There is some incredibly cheap 18mm (11/16″?) Birch Ply, made in China at the Home Despot the last few months. I wonder if anybody has had a chance to use any. Some of the sheets don’t look bad at all, others are just butt ugly on one side. I’m thinking they’d be suitable as a paint-grade material, but I’m worried about delamination of the veneer layer.
Any opions?
Thanks
Replies
I've used two sheets. Its not bad for utility work but I wouldn't use it for anything nice. Part of one of my sheets delaminated and the faces need tons of sanding. They also are not very flat.
I saw a guy cut two sheets last Wednesday, they WERE flat, now there dangerously cupped, about 4 inches.
The cut end would rise up as it cleared the splitter. Voids, voids and still more voids. the face side looked nice!Ron
I was working with some a couple of weeks ago. All I know is one of the cutoffs got a bit wet in misting rain. Within about 10 minutes, it was delaminated.
I bought a few sheets at my local lumber yard. Looked very nice until cut. The stuff delaminated, warped, cupped, splintered, etc. The lumber yard gave me some nice domestic birch ply and I scrapped the chinese crap. I'm sure the stuff is great if you do not cut it or need it to stay flat.......
Bought some of the cheaper import plywood at a competitor of the Borg. Had a little shop project and thought I would try the imported plywood, which was approximately 65% of the price compared to domestic shop grade birch ply.
Got the imported plywood home home and the first pass over the table saw, the plywood blew apart, actually exploded is a better term for the mechanical reaction. It delaminated at the point of contact with the blade and pieces flew everywhere! I just shut the saw off, went into thehouse and had a coffee to calm down. The imported plywood went straight to the dump and I went back and bought the domestic shop grade birch.
That one instant of seeing the plywood explode when it touched the blade was enough to convince me that "cheap" is not a good enough reason to buy the import plywood - I'll stick to domestic thanks!!!
Bob in Calgary
The general consensus is that the China panels are not a stable product . Worstly (if that's a word) the chemicals used and the fact that it is not made to the standards including Formaldehydes and other poisons that are common to domestic products are no less than a health risk .
They say it is the glues that cause the offending odors .
We all need to stop using and buying these products , complain and let them know what crap it is .
My supplier tried to save me $15 per sheet last time , I returned all the China ply and took the domestic for the higher price . I personally will not use it again , until there is no more domestic .
dusty
I wonder how these decision processes work. How about something like that:Boardroom of American distributor of home improvement supplies:
CEO: So, what do y'all think about them Chinese plywood?
CQO: Junk. The samples we tested delaminated. Most panels are badly warped. I'd say we don't sell that stuff.
CFO: The margins are a lot higher than with what we sell now, and best of all there's lot's of competition they will have to drop the prices by at least 20% every year which will make this our most profitable product line.
CQO: ..., and they are very vague about formaldehyde, can ruin our reputation.
COO: We don't violate no law! Them Chinese don't know what them talk, them Mexicans don't care what them buy, them who notice blame them Chinese.
CEO: Let's do it!Product planning at Chinese manufacturer's site:
Mr. Wang: Dr. Chen, this large American distributer wants to buy large quantity of our economy plywood. When can we deliver?
Dr. Chen: Well, we just got the new plywood machine from Japan last week. This will significantly improve our quality and make us compliant with environmental standards. It will take us a month to be in full production.
Mr. Wang: No, I mean they want to buy the cheap plywood, you know, the one that the Japanese and Germans rejected last month.
Dr. Chen: What, they want to buy that junk? We can to that right now!
Mr. Wang: I like America!Characters and situations are entirely fictional.Chris Scholz
Atlanta, GA
Galoot-Tools
Chris ,
Yup , money talks .
But what about all the stuff like pet foods and kids toys , oh that guy killed himself , maybe the replacement also has no care .
Why is it o k for us to bring this or any other product in that will not equal our helth restrictions , while domestic mfgs are forced to follow rules ? That there is a major short coming with our system imo .
When a few class action suits get filed against the big box stores , maybe !
dusty
It is good for the price. Like any china-ply it warps soon after the straps are cut, so you have to use it as soon as you get it. For paint grade carcase it is fine, for some shelf type applications it is OK too.
I cant get better at my supplier for the money. But I still buy the better stock for more money because I dont like haveing to race the warping problem.
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.
To All ,
I guess one of the worst things besides heath risks is the real possibility of an end panel or other cabinet part delaminating and coming apart .
As a business the actual cost of going out 6 months after installation and removing - re building and finishing and installing and buying the materials again to redeux the job . The 15 or $25 dollar a sheet or whatever savings will never cover the cost to repair your reputation or your work over time .
I will not knowingly use it or buy it , will we still buy the pet food brands from there ? how about some more of those toy's ? are we building toxic wood works ? Are we going to be sued ?
dusty
My boss loves buying these sheets.
I hate using them. They warp and are loaded with voids. Veneers are too thin and peel when you prime them (and sometimes, without priming).
Now that my boss has seen a couple fireplace mantel shelves twist like rotini and cabinets delaminate when paint hits them, I'm hoping he'll stop buying this junk.
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