WOOD VS. PLYWOOD--What's The Difference?! Which Is Better? (Plywood/Dimensional Lumber--Comparison)

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I've been asked many times by viewers which material is better--NATURAL WOOD or PLYWOOD? But this is one of the most difficult material comparisons to make! In this short video I'll explain what differentiates these types of lumber, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

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WOOD VS. PLYWOOD--What's The Difference?! Which Is Better? (Plywood/Dimensional Lumber--Comparison)

WOOD or NATURAL WOOD should really be called DIMENSIONAL LUMBER!

This is wood that has been milled and seasoned straight from a tree. Timbered logs are carefully dried and cut into wide, flat boards. These boards tend to be of very uniform lengths, widths and thicknesses.

PLYWOOD is an engineered wood product that first showed up in the 1800s, but was not mass-produced until about the 1950s.

Plywood is made in mills by peeling trees like apples, from the outer edge inward, to produce long, thin layers of wood. These layers are stacked and glued together under tremendous pressure to form wide, flat panels.

Plywood was manufactured to solve the problem of LIMITED BOARD WIDTH. Before plywood production, boards could only be as wide as the trees that were timbered (roughly). Wider panels had to be formed by edge-joining boards, which is difficult and laborious.

Really wide slabs can be cut from large trees, but they're dimensionally unstable, very heavy, and hard to season and finish.

Plywood, on the other hand, comes in 4x8 sheets that can be broken down into any size you like! They're very flat, and tend to have attractive veneers.

Plywood is also strong and stable. It's not prone to splitting, like dimensional lumber, because the various layers are cross-laid in alternating patterns to counteract weaknesses between layers.

Ply panels are also much lighter and easier to work than wide slabs!

BUT, from my experience, plywood is not quite as strong as dimensional lumber across spans.

Also, plywood tends to be thin--just 3/4" or less. It does not generally come in framing-lumber thicknesses.

Dimensional lumber is often the best choice for structural jobs. THOUGH, there do exist large-scale ply products called LVLs (Laminate Veneer Lumber) which can serve as structural beams, often stronger than dimensional lumber counterparts.

I'll do more videos on the complexities of these topics soon--but I hope this basic primer helps!

Thanks!
The Honest Carpenter

[jimaronson]

I really like videos like this. They're informative and interesting. I knew a lot of this already but every video has more things to learn. I look forward to seeing your other videos on this subject. Thanks

[pattymiller]

Ethan, this channel has to be one of the best available on YT. Just the right length and blend of information dumbed down to be understandable for the average DIYer. Keep cranking them out.

[worstuserever]

Ethan, your materials guides are excellent, so helpful for those of us starting out as that's the most difficult stage. With very little free time my workshop progress is slow but I soon discovered I love working with plywood. It's so well-behaved and versatile. Several sheets are waiting in my hallway right now for an opportunity to build a french cleat wall. Thanks for your work!

[davidterrero]

Great video. Very digestible, concise and such effective prioritizing of information. It's great that you mention how much more there is left to discuss, too. An excellent way to share specialist knowledge of any kind. No time wasted. Well done!

[chrisbrayley]

Can't wait for part 2. We have just gone through a lumber shortage and we need to look at other forms of timber.

[jamescooley]

Sometimes they can be used together to make a wooden " sandwich " which can lead to greater strength and stability than either one used alone. Example in almost every door and window header.Two pieces of dimensional, one on either side of a piece of half inch plywood, makes a beam with much greater strength because the plywood is on edge. And it adds up to the same width as your studs 3and one half inches!

[peehandshihtzu]

I think you did a great job explaining the similarities and differences. For me I use both, each for different reasons and sometimes those reasons do overlap. I will say my favorite thing about plywood is it doesn't split on you while my least favorite things are transporting it and price. Meanwhile my favorite thing about dimensional lumber is it's rigidity while my least favorite things are it's ability to split unpredictably, and like mentioned, lack of widths available. All in all I find myself realizing that often I can't use one without the other, I'd say they compliment each other for the Win Win. :)

[JackKirbyFan]

Ethan, great video. I never knew the history so thanks for taking the time to do that.
I remember building a desk for my younger daughter along with storage space in her closets. She really wanted the desk to be all plywood along with the cabinet drawers and i was nudging towards at least hardwood fronts - nope. She loved the look of plywood and those plywood edges so that's what we did. It came out nice but it wasn't my personal preference but there you go - some people do like it :)

[kevindowd]

Excellent… never thought of something so simple at width being a major difference between the different types of wood! Thank You!@

[richardstrada]

Great job, as usual. I am looking forward to the rest of this series. It is the first time that I learned how plywood sheets are manufactured.

[jcking]

I’m older chick woodworker wanna be and I really enjoy your channel. You provide information without any extemporaneous blah blah blah. Even if I don’t have the equipment or the skills, your channel educates me on the proper way projects should be done as well as the proper materials that should be used. I find that extremely helpful when I need to hire someone to complete a project for me. Thanks!!! ♥️

[funpupps]

Mr Honest Carpenter, you are gifted with excellent communication skills besides your carpentry skills. I love watching all your videos and always learn something even when I thought I knew it all on a particular subject.

[TheVideoGameVault]

Another thing to note for beginners is that you'll need a planer and jointer for working with dimensional lumber and don't need those for plywood.

[jimadams]

Great, straight forward explanation. I find your videos to be very helpful. Thanks Ethan.

[johnkelley]

This was very helpful in explaining the process and use of plywood. Thanks for sharing this.

[zb]

Good explanation. I was hoping you would cover plywood's disadvantage of being quite prone to splitting at the layers if screwed directly into the edges, making it a bad candidate for certain applications.

[viewer-of-content]

It'd be really great if you could compaire properties of lvl vs nail laminated timber vs mass timber vs dimensional lumber too. Explaining which uses you can or should substitute your own diy option using clamps, nails, and/or glue, or buy factory/mill made lvl or dimensional lumber. A classic example of diy mass timber is butchers block or workbench top, and nail lamination has all sorts of classical construction uses.

[lyudmilalogvin]

Thank you so much. Clear, Direct, Knowledgeable and Informative. The BEST Intelligent explanation without any nonsense.

[elizabethbeers]

Please keep these videos coming! So helpful to the DYIer.

[MBMCincy]

12/19/21, newbie still, made my first cabinets this last summer. I couldn't afford plywood, so I used particle board. These videos help me, a newbie DIYER.