Replies

1. 
   gulfstar | Mar 20, 2022 05:37pm | #1

   Change supplier, this is a 3/32 variation or just about, you will have to adjust everything individually, a major waste of time.

2. 
   john_c2 | Mar 20, 2022 06:32pm | #2

   Yeah, that's way too much variation.

   If I get all my sheet stock as sequential pieces,I've never had an issue with variation in thickness.

3. 
   _mj_ | Mar 20, 2022 07:33pm | #3

   Buy it all at once, off the same pallet, and not at a blue or orange box.

1. 
   joeleonetti | Mar 21, 2022 02:30pm | #7

   My thoughts as well. I'd probably also bring a measuring device of some kind (likely the digital calipers I have) to double check they were all the same thickness.

4. 
   rob_ss | Mar 21, 2022 03:13am | #4

   No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

   18mm ply can have some variation in thickness, but a full mm variation either side seems a lot. This suggests a low quality product - it may be better using it for shop furniture and finding better.

   If you do want to use it, your biggest issue is going to be fitting shelves into dadoes, and ensuring that you get the width of shelves/tops and bottoms consistent. Front to back is fine.
   I would approach this by labeling each sheet by thickness. The ones that suit my router bit best (cut a scrap and test...) or that are most consistent if using a dado stack will become the horizontal parts.
   The less consistent ones will be uprights as really their thickness matters little.
   The challenge then becomes fitting the width - this should be calculable easily enough as you need to add up: total thickness of sheets used for uprights + total width of horizontal pieces (one span) less the total depth of all dadoes cut.
   With careful labeling and accurate cutting the variance in thickness is not a problem.

5. 
   jc_clark | Mar 21, 2022 09:27am | #5

   I cut a "raised panel" on my shelf ends to fit a smaller dado on my sides.
   3/4" ply gets a 5/8" dado, the shelf gets a 5/8" tongue.
   By cutting the shelf profile on my shaper with the cutter on top it assures
   the end or "tongue" is all the exact same 5/8"thickness even if the shelf
   varies in thickness.
   (hope that makes sense)

1. 
   fivebirdscustom | Mar 21, 2022 01:18pm | #6

   This is a great too, and one I need to remember more often! Thanks!

   I own a set (my second or third set now, I've worn out the biggest one several times, though) of plywood sized router bits from Whiteside. They are undersized to fit plywood, and for the most part, it is a perfect fit.

   For the times when the plywood is even smaller? I use a smaller router bit, and move it over until he proper size is reached.... Or, if I can., I set up my dado blade and run it on my table saw.

6. 
   lordulrich | Mar 22, 2022 12:11pm | #8

   For built ins and the like I prefer my shelf be removable. My closet I used a cleat on the verticals that the shelf can rest on. The actual shelf thickness doesn't matter. The cleat also gives a tolerance for the shelf to fit. For built ins the house is never flat, level or square, so I try to have much greater tolerances to account for that the when making furniture.