Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | Jan 12, 2005 05:04pm | #1

   What is "brice"?

   I've worked with maple veneered plywood and it's no big deal as long as you remember that the veneer is VERY thin and you avoid sanding right through it.

   Maple can get "blotchy" when it's stained so you may want to experiment with stain and finish techniques before you commit.  Make sample pieces from the scrap and use them for practice.

2. 
   woodensplinter | Jan 12, 2005 05:40pm | #2

   Got a "deal" on oak ply once.  Faces were ok but the backs were pretty bad in some places.  Also found, on some sheets, delamination.  Have a good look at what's there before you decide.

   As far as finishing goes, try using either a stain conditioner or gel stains.

3. 
   JohnWW | Jan 12, 2005 06:25pm | #3

   There is a lot of birch face plywood showing up at ever lower prices, I saw some a few weeks ago marked "Made in China".  I think that a lot of lower quality stuff is also being made in the former Soviet states that were the source of the original high quality "Baltic" birch plywoods.  I've also seen quite a bit of low end U.S. made stuff lately, produced especially for Home Depots and the like, where they have obviously cut corners to keep the price as low as possible.

   The face veneers, of everything I've seen, are very thin and of mostly mediocre quality, you would probably be taking quite a risk staining them for a job that would show, the result probably won't look good. 

   A second problem with these inexpensive plywoods is that they can have quite a bit of warp, and it may not show up until it has been in your shop a few days and gained or lost some moisture.

   My take on these plywoods is that they are great for shop applications or carcasses, if you choose flat sheets, but they are not cabinet grade stuff meant to be seen.

   John W. 

1. 
   TXJon | Jan 12, 2005 10:16pm | #4

   A guy from my closest lumber yard told me a little bit about this stuff.

   According to him, Chinese factory ships loaded with core plies and glue are parked offshore in international waters.  Chinese buyers purchase veneer logs in the USA ,then manufacture the plywood on the ships, stamp "made in China" and drive it right back.

   He also showed me a pile of returned sheets that had had the face veneer delaminate right in the middle of the sheet.

   I have had the same problem, a sheet that looked good when purchased, a few days later had large blisters in the middle of the sheet.  It's not even suitable for shop cabinets, IMO.  Without exaggeration, I have seen dry latex paint film thicker than these face veneers.

   It also bows, twists, cups, etc.

   To call it crap is to insult perfectly good fertilizer.

   Never Again!  Someday I will learn not to look so hard for a "good deal"

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 13, 2005 12:37am | #5

   The Japanese have taken logs from the US and made them into plywood on the water for years. I have wondered if the salt air may have something to do with the delaminations, unless they condition the air where it's layed up. I get my cabinet grade plywood from two sources in town and haven't seen any from the R.O.C. or Japan.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   UncleDunc | Jan 13, 2005 01:50am | #6

   This strikes me as economically improbable. Do you have a reference where I can read more details?

2. 
   forestgirl | Jan 13, 2005 10:13am | #9

   "To call it crap is to insult perfectly good fertilizer."  Hah!  Gotta remember that one.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

4. 
   hammer1 | Jan 13, 2005 03:41am | #7

   Just like many things, what you see on the surface may not be the whole story. Often, with inexpensive plywood, the inner plies are poor. There may be voids, knots and fillers that will show up on the edges after cutting. The face veneers are not very well selected or sanded. If it's for something that is just utility grade, why not? I wouldn't put a lot of labor or structural faith in it without some experience. There is some real junk out there and it often shows up at a discount store or big box.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   Lightman | Jan 13, 2005 03:55am | #8

   to Hammer and All I got what I wanted from ya'll...and thanks a bunch.  I figured someone would know about this stuff.  At my BOB it's about the same price as Launa(sp) and I've had better luck with it. I never planned to use it for something that shows just some shop projects and I still may try a couple of sheets for whatever..need a new cabinet under that new tb...

    Thanks again for all your responses..

   Jimmy

   as always I wish you enough

5. 
   Ribeye | Jan 13, 2005 10:28am | #10

   If "BOB" == "BORG", do not walk from the stuff. Flee it with vigor!

   I bought some of that "stuff" some while back (at the advice of members of a different forum) and wow! Did I ever regret it. I still do.

   That discount Maple/something ply was the crappiest stuff you should never have to endure.  It was money thrown away.  What happened? Well ... as the sheets were cut down to work-piece size, they "sproinged and spranged" into pretzels and other indescribable objects.  The "Maple" face is interspersed with Birch. While not a bad surface in itself, it can be a bit "wierd" when you try to stain the stuff. 

   (Hint: consider it Paint Grade. AND expect the few inner layers of the ply to be full of holes and voids and other defects. )

    

   -- Steve

   Enjoy life & do well by it;

   it might well be the only chance you get.

   http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/

1. 
   Lightman | Jan 13, 2005 04:01pm | #11

   Thanks Steve,

     Yeah BOB = BORG.  I think I won't even fool with this "stuff" for shop projects! It always seems that "DEALS" turn into "DEALS"...know what I mean?

    Dad always said if it looks like the best thing since sliced bread it's got mold on it.....

   Jimmy

   as always I wish you enough