What's Up With Plywood???

[Robert Engel]

Ben is partly correct.

Be aware even the pro lumber distributors (at least the ones around me) carry the Chinese and Ecuador plywood, usually as their "B" grade.

If you specify "A grade" or premium plywood, (ie. genuine BB cabinet grade) its $45-60/sheet where I'm at.

[roger wiegand]

The Borgs carry poor product because their customers mostly care about it being cheap. That said, I have found quite nice construction grade South American ply at the HD in recent times.

If the new import duties on Canadian wood stand, be ready for yet another bump up in prices and down in quality as more north American product gets displaced by Chinese imports and everyone takes advantage of the news to bump their prices up.

[Bill McNiel]

Yikes. It sounds like they sold you "birch plywood" (4'x8' sheets) instead of "baltic birch" (5'x5' sheets). When looking for real baltic birch locally the big box stores said sure, they had it but I found out what they really had was birch faced plywood and it didn't look good. They didn't know the difference.

I finally found the real stuff at a company that catered to cabinet makers. What I got was perfect, no voids. Wasn't cheap.

JKJ

FWIW- Baltic Birch is available in both 5'x 5' and 4'x8' sheets. The difference, I've been told, is the glue's water resistance, but I'm no authority.

In my experience, one is asking for a lot of headaches trying to build anything nice with material from one of the BORG type stores. Of course it can be done but with many more issues. IMHO- BB is well worth the extra $.

[John K Jordan]

FWIW- Baltic Birch is available in both 5'x 5' and 4'x8' sheets. The difference, I've been told, is the glue's water resistance, but I'm no authority.

That's good to know. Do you know where to find it? I found only one dealer in the Knoxville area that carried baltic birch and they only had the 5'x5' sheets.

JKJ

[Keith Hankins]

the only thing big box ply is good for is floor underlayment.

I searched and found a cabinet supplier that has quality stuff and its good. You pay for it, but its good. Only ply I use is cherry.

industrial plywood is my go to place. I'm blessed to be close.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I drove 110 miles one way to buy Baltic birch plywood. While I could have bought it locally, it was $20/sheet more expensive. Since I had other business in Spokane, the savings paid for my trip. It was a joy to work with. I made my new crosscut sled from it.

[Bill McNiel]

That's good to know. Do you know where to find it? I found only one dealer in the Knoxville area that carried baltic birch and they only had the 5'x5' sheets.

JKJ

Probably won't help you John but in Seattle, both Compton Lumber and Crosscut Hardwoods carry the 4'x8' sheets.

[Bert McMahan]

As a newbie that has only ever used the big box stuff, how much do you normally pay for the good stuff? I'm going to look around me (middle TN area) but I don't know what pricing to look for. I've only even seen the stuff at a Woodcraft but haven't bought any yet as I haven't needed it.

[rudy de haas]

Here in Sunny Alberta the big box stores sell mostly made-in-china plywood - some I bought several years ago exuded a white chemical that eroded the cabel coverings on heating wire. Absolute garbage.

Windsor Plywood, however, offers made in Canada fir and other plywoods of decent quality and real (Russian or Finnish) Baltic birch of high quality.

[Larry Edgerton]

The last lift of 3/4 Baltic Birch I bought was $27 and change a sheet. If you can get together a buying group that is the way to buy plywood of any kind.

I would not waste my time in a box store.

[Mike Fritz]

Find a finish carpenter and ask him where he buys his plywood. Here in SC I can buy nice plywood for less then HD. I can also get Chinese plywood that's prefinished -- 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4. It's a 30 minute drive but well worth it

Bob - I'm in Aiken SC what is your plywood source. I tried to PM you but your queue is full.

[David T gray]

The last lift of 3/4 Baltic Birch I bought was $27 and change a sheet. If you can get together a buying group that is the way to buy plywood of any kind.

I would not waste my time in a box store.

thats cheap what grade is it, i pay like 55 for b/bb which is all they stock but it also get delivered to my door for free and i only buy a few sheets at once.

[Jim Dwight]

I agree with William and Roger. HD is selling nominally 3/4 plywood made in Chile that is softwood but has one face I would grade A and the other ranges from B to C. There are few voids and none really large ones. If I remember right it has 6 plies. I think it is interior glue but otherwise it's good stuff - especially for $30/sheet. I used several sheets on a workbench and more on shop cabinets. I built the carcase for a bathroom cabinet out of it too (and put finish on all sides just in case). Lowe's in this area has something similar.

Blondewood can be OK, usually has few voids. But the wood is very soft and often stinks. But better than some alternatives.

Much of the plywood at the Lowe's and HD here is for construction and pretty rough. But not all of it. I've also found decent 1/2 inch but it is harder to find.

I agree BB is better than anything at the local BB stores. It's exterior plies and all the interior plies are birch and they are all the same thickness. Voids are very small if there are any at all. Good stuff but pricey. I've used nominally 1/2 for drawer sides and backs on kitchen cabinets and furniture. I dovetail it. I use 1/4 for drawer bottoms in small drawers and 1/2 for drawer bottoms in big drawers. I get it from a hardwood dealer.

[Derek Arita]

I guess all I'm saying is that I used to be able to buy decent shop grade plywood at HD, at a decent price. I was just surprised at how much the quality has degraded over the last few years. For furniture, I buy at a couple of lumber yards and pay the $, but for shop stuff, I can't justify the $. That said, I sure wish the quality was what it used to be.

[Mark Blatter]

I finally found the real stuff at a company that catered to cabinet makers. What I got was perfect, no voids. Wasn't cheap.

JKJ

I am curious how much 'wasn't cheap' was. Do you mind sharing?

I bought some 1/2" 5x5 sheets a few weeks ago and paid $18 per sheet. The 3/4" was more, around $32 as I recall. That to me seems pretty reasonable. However, as I cut it up, I found some voids for the first time ever. I think the quality has slipped just a bit over the past 4-5 years. I buy it from a wholesal hardwood/sheet goods supplier.