# Alternatives to Birch Ply for Workshop Drawers etc.



## JoeSheffer (3 Jan 2021)

Throwing together some more workshop drawers etc today and have run out of 18mm birch ply. Just looked at the price of it online an BB 18mm birch ply is now £70 a sheet or more in most places.

Do you guys have any suggestions for a cheaper grade of ply than the birch that isn't trash meant for shuttering etc and will hold a reasonable edge. I've no idea what to ask for at the timber merchant and most of the online guidance deals with the United States which has very different availability.

Thanks
Joe

P.S. Feel like i'm becoming a serial question asker on this forum! Thanks for all the help so far - finding myself asking questions on here the whole time at the moment.


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## billw (3 Jan 2021)

I use BB/BB from here.... about £50 a sheet (although you'll be hammered for delivery depending on quantity)

Birch Plywood BB/BB Grade FSC 18mm x 2440mm x 1220mm | Timberworld


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## JoeSheffer (3 Jan 2021)

Cheers Bill - i only need a sheet and delivery from up north will be too much. I'm down south.


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## pcb1962 (3 Jan 2021)

JoeSheffer said:


> Throwing together some more workshop drawers etc today and have run out of 18mm birch ply.


You can make perfectly adequate workshop drawers from 12mm, you don't need 18mm.


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## mikej460 (3 Jan 2021)

billw said:


> I use BB/BB from here.... about £50 a sheet (although you'll be hammered for delivery depending on quantity)
> 
> Birch Plywood BB/BB Grade FSC 18mm x 2440mm x 1220mm | Timberworld


Thanks Bill as there are 2 depots within travelling distance from me. As it's BB what is the quality like?


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## AJB Temple (3 Jan 2021)

Travis Perkins, much as I dislike them, do sometimes have (in the larger depots) 18mm and 24mm ply of decent face quality that would be fine for workshop drawers. I can't remember what I paid (trade price) last as it was several months ago that I bought half a dozen sheets of 18mm from them. I think it was around £30 a sheet, possibly plus VAT. Their quality varies so if they have stock you need to look at it IMO.


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## pcb1962 (3 Jan 2021)

If you're anywhere on the North side of London - Store Finder | Branch Finder | Builder Depot


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## billw (3 Jan 2021)

mikej460 said:


> Thanks Bill as there are 2 depots within travelling distance from me. As it's BB what is the quality like?



Well I speak from chronically limited experience, but reading up on the difference between B and BB grade is interesting! In 4 full sheets of BB I'd say on either side I've found a mere handful of plugs, and if you factored in natural wastage I reckon you'd barely notice. Now that's because I've made stuff with small pieces so any defects I can hide easily so really if you're wanting 4 perfect 1200x600 sides then BB grade might let you down (occasionally). 

Comparing to a much cheaper sheet of ply that I bought, the colour is paler and more consistent.


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## JoeSheffer (3 Jan 2021)

Will run over to north london and pick up a couple sheets of the 12mm from Builder Depot. Not a bad price at all.


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## pcb1962 (3 Jan 2021)

JoeSheffer said:


> Will run over to north london and pick up a couple sheets of the 12mm from Builder Depot. Not a bad price at all.


They've been the cheapest place to buy birch ply I know around London for many years, my local in Guildford charges £90 a sheet.


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## JoeSheffer (3 Jan 2021)

pcb1962 said:


> They've been the cheapest place to buy birch ply I know around London for many years, my local in Guildford charges £90 a sheet.



The pipper is that it's trade accounts only at the moment with the bloody covid and i don't have one (...and the process of setting one up seems a pain in the buttocks!)


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## thetyreman (3 Jan 2021)

poplar ply is cheaper


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## Brian H (4 Jan 2021)

I'll start by saying complete novice... I am in the progress of setting up my first workshop, all very exciting but had to 'hold off' on cupboard / draws etc as the price of birch seemed astronomical in my humble opinion... that being said I just couldn't wait any longer as having stuff everywhere was making it a real pain. 

So, I bit the bullet last night and purchased the poplar ply B/BB at around £30 per sheet, hopefully will have delivered by weekend... hoping it'll work out and I won't be gutted I went cheap option. Will happily post picture of face / colour quality if it will help?

Cheers
Brian


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## chris.gid (4 Jan 2021)

I can recommend Builder Depot, i have bought a good amount or their birch ply and normally one of the sides is defect free and just a few plugs on the other.

Depending where you are you can try Welbm i ordered some birch ply from them in Nov and its at least as good as builder depot and delivery is reasonable if you are close to them.

