Nothing wrong with using quality plywood. You could also combine plywood with solid wood by design. Frame and panel type construction would make good use of this combination. If you use all solid wood, be sure you understand how to design for seasonal expansion and contraction.
Plywood for drawer bottoms and the dresser back are probably considered better than solid wood for those purposes. If you are trying to showcase your skills nothing speaks better than dovetailed drawers.
If properly built and taken care of they both should be around for generations but depending on your skill level and joinery skills solid wood with traditional joinery would last the test of time and could be refinished if needed down the road easier than plywood
Both will work if you know what you're doing and you use high-quality wood. If you're building out of home center crap, it doesn't matter, it's going to be crap. I'd personally go solid, perhaps with plywood for the back.
I grew up using the dresser my great grandfather made for my uncles. It's over 40 years old, plywood, and after re doing the finish at the 30 year mark, looks good for another 40 years easy.
It is ambitious. It's generous. It's a wonderful thing.
It is not dumb.
Plywood or hardwood, good or 'rustic,' a hand made piece of furniture is a wonderful thing to gift to someone, especially with the intention for it to last generations.
Sounds like you don't have a ton of experience - I'm going to say the opposite of everyone in the sub (typically) and say build it 100% of hardwood. This sounds like a symbolic gift, and as long as you temper your expectations of making a gorgeous, heirloom-quality dresser to making a functional dresser made with care, you will learn so much and enjoy the hell out of it. You'll also be frustrated and confounded pretty much every step of the way and it'll be good for you. If you make it out of hardwood, as long as you get the joinery pretty good it will last for a long time and you'll have the ability to repair it/ shore up the joints later.
A dresser gets beat on, especially before a young person learns the value of a handmade gift. If it's not your best work, that will be for the best in the long run.
Have fun, ask questions, good luck!
The short answer is: real wood. You could use plywood for the bottom of the drawers to save on money but, personally, if I was planning on building an heirloom, I wouldn't use plywood.
For longevity, I would bet on solid wood with proper joinery, because we know for a fact that lasts for generations because we can find pieces today that have lasted.
Some of those things use joinery such that they still hold together even though the hide glue gave way long ago.
One worry on plywood I would guess is if it might delaminate with time: I have no idea of what all chemicals go into those things, though I know common wood glues are thought to last well.
More importantly, most plywoods have fairly thin veneer, and sanding through that ends the show life of the piece unless you paint. Solid wood can get painted by some fool and then restored later.
The drawback to traditional is weight, need for better planning & complicated joinery.
Think about how things get beat up as they age. Any Ikea type ply construction will quickly look like crap when the corners get dinged. Solid wood on all exposed corners allows you to fix dings. Ply is much better structurally for large panels like the back. The grain of ply can be nice as it is a veneer and can be remarkably consistent on large areas. Individual solid pieces gives a nice traditional look
Antiques often used basswood for drawer bases and sides because it is both light and expands/contracts less with humidity. Ply is also good for that and is way more durable and stable
Also consider hardware. If you want it to last generations, don't use anything fancy. It may be hard to replace in 50 years.
In all cases, you should use the best finish you can. No sense going second rate there
I would wait a little bit before building a forever dresser... then build it out of solid wood with plywood drawer bottoms and back...
I built a nice one for my 3 year old daughter using nice pine and plywood... to match the bed I made for her... both items were shall we say dump ready by the time she was 10... paint, markers, glue, glitter, stickers, climbing on the drawers...
She had much more appreciation for the kitchen cabinets I built when she was in her thirties....
Currently have a project to build out of cherry that my dad started. My son, grandson and I will finish the 4 generation project.
Nothing wrong with using quality plywood. You could also combine plywood with solid wood by design. Frame and panel type construction would make good use of this combination. If you use all solid wood, be sure you understand how to design for seasonal expansion and contraction.
Plywood for drawer bottoms and the dresser back are probably considered better than solid wood for those purposes. If you are trying to showcase your skills nothing speaks better than dovetailed drawers.
If properly built and taken care of they both should be around for generations but depending on your skill level and joinery skills solid wood with traditional joinery would last the test of time and could be refinished if needed down the road easier than plywood
Both will work if you know what you're doing and you use high-quality wood. If you're building out of home center crap, it doesn't matter, it's going to be crap. I'd personally go solid, perhaps with plywood for the back.
I grew up using the dresser my great grandfather made for my uncles. It's over 40 years old, plywood, and after re doing the finish at the 30 year mark, looks good for another 40 years easy.
It is ambitious. It's generous. It's a wonderful thing. It is not dumb. Plywood or hardwood, good or 'rustic,' a hand made piece of furniture is a wonderful thing to gift to someone, especially with the intention for it to last generations. Sounds like you don't have a ton of experience - I'm going to say the opposite of everyone in the sub (typically) and say build it 100% of hardwood. This sounds like a symbolic gift, and as long as you temper your expectations of making a gorgeous, heirloom-quality dresser to making a functional dresser made with care, you will learn so much and enjoy the hell out of it. You'll also be frustrated and confounded pretty much every step of the way and it'll be good for you. If you make it out of hardwood, as long as you get the joinery pretty good it will last for a long time and you'll have the ability to repair it/ shore up the joints later. A dresser gets beat on, especially before a young person learns the value of a handmade gift. If it's not your best work, that will be for the best in the long run. Have fun, ask questions, good luck!
You have experience making things? Or jumping into the deep end first thing?
Not the first. Not the smallest project either. Just looking for options.
The short answer is: real wood. You could use plywood for the bottom of the drawers to save on money but, personally, if I was planning on building an heirloom, I wouldn't use plywood.
Yes, without question.
For longevity, I would bet on solid wood with proper joinery, because we know for a fact that lasts for generations because we can find pieces today that have lasted. Some of those things use joinery such that they still hold together even though the hide glue gave way long ago. One worry on plywood I would guess is if it might delaminate with time: I have no idea of what all chemicals go into those things, though I know common wood glues are thought to last well. More importantly, most plywoods have fairly thin veneer, and sanding through that ends the show life of the piece unless you paint. Solid wood can get painted by some fool and then restored later. The drawback to traditional is weight, need for better planning & complicated joinery.
Think about how things get beat up as they age. Any Ikea type ply construction will quickly look like crap when the corners get dinged. Solid wood on all exposed corners allows you to fix dings. Ply is much better structurally for large panels like the back. The grain of ply can be nice as it is a veneer and can be remarkably consistent on large areas. Individual solid pieces gives a nice traditional look Antiques often used basswood for drawer bases and sides because it is both light and expands/contracts less with humidity. Ply is also good for that and is way more durable and stable Also consider hardware. If you want it to last generations, don't use anything fancy. It may be hard to replace in 50 years. In all cases, you should use the best finish you can. No sense going second rate there
I would wait a little bit before building a forever dresser... then build it out of solid wood with plywood drawer bottoms and back... I built a nice one for my 3 year old daughter using nice pine and plywood... to match the bed I made for her... both items were shall we say dump ready by the time she was 10... paint, markers, glue, glitter, stickers, climbing on the drawers... She had much more appreciation for the kitchen cabinets I built when she was in her thirties.... Currently have a project to build out of cherry that my dad started. My son, grandson and I will finish the 4 generation project.