Plywood question

Ralph Connor

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42
Location
CNY - Williamstown
Is there a "Pine Plywood" out there or something similar.

Also is birch ply a good substitute for Oak Ply??

I'm doing some research prior to calling my lumber supplier.

I have a commission for a shelving unit and looking at options.

Thanks in advance for the info.
 
Ralph,
personally I'd say that CDX is an example of 'pine' plywood, but obviously very rough. Birch is similar to maple ply, perhaps not quite as hard, but it stains/looks enough like it that I used birch ply with maple trim and it looks like it is all out of maple.

oak, unless you're getting quartersawn, I just don't like the way the grain flows on the plywood I've see in oak. It has to do with how they peel the layers off of the log, just doesn't do much for me. Your mileage may vary of course.

ever get that benchtop into action?
 
Hi Ralph,

Oak and birch ply are two different animals cosmetically. The cost is pretty close, so I'm not sure what your asking.

If your plans call for oak sides, you're probably going to cover the front edge with banding or a face frame. You can also cover the edges of the shelves.

The way ply is today, if I were making a shelving unit that would carry much load, I would consider using baltic birch plywood for the shelves; stronger and more quality build.
 
Hi Ralph,

Oak and birch ply are two different animals cosmetically. The cost is pretty close, so I'm not sure what your asking.

If your plans call for oak sides, you're probably going to cover the front edge with banding or a face frame. You can also cover the edges of the shelves.

The way ply is today, if I were making a shelving unit that would carry much load, I would consider using baltic birch plywood for the shelves; stronger and more quality build.

Bob

Would you just use a veneer to cover the Baltic Birch to match the rest of the project?

I usually put a wood dress edge of 1/4" or 1/2" thick on the face edge of the shelf or maybe a thicker wider piece as a stiffener maybe even 3/4" x 1 1/2" like I did for shop cabinets. Also if the cabinets are floor to ceiling I usually go about 1/2 way down the height & put in a non movable shelf with a 3/4" x 1 1/2" face frame rail on the front. Like this cabinet the shelf just below the glue bottles & spray cans is a solid shelf with a face frame rail on the front.
 

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I've seen "Knotty Pine" particle-core 4x8 sheets at the borg. It's not as common as Oak or Birch ply, but I have seen it.

I've used Birch ply as a substitute for Maple ply, but as Bart said, it sure ain't Oak.
 
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:DBart,

Yeah, I think I used a shotgun for a rifle shot :D.

If the project calls for me to be concerned about the appearance of the shelves, I'll probably charge for and use solid wood. If I use plywood, it's probably going to be a "utility" type piece where there will be so much crap on the shelves nobody can see them anyway :D. If you put a gun to my head and promised me big bucks, I might do veneer.

I agree about the "1x2" shelf edging and I think I would consider it for anything over 30" wide.
 
I have seen, AND heard mention (I think on the Forum here) about a plywood that IIRC was called Sand Ply, which had the normal fir/pine cores but had at least one side that was a clear pine or fir face. It was light colored and had little or no grain pattern and would not compare to oak Ply, but would be fine for a painted finish OR staining if you didn't care that it had no grain pattern. It was naturally somewhat more expensive than something like CDX but cheaper than Oak Ply.
 
Thanks for the input

I'm glad I asked about the birch. I heard people talk about using it in place of another wood. After reading the replies I remember now it is Maple.

The piece will be 24" wide 12" deep with 4 fixed shelves about a foot apart. Ply back and matching wood face frame.

Ned, the counter is not in place yet. I am having reservations about the computer bench. I am hoping and have a couple opportunities for work right now. I don't want to work on computers all day then come home and do it some more. If I cut the top for the computer desk it won't work for the shop. So in a few more words, I'm still weighing my options.:dunno:

Pics for everyone when the shelving project starts.
 
The piece will be 24" wide 12" deep with 4 fixed shelves about a foot apart. Ply back and matching wood face frame.

ok ralph on 24 " you could possibly get by without face banding but the looks and strenght far out weight the time of not doing it.. i would suggest a rabbit joint on the banding to give it a finnished look or you could just attach to the face with some glue and a nail or two .. baltic birch ply is much better than the regular borg stuff and for what your after you should be able to use borg stuff just fine
 
You bet you can buy Pine plywood -- I know this for a fact because I just recently purchased a 1/4" x 4' x 8' sheet. It cost me something like $45 too.:doh:
 
Your local supplier(atleast mine) is willing to talk you thru the different grades and styles of sheet goods. There is a grade above CDX, that is smoother and looks fairly decent, cannot remmber the name of it.:dunno:
 
Your local supplier(atleast mine) is willing to talk you thru the different grades and styles of sheet goods. There is a grade above CDX, that is smoother and looks fairly decent, cannot remmber the name of it.:dunno:

possibly ad which is good one side bad the other interior grade, also you could get ac which is exterior glue and the bad side is a touch better. the stuff out there called china birch comes in 1/2 and 3/4 and is pretty good if you look them over but the veneer is super thin.. so be careful on your sanding.
 
possibly ad which is good one side bad the other interior grade, also you could get ac which is exterior glue and the bad side is a touch better. the stuff out there called china birch comes in 1/2 and 3/4 and is pretty good if you look them over but the veneer is super thin.. so be careful on your sanding.


BE very careful of that china birch. I used it to build the kitchen cabinets of the home I built here and I found many voids that you wouldn't find in higher quality stuff and also they have some mighty strong presses over there as I found where two or three plies overlapped and it was just pressed flat and cooked:eek:

Royall
 
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