I hadn't looked in a while--place near me is now at $81 for 5 x 5 18mm ($78 for 4-9 sheets). I'm thinking that 18 months or so it was in the $150 range, but that is a fuzzy memory. Seems reasonably close to pre-pandemic and pre-war.
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I hadn't looked in a while--place near me is now at $81 for 5 x 5 18mm ($78 for 4-9 sheets). I'm thinking that 18 months or so it was in the $150 range, but that is a fuzzy memory. Seems reasonably close to pre-pandemic and pre-war.
This thread begs the question of why 4 x 8? When and how did building in the US standardize on doing things in 2 ft increments with 16 or 24" spacing? There's no indication in older houses that the spacing was anything other than whatever looked good to the carpenter involved, and plenty where there is no particular consistency within a single structure.
1.5 M square seems as sensible as any other measurement for cabinet plywood-- does it fit 32 mm cabinet dimensions particularly well? Construction in most of Europe uses vanishingly little sheet goods and US standard construction methods with stud walls is regarded as a very inferior method suitable only for temporary structures and cheap commercial space, if that. (Masonry and framing timbers being the norm)
because they fit in the wallywagon.
Trees in the taiga are stunted and short. Much easier to get peeler logs 5 feet long then 8 feet. Especially if you are trying to get knot free wood.
BilL D
I believe the Finn's equipment was 5x5 when they where teaching the Russians how to make plywood is why they made 5x5 (btw they also make 4x8 too)
John, look for Columbia. I use it in prefinished maple and it is 96.5 x 48.5 and pretty consistent.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Pendery
I take my old 3/4 bits in to a sharpening shop and they grind them to fit metric. I know you can buy metric, but this is almost free and I can have them in small increments to fit whatever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Selinger
Full lift pricing for 4x8 3/4" BB/BB is currently $98. 10+ is $107 Just before Covid I was paying $57 full lift and $65 full lift for Columbia 3/4 prefinished maple 2 sides. I have not bought any since as I bought several lifts just before Covid, but it says "Call for price" which always makes me flinch. I am almost out, so I will know soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Edgerton
Larry, yes I also get Columbia pure bond prefinished maple a lot for cabinet interiors. I guess I was just trying to say that the 4x8 Baltic birch throws me for a loop being undersized compared to the Columbia products you point out.
Ah, got ya. I hate finishing or I would use baltic for everything.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Pendery
Larry, I completely agree. I would too, as I feel baltic is superior in every way except that I have to finish it! I too hate finishing…Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Edgerton
It's probably still coming from Russia, but routed through Vietnam and relabeled there for export. I'm not sure that it's totally legal, but it's a pretty common practice in lots of stuff these days, in order to avoid tariffs or other restrictions. Basically, everyone puts a little money in their pocket to look the other way and business still gets done.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Wedel
I mean, there aren't many, if any, birch trees growing in Vietnam. It's too warm there. Certainly not enough to support the export of it.
https://us.eia.org/report/20220930-r...onflict-birch/
think I was told past the materials were sent to china and then made there. They have been buying our logs for 40 years and slicing thinner venner than we can.
This is a common thing, told Hardwood floors past made in quebec then rough material sent to china and made there and shipped back. They told me it was cheaper than here which is hard to fathom considering all the travel and back and forth. I was told by a supplier once there were even some shops on boats. I remember that as he said junk was dumped in the ocean. Maybe that stopped.
Nothing new how many tools past made in the US are made off shore.
Pretty sure I was told past the baltic birch was inconsistent as it was not always made in the same place even if the materials came from baltic states Latvia Estonia and Russia. Was told The trees grow harder and denser there from the cold. I can accept that as the red oak I bought from Michigan was different than the red oak from Pennsyvannia. At one point buying from both places and machining at the same time.
I know that offshoring of the production is what has resulted in a lot of lumbermills on the west coast shutting down. Instead of the material being milled here and then shipped out, raw logs were being shipped out and processed in Asia.
It used to be (and probably still is) that shipping stuff from US to Asia was fairly cheap, because the ships (and containers) had to return to Asia anyways to pick up whatever the US was importing, so there was excess capacity in that direction. So it just becomes an analysis of does the lower production cost offset more than the shipping cost, and in most cases, the answer seems to be yes.