Date:         Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:23:56 -0700
Reply-To:     bueses <bueses@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         bueses <bueses@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: New cooktop for my kitchen mod
Comments: To: Shawn Wright <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
In-Reply-To:  <420BB1A1.5293.402C030B@swright.zuiko.sls.bc.ca>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

>>
>> What are you building the cabinet out of? ...... For that matter, what is the
regular Westy cabinetry made out
>> of?
>
> That's an interesting Syncro...
> The stock Westy cabinets are made of european plywood, which uses about twice
> the # of layers compared with our stuff. (typically 11 in 3/4" I think). Very
> nice, stable
> stuff. Can be found at places that sell good plywood, but it is not cheap.
............

Baltic Birch plywood is what Westy used.  It is readily available in
thicknesses from 1/8" to at least 1 1/4".  It most often comes in 5' x 5'
sheets although you can get 4' x 8' sheets special order.  It has been most
often used in furniture applications & for cabinet drawers, etc.  As an
architect, I specify it a lot in buildings as a sustainable building
material for cabinets, wall panels, countertops, furniture, etc. Very cool
stuff, & Westfalia used it way before it was ever popular for other uses.

You can get it at specialty hardwood lumber places- I pay about $32 US for a
5 x 5 x 3/4" thick sheet which has about 13 laminations- thinner sheets will
be less.  The edges are quite nice w/o any edge banding & it does not chip,
weigh as much as particle board or MDF ply.

You can laminate "Formica" or plastic laminate onto it, which is what Westy
did in later campers, although in the early Westy's they used the natural
wood veneer finish.

FWIW,

Tom Buese