I would not recommend poplar ply/ marine ply, the veneer is wafer thin and really easy to sand through and it tears out really easily when cutting, plus i hate the smell of the stuff.


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## Spectric (4 Jan 2021)

billw said:


> I use BB/BB from here.... about £50 a sheet (although you'll be hammered for delivery depending on quantity)


This company is part of Arnold Laver and my nearest would be about 100 miles away in either Newcastle or Middlesborough. But I think they supply some of the more local timber merchants round here as I have seen there Yellow curtained wagons on the road.


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## Roberto Flintofski (4 Jan 2021)

I have bought B/BB And BB/BB and marine and never had a good experience, the stuff we get here in the uk looks nothing like the quality they get in the States


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## Chris70 (5 Jan 2021)

I hear on the www that the birch ply available in the USA surpasses anything available in the UK. Is this fact or rumour? I've no personal experience to corroborate this opinion. So, if I was to buy some superior 18mm ply, where would you recommend I look in my neck of the woods, no pun intended, please? Oh, I'm on the Wiltshire/Dorset borders.


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## robgul (5 Jan 2021)

Chris70 said:


> I hear on the www that the birch ply available in the USA surpasses anything available in the UK. Is this fact or rumour? I've no personal experience to corroborate this opinion. So, if I was to buy some superior 18mm ply, where would you recommend I look in my neck of the woods, no pun intended, please? Oh, I'm on the Wiltshire/Dorset borders.



The best ply I've bought is from Cutlist (they cut it too!) CutList | Sheet materials Cut & Edged, Spray Prime/Lacquer, Shaker doors - superb quality for "naked ply" furniture. Not exactly handy being between Oxford & High Wycombe but they do deliver - and are very helpful.

I agree that US ply is better - and from I've seen in the likes of Lowes and Home Depot much cheaper than here. I think that it tends to be from Canada rather than Russia or China which seem to be a major source in the UK


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## Chris70 (5 Jan 2021)

I remember Barry Bucknell. Do you remember Kenny Everett's DIY sketches?

Your feedback is appreciated. I'll look at 'CutList'. So you've been over the pond to visit material in 'Home Depot' and the like. Do you know if the Russian material is superior to the Chinese? Just wondered!

Chris


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## Jacob (5 Jan 2021)

18mm birch is a bit OTT unless you really need heavy grade drawers. 
For most puposes you can use cheap meranti 6mm ply for drawer bottoms and 12 for the sides.
Even cheaper if you use solid wood; redwood etc


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## Chris70 (5 Jan 2021)

Thanks for the tip, Jacob.

Wow! Just looked at Cutlist - an impressive price list, in terms of choice. Don't know with whom I should compare prices offering similar quality.


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## robgul (5 Jan 2021)

Chris70 said:


> I remember Barry Bucknell. Do you remember Kenny Everett's DIY sketches?
> 
> Your feedback is appreciated. I'll look at 'CutList'. So you've been over the pond to visit material in 'Home Depot' and the like. Do you know if the Russian material is superior to the Chinese? Just wondered!
> 
> Chris


There are Barry Bucknell videos on YouTube - what was really funny was the part-sawn timber - he'd get a board and go to saw it but it had already been cut about two-thirds of the way through so he only sawed a small bit!

My contact was through work with Lowes in the US - putting their catalog and weekly offers content online in an early online shop project, back in about 2003/4.

I've used Cutlist for furniture projects - tables - which were just finished with clear OSMO top oil - the ply was better than any I've seen elsewhere - I went to collect it, factory is on a farm and has some very smart CNC and cutting machines.

Certainly the Russian ply I've bought from a supplier in Coventry is better than the Chinese stuff they also sell - I've only bought 12 or 18mm in Birch ply.


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## Benchwayze (6 Jan 2021)

If you are using metal drawer slides I can't see why good clear softwood isn't satisfactory. With drawer slides it isn't going to take much wear.

John


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## JoeSheffer (6 Jan 2021)

Benchwayze said:


> If you are using metal drawer slides I can't see why good clear softwood isn't satisfactory. With drawer slides it isn't going to take much wear.
> 
> John



Yeh you're right... just the whole unit is already made of birch ply and wanted it to all look nice and tidy. Moisture resistant MDF finished with some kind of polyurethane would do fine as well.


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## Benchwayze (6 Jan 2021)

Point taken Joe. I am just about ready to get my new bench under weigh.
(Way!) I'm going to put four drawers underneath and I decided to use some Douglas Fir for the linings. I already have the material so the cost isn't going to figure. Just the Leckie bill for my bandsaw! Cheers.
John


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