I’m trying to learn something about birch plywood and I’m having trouble finding good information on the internet. I want to know what my options are and what to ask for at the lumber yard. Are there different “types” or “grades” of birch ply? I know there are types with one good face vs two good faces. What does a “good face” really mean? What other differences are there? Are there differences in what the inner layers are made of, or how many inner layers there are? What differences in veneers are there? I’m looking for as much info as I can get, so anything would be useful to know.
Holly Johnson
Replies
http://www.fernaldlumber.com/plywood_grades.htm
A quick google search turned up many sources using the term plywood grading. Regular lumber yards are limited in plywood choices. More options are availalbe from plywood dealers in your larger urban yellow pages.
In addition to all the "typical" plywood, there comes Baltic Birch and it's cohorts. These are the high-density plys we like to make jigs out of, for instance. More plys per mm, void-free generally, very stable. There's apple ply from the US(?), Finnish Birch, which uses exterior glue between plys (or is it "plies").
See that last section on this page. A few more details at Sloan's Workshop.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 6/14/2006 11:56 am by forestgirl
Hi Holly ,
There certainly are different types and grades of Birch plywood . Most noticeable there is Whole piece face rotary cut veneer and there is multi piece face seamed together . The face is graded and the back is graded as well .
You can get B 3 which has a B grade face and 3 back . A 1 has an Agrade face and a 1 back , good quality usually . Veneer cores also have a grading system but are seldom referred to , such as a D core or a C core having to do with the voids and lay up of the core .
There is 7 ply 3/4" and there is 9 ply 3/4" then you get into the Apple ply and Baltic Birch multi ply panels that leave little chance for core voids . Also the color can be a grade such as Select Red or Natural Birch .
There are shop grades and there is on grade or certified .
best of luck dusty
If you are referring to import birch that falls under the tradenames of Russian, Baltic, Finnish, then these panels have grading denominations much different than domestic panels. Also the size of these panels is typically 5' x 5'. Not much is imported in the more standard 4' x 8' domestic sizes. There are 3 basic grades for these panels. They are as follows:
B/BB - Clear Face, minimal repairs on the back such as boat patches
BB/BB - Minimal repairs front and back
BB/CP - Minimal repairs on the front, many repairs or even small knots on back
Also, many companies offer these panels in "shop" grades. It is important to know what grade was originally intended in production to know how the panels will appear. Most of the shop panels are slightly undersized and that is the only reason for the "shop" designation. Sometimes they can also become water stained or damaged in shipment.
Along with all the other birch's already mentioned there is a Chinese birch that is being imported. Its not all that good of quality, runs about 11/16"-23/32" thick and in a normal bunk you'll find some good pieces, some not so good and some in the middle.
The price is right though, sells for about $22-24 per sheet.
Doug
There are many different grades of Birch ply from A2 9-ply 5'x5' to the cheep "shop grade" E3 4'x8'. The cheepest stuff tends to warp a lot if it is less than 3/4". The better stuff costs as much (or more) than Poplar,Maple or one of the other common paint grade stock.
You best bet is to buy from a knowlageable dealer and ask then what they recomend. Really these products change so quickly that it is hard to keep up with unless that is all you do every day.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
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