On one of the forums, a woodworker wanted to know if he could substitute birch for cherry in a project he’s making. One respondent said that birch is OK for veneer and plywood but doesn’t work well as solid lumber. Is that true?
Rick White: Birch is great wood for construction, and furniture builders use it all the time. The only issue might come when you’re finishing the piece, as birch can be a bit blotchy when using stains or dyes.
Ian Kirby: Birch works perfectly well as a solid lumber. It was rarely used commerciallybecause there were better looking alternatives (though the upholstery industry used it aplenty). It has to be dried and handled correctly and it, of course, doesn’t look or work like cherry. But you can’t say it doesn’t work as solid lumber.
Michael Dresdner: Nope, not true. Of course, it is not as pretty as cherry, but birch is a very adequate wood as solid lumber. And with some clever finishing, you can even make it look a whole lot like cherry.
