Birch Plywood Grade? Paint Grade Project

corrib | Posted in General Discussion on August 25, 2009 04:09am

With a little help from Rojek, I’ve got my table saw tuned up and cross-cutting panels nice and square. (Both the saw and Rojek’s service have been great for me.) http://www.rojekusa.com/PHP/pk300v.php

Anyway, I’m going to do a simple upper cabinet and was looking at some paint-grade plywood options.

My homecenter has three options for 3/4″ birch ply. There are two “premium” grades that are indentical, expect one is MDF core and one is plywood core. These are about $60 per sheet.

They also have another grade that’s plywood core, but with thinner veneers. These are on sale for $26 per sheet. They were sanded and the veneer looked pretty good.

I definitely want plwyood core. So, given the difference in price, does it make sense to spend double for a project that will be painted?

Thanks for any thoughts….

Patrick

Replies

ak | Aug 25, 2009 04:32am | #1
As long as the inner core is stable, (free of large voids) and the outer face is clean and defect free, I would say go for the sale items. Are these just utility cabinets? If so, then definitely save the $$!!

Hope this helps!

Adam King Studio

Sharing the Passion
kreuzie | Aug 25, 2009 04:37am | #2
I would be very, very afraid of the $26 stuff...sounds like China ply, and it will teach you to speak words that would make a sailor blush.

Remember the old saw (pun intended): "You get what you pay for"?

Are you certain the MDF core is the same price as the ply core? It's usually lest costly.

Given that both are priced the same, and MDF does a poor job holding fasteners, I would opt for the plywood core material.

Where will the cabinets be installed? Any chance you could look for fir plywood, sanded both sides? It should do a decent job, and you say it will be painted.

kreuzie
mrbird90 | Aug 25, 2009 04:58am | #3
A couple of months ago I went to Mennards and I had the same choice, $65.00 or $26.00. Seeing that I was only building a cabinet that was to be installed in a dead wall space I thought it would be fine, When I ripped it to 21" the entire piece bowed over 3" in a 60" length. I had one he** of a job getting it straight on the face frame. I would never go this route again. Yes the plywood was made in China. Real crap.
Shoemaker1 | Aug 25, 2009 05:54am | #4
Look at the long edge of the $$ stuff and then the 26$ the cheap stuff will have cores over lapped and will deform at that overlapped core. I know big time. Pay the cash and be happy save the cash and swear like #####.

The best is Norecore a Canadian product OSB cover layers of aspen and the best veneer 'Bout 70 a sheet but you don't say sheet to often when working with it.

boilerbay | Aug 28, 2009 04:55pm | #5
Couldn't find "Norecore" with a google search. Is there another spelling?ThanksBB

Shoemaker1 | Aug 29, 2009 01:04am | #8
They moved try this
http://www.truenorthhardwoodplywood.com Shoe

boilerbay | Aug 29, 2009 02:33am | #9
Shoe,Thanks, I'll give it a go.Boiler

oldusty | Aug 28, 2009 05:29pm | #6
   When a person goes to buy some plywood and you see the 2 prices ,, I call it "the moment of truth " where you may say to yourself , hey I could save $34 a sheet .

           I pay closer to $45 a sheet for decent cabinet grade , try a cabinet shop supplier or try a local cabinet shop , you never know .

       Not all Import plywood and sheet stock are faulty in all fairness , some are Superior in quality . But the product in question has proven over and over to have undesirable characteristics not to mention the health risks that can effect you from this Formaldeply . It is this user of sheet goods opinion to steer waaaaay clear , don't feed the cause .

     Soon some restrictions may be in place to protect us , so far only the natives are protected , they do not allow the sale of these products in China .

           regards            dusty , low formaldehyde diet
dfletcher | Aug 28, 2009 09:13pm | #7
Yes, spend the extra money.
I bought the cheaper stuff from Home Depot and when I ripped it for some paint grade shelves, I had to glue the plys back together in order for it to be useful.
If it's worth your time, and you want a quality product, spend the money. Finally, ask yourself, will the extra 30/sheet really make a difference 6 mos down the road? It might if you have to look at the cabinets that were made with inferior materials???
YesMaam27577 | Aug 30, 2009 03:39pm | #10
The cheap stuff is made in china, from chineese trees. The good-looking veneer that you see is the most splintery stuff I've ever encountered. When cross-cutting, even with a new sharp blade in the tablesaw, it blows out splinters as long as an inch.

So the newly cut edges of a cross cut will need major repair work (not just sanding, but filling first).

And if you're not careful, so will your hands, as those splinters are also very sharp.

I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)
DonStephan | Aug 31, 2009 01:00am | #11
If the cabinet will have interior dadoes, consistent sheet thickness is very important. Very inexpensive plywood, in addition to the issues already shared, can have varying thickness that means pieces won't fit into the dadoes in spots, and/or will have excess gaps in spots.

At least that's been my experience. . .
Jimurock | Aug 31, 2009 02:46am | #12
I've always gone for the plywood core too, but plywood ain't what it used to be. There was an article on choosing plywood in Woodworking magazine earlier this year, http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/choose_the_right_plywood, that I'm going to reread the next time I buy plywood.

Jim