International Wood International Wood 2006 | Page 42

“We’ll use a great deal of imported plywood
for our cabinet boxes because the quality
and consistency are superb. Plus, it is readily
available and a good value. Baltic birch is
one of our favorites because it machines well,
particularly for dovetailing.”
ROdGER DETTMAnN
42 i m p o r t e d
wood
species offer – grain pattern, color, durability, etc. It’s not just an oak
and maple world anymore.”
As clientele demands imported woods in growing numbers, cabinet-
makers are finding ways to guide consumers to select wood based on
their desired designs and performance needs.
“Even though we produce very high-end products, we still recognize
that solids are not always the best products for specific applications,” says
Dettmann.
In addition to cabinet facings, shops such as Mertins assess how to
best build cabinet boxes, blending the imported and domestic woods to
achieve the best strength and performance.
“We’ll use a great deal of imported plywood for our cabinet boxes
because the quality and consistency are superb. Plus, it is readily available
and a good value. Baltic birch is one of our favorites because it machines
well, particularly for dovetailing. Technically it is a hardwood plywood
product, but it is lighter in weight, making it easier for fabrication and
installation. It is available in a wide range of thicknesses, and when we
step up to a thicker product, weight does not become a factor.”
Capital Cabinet, a division of Masterbrand Cabinets, Inc. (the na-
tion’s second largest cabinet corporation), is a company with a 60-year
history in the art of cabinet craftsmanship. Headquartered in Las Vegas
and servicing clientele in Nevada, California, Utah, and Arizona, Capital
is equipped for both volume jobs and individualized needs.
Capital has evolved with trends throughout its long history, keeping
up with changing styles and wood preferences. Within the last year,
Capital clients have shown a strong interest in imported woods, specifi-
cally European beech.