The Ciseal Blog

Exposed plywood walls are definitely not for the faint of heart.  Even the biggest plywood fans (ahem, us!) can see the benefits of being prudent with the warm wood tones and grain patterns.  Too much can feel like a cave, but with the right complements, exposed plywood looks fantastic!  If your space has the clean lines and plenty of natural light to pull it off, we think the exposed plywood look can be gorgeous!  Here are some ideas for how to make plywood look great.

(Fox Lumber NJ)

The most important decision to make is the plywood variety or species.  This determines the final look you’re going to get.  If you’re after a bold, warm, wavy grain pattern with lots of contrast, rotary cut fir or pine are the way to go.  Birch, ash, or maple plywood in a flat cut or plain slice cut will offer a lighter, cleaner, more uniform look.

After deciding on the look you want and the variety of wood, you will want to decide on the grade.  Plywood grade ranges from A - the cleanest, easiest to finish, and most expensive, to D - which has lots of knots, and will require lots of sanding and layers of finish, but also least expensive.  If your budget isn't too tight, you'll likely want to get Grade A or AB Sanded Plywood.  It will save you a lot of time and effort sanding and finishing and pulling slivers out of your fingers.  For the budget conscious, BC plywood is a solid choice because it is a lower price point and it has a sanded finish on one side.

(Remodelaholic)

If you haven’t noticed, plywood is kind of our favorite material.  One reason we love it is for it’s efficient use of the trees it is made out of.  Between hardwood and plywood, plywood is by far the more sustainable option because It’s the most efficient use of the tree.  Plywood utilizes the entire tree trunk with no off cuts and very, very little waste.  You can’t get much more efficient!  If you’re curious about how plywood is made, check out some of our favorite process videos below:

Howdy, bent plywood fans!  I came across this video the other day and just had to share it with you.  It’s all about how the Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) came to be.  They go back to the beginning and share how plywood - normally a construction material - became a modern furniture material through the creative eyes of Charles & Ray Eames.  Then, the video goes behind the scenes and shows the actual process used to make the chairs today.  It all happens just on the other side of our lovely state in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Watching it left me drooling and excited to make some bent plywood things myself, so enjoy!

We certainly love our wood here at Ciseal.  It’s a material that brings natural warmth and beauty to our designs.  We love the variety of woods we get to use too.  Each species imparts it’s own unique look and feel that we just can’t get enough of.  The woods we use most often and certainly can’t get enough of are Birch, Oak, and Walnut.  Find out why these are our favorite woods to work with:

Birch: Elegant Strength

If you’re looking for a neutral backdrop, birch is the way to go.  It’s muted tones are perfect for building off of with either color or darker neutrals.  Birch is a classic choice for bent lamination because of it’s combined flexibility and strength, which produces lightweight, thin, and extremely strong products.  Discover birch in our Michigan Left Lamp, Interlochen Stool or Pontiac Side Table - all prime examples of the refinement of birch.

Oak: King of the Forest

For it’s beautiful grain and unmatched durability, oak keeps us coming back for more.  It’s a timeless material that always seems to be in style, and it’s hardness ensures it will last a lifetime.  See oak in all it’s glory on our Aspen Magazine Rack, Tahquamenon Stool, or Alden Side Table.  Each one will keep you mesmerized at the gorgeous grain of oak.

Walnut: Timeless Warmth

Walnut may be woodworkers' most favorite of all the species to work with.  Not only is it a dream to shape, but it’s deep, rich brown color interspersed with an occasional blond streak keeps us coming back for more.  Let this alluring wood draw you in on our Ray Tablet Stand, Mission Firewood Holder, or Traverse Table Lamp.  Walnut’s depth and warmth are calling you.

I get asked all the time how I got started in hand crafting bent plywood furniture and what's my inspiration, so here's some of the story:

Born and raised in the suburbs just north of Detroit, there wasn't a big emphasis on art or design.  They were subjects I enjoyed in school, but I felt a huge push towards pursuing a career in math or science.  Therefore, engineering was my first pursuit.

Fortunately, through my job at the GM Technical Center in Warren, MI, I was introduced to the simple, understated beauty of mid century modern architecture and design.  I was always the one who volunteered to represent engineering in meetings at the design center - not only did I get to experience the beautiful design center lobby with its gorgeous suspended stairs that lead up to the studios, but it was my chance to pick designers brains on how they got to where they are.  I have since come to learn about the history and intent of the campus’ design and it is definitely the spark that led me in the direction of becoming a designer (Dwell magazine has a great little article on the design of the GM Technical Center here).  

While at GM I enrolled at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit, and it only took about one semester of juggling work and school for me to realize that pursuing design full time was my next step.  With the freedom to focus just on school, I was able to explore classes beyond my product design major.  My junior year I took a furniture class that focused on bent plywood, and I was hooked.  I loved the process of designing and hand making durable, functional products from what was previously flimsy, bendy wood.

After graduating from CCS, I started making the Ray tablet stand and other bent plywood things in my spare time.  It eventually grew from a fun hobby making dust in my parents cluttered basement to a legitimate business with happy paying customers.  

Modern classics of the Mid-Century and Danish Modern designers like Charles & Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia, Arne Jacobson, and George Nelson are the biggest influences of my designs.  They inspire me with their nods toward nature, respect for materials and clean, unadorned designs that are both functional and beautiful.  

For each piece I make, I build a form by hand, cut out individual layers of material, then carefully apply glue to each layer, clamp the layers to the form, trim, sand and rub on the finish.  Each piece takes days to complete.  It’s definitely faster and cheaper for huge manufacturers to mass-produce molded plywood products on robotic assembly lines half a world away, but their products lack a certain soul.  There’s an attention to detail, a love of material, a passion for perfection that is evident in a handmade Ciseal product.  My furniture and accessories are designed to be used, loved, and enjoyed every day - hopefully for years to come.  Nothing is more beautiful than a bent plywood piece that shows through its nicks, scratches, and worn veneer that it's been loved for a lifetime.

Check out what's resulted from this journey: Ciseal's Collection

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Being huge bent plywood nerds, we're always on the lookout for the stuff - it's our eye candy.  We're fascinated by our fellow bent ply tribe - who they are, why they make what they make, what inspires them, and their craft.  

We recently came upon this video about skateboards made out of trash and were smitten.  It all started when artist Mac Premo was contacted by the World Wildlife Fund to be a part of the "Everyday Things" collection which aims to "inspire people to live more sustainably."  Mac partnered with Sanford Shapes to create a series of skateboards made from materials they could find while dumpster diving around construction sites.

These guys and their project are for sure going to inspire a Ciseal product or two down the road!  Enjoy the video!

THE BUCKET BOARD from mac premo on Vimeo.

Photo: Eames Office

Charles and Ray Eames are a huge inspiration to the work we do at Ciseal (we even named our first product, the Ray Tablet Stand after Ray Eames).  Their sense of design, use of materials (especially bent plywood!), and emphasis on function and comfort are qualities we try our best to emulate.  

We're also big fans of learning more about their design process and how their designs are manufactured.  One amazing source of inspiration is this video about the making of the Eames Lounge Chair at the Herman Miller factory.  This mid century beauty has stood the test of time and remains coveted for it's comfort and style.  The video details some of the Eames' design process as well as shows the people and processes behind the manufacturing of the chair.  

It's fascinating how much of the work is still done by hand - like selecting the veneer and hand sanding the wood to perfection.  A lot of the processes are similar to how we make our products - just on a much larger scale!