Replies

1. 
   Crocusboy | Feb 16, 2006 01:46pm | #1

   Kal,

     Why worry about getting true 1/4" thick plywood?  Simply modify your plans to compensate for the thinner material.  From my 35 years of woodworking experience, where in the "good old days" when you could get 1/4" thick ply core sheet goods, it never was exactly 1/4" think anyways!  So... we'd make sure to allow for that in our construction.  I really don't see that much has changed in that regard, when one is wanting absolute precision.

     Let's face it, in this global village that we now live in, the rest of the world has gone metric.  I guess one could demand to have non-metric thickness material, but expect to pay a considerable premium.   The simpler solution is, as alluded to above, to adapt to today's reality, just as our fore-fathers did and our sons and daughters who follow, will have to.  I can easily see the day when 4' X 8' sized sheets will be increasingly more difficult to find. 

   Marty

1. 
   Kal | Feb 16, 2006 11:07pm | #2

   I will adapt and overcome.

   I was trying to salvage some money I spent on matched door bit sets. The first one I bought has a 1/4" slot for the panel. That one went into the toolbox. The next set I bought was adjustable. It turned out that it was not adjustable enough. So it is back in my toolbox. I am trying to speed up my production time and reduce errors with matched sets.

   If I could get the right thickness of stock, I could at least get some use out of the bits I have already purchased (without spending time veneering to get the size I need).

   Kal

1. 
   user-110844 | Feb 16, 2006 11:19pm | #3

   undersized is better than oversized as far as using your bit goes.  consider inserting edgebanding or other thin material strips in back of door panel during glue up to shim gap between panel and frame. you can them trim off with sharp knife.  this quick fix will be invisible and solve your thickness issue without havnig to resort to buying all new panels.  If material were oversized in thickness, then your bit would be entirely of no use.  hope that helps.  DKA

2. 
   notDusty | Feb 21, 2006 09:36am | #4

   Hi Kal ,

              I'm not so sure all the 5.2mm plywood is European . It is often called an import product . I thought Indonesian and Asian countries may be the origin of much of the import 5.2mm . I believe they now make 5.2 in the U.S. as well .I have never heard of 4.9mm.

    A good hardwood supplier will have 5.2 as well as what is called true 1/4" products .

   Most of the quality veneers I get in 5.2 mm and true 1/4" have an MDF core which assures us of no core voids or skips . For frame and panel doors and such it's the cat's meow .

            With veneer core products often times you can get a washboard or rippled panel , largely due from the sanding process at the mill .

                   regards    dusty

1. 
   ring | Feb 21, 2006 12:28pm | #5

   hi Dusty,

   On this side of the world it's pretty common to get 5.2mm , since it's the result of 4mm MDF core with 0.6mm veneer on each side.  But the real lesson from this discussion is that there are no reliable standards in this domain any more.  If the thickness is really critical, we need to check it with calipers beforehand.  Even what they nominally sell as bare MDF 18mm is often actually 17.6mm or so.  Why does everything have to get complicated?

   DR

3. 
   SawDusted | Feb 25, 2006 03:48am | #6

   "European" plywood used to mean Baltic Birch.

   I am not sure that is what they mean in this case, but that is probably what they want you to think.

   As for its trueness of 5.2mm, you get what you pay for. The pricey stuff is closer to true thickness than home center stuff.

4. 
   gb93433 | Mar 04, 2006 08:34am | #7

   4 x 8 sheets are manufactured in the US. The veneers may come from somewhere else but they are laid up in the US. 5 x 5 sheets come from Europe.