Alternatives to Birch Ply for Workshop Drawers etc.

[Chris70]

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.

 

[robgul]

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.

 

[Benchwayze]

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

 

[JoeSheffer]

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.

 

[Benchwayze]

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

 

[BrianatBisley]

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.

To save money on shop fixtures I ended up going with 'Structural' ply from one of the bigger chains. This seems to be different than the useless CE plywood for sale everywhere. You know the stuff. It won't cut. It won't sand. It is full of voids. It is made of plys of uneven thickness of some unknown softwood. Careful as some of the merchants are selling the lesser grade material as 'Structural'.

 

[robgul]

I'm just about to order some Stretek Poplar faced ply to make a new dining table (a larger version of the one I made 3 years ago using Birch ply - which is now unobtainable) - the sample I have is excellent, a very close match in appearance to Birch and about 13 plies in an 18mm board - a test with OSMO Top Oil as a finish and it's pretty much as good as the Birch table. Price is pretty keen for a product rather better than most plywood I've seen for sale at the moment.

Falcon-Timber is the importer of Stretek - they pointed me towards TP for retail availability (I'm ordering mine from Cutlist as they will precision cut to my parts list to save me some time and effort)

BTW Robin Clevett on YT has just done a large project with Stretek - worth a look

 

[Jacob]

To save money on shop fixtures I ended up going with 'Structural' ply from one of the bigger chains. This seems to be different than the useless CE plywood for sale everywhere. You know the stuff. It won't cut. It won't sand. It is full of voids. It is made of plys of uneven thickness of some unknown softwood. Careful as some of the merchants are selling the lesser grade material as 'Structural'.

You can use real wood you know!
It's coming back into fashion now that prices are going up.
I made thischest to hold turning chisels and as an exercise in trad joinery/dovetailing. All recycled wood and off-cuts. Material cost zero plus 25p worth of glue. No runners. Top is actually ex IKEA scrap.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/chest-of-drawers-wip.116324/page-3#post-1312163