, still a light wood though. Skins are not structural at all, they just cover over the side of a cabinet. As for solid wood, it sounds good at first. The problem is that, aside from the prohibitive cost, solid wood changes dimension over time and with the seasons. It's a humidity thing. For cabinets, engineered lumber, ie. Melamine, Particleboard and the like are a blessing. Not to say solid wood has no place in cabinets. It's just that solid wood is used more for trim pieces and face frames. BTW, look at the construction of the cabinets. They should be using glue and screws or glue and biscuit joints in the construction. If they are using drywall screws to assemble the boxes, you might want to look elsewhere. Good luck with your new cabinets.

RE: Balsa core Laminate
 

The fear would be that the wife comes into the kitchen some day to find that those panels are gone and Dave's new model is sporting a suave maple veneer skin.... :D

RE: Balsa core Laminate
 

Well, being a model builder, I was immediately thinking of where I could use
such a nifty material. It would be great for boat bulkheads, or for forward bulkheads on bigger
planes. Can't think of much else. It seems these balsa core laminates are a common material
for building full scale boats, but they use thicker stuff. I can't seem to find 5mm stuff like
this guy uses. I think he uses it for the backs. And yes, solid fronts, birch veneered ply
etc etc. This guy is pretty good, and two friends have hired him before and were
pleased with his work (and they are both people as fussy as my wife...)

Dave

http://www.balsacore.com/

http://www.campbellsboatyards.com/campbell35.html

"Campbell 35 is a sedan or express built boat on the proven
Duffy 35 hull. ....All bulkheads are
constructed of balsa core panels with laminate veneer."

http://nida-core.com/portuguese/nidaprod_balsalite.htm