birch plywood query

[janner89]

Hi guys,

Am working on a job currently with a lot of 18mm birch plywood - ordered from a new supplier at £150/sheet. Arrived a while ago and was very impressed with the faces, and in fact had 'artisan birch b/bb' stamped on the side when i ordered bb/bb (i thought that the higher grade was basically impossible to find/prohibitively expensive at the minute). There was barely a knot/patch in 30 or so boards.

As I've started preparing the panels for the job, I've noticed all boards have an incredibly thin face veneer (must be well under half a mil) which if sanded without care will go through to the glue layer. There's 13 plys as usual and has the heaviness of a normal birch ply sheet - just wondering if this was a common way of manufacturing sheets or wether they are trying to pass off an inferior board to me? As I say, very happy with appearance, but have never come across sheets like this - the faces have always been full plys when i've used birch before - wondered if anyone else has come across 'artisan birch plywood before'!

Any info appreciated, ta

 

[sometimewoodworker]

As I've started preparing the panels for the job, I've noticed all boards have an incredibly thin face veneer (must be well under half a mil) which if sanded without care will go through to the glue layer. There's 13 plys as usual and has the heaviness of a normal birch ply sheet - just wondering if this was a common way of manufacturing sheets

This is an extremely common way of reducing the cost of plywood, as the best quality veneer can face more sheets. You now know how you got the plywood at such a seemingly great price.

i thought that the higher grade was basically impossible to find/prohibitively expensive at the minute

It is, as you have discovered.

just wondering if this was a common way of manufacturing sheets or wether they are trying to pass off an inferior board to me?

You got what you paid for and have found out that in plywood there are no bargains. If you assume and don’t specify you are likely to get surprises. It is not an inferior board, just not what you assumed. Your choice is to return the boards and buy (if you can find it) boards with a thicker veneer or change the way you do the job and use the current supply.

 

[janner89]

This is an extremely common way of reducing the cost of plywood, as the best quality veneer can face more sheets. You now know how you got the plywood at such a seemingly great price.

It is, as you have discovered.


You got what you paid for and have found out that in plywood there are no bargains. If you assume and don’t specify you are likely to get surprises. It is not an inferior board, just not what you assumed. Your choice is to return the boards and buy (if you can find it) boards with a thicker veneer or change the way you do the job and use the current supply.

It’s not really a failure to spec, I bought a set of boards advertised as bb/bb? 150 a sheet also at those quantities isn’t a suspiciously low price I’d suggest…fair enough if it’s a common practice, never seen it before when it comes to birch mind.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

fair enough if it’s a common practice, never seen it before when it comes to birch mind.

It’s very standard for the lower cost plywoods with good face veneers. As you say that high grade birch is either unobtainable or very high priced someone has reprogrammed a production line to produce this kind at a seeming lower than market price (it isn’t but it looks that way).

As you say that you specified bb/bb and got b/bb it seems that you didn’t get what was ordered so have a reason for returning it if it doesn’t suit your needs even though it is ostensibly better than ordered.

The way prices are going this is likely to happen more and more with what used to be standard grade jumping up in price and becoming a premium option while the cheaper to make boards replace the previous standard.

Plywood has been sold for the past 10+years at rock bottom prices so the upset caused by the pandemic has allowed for a needed price adjustment, the practice you are seeing is a way of reducing the shock.

 

[robgul]

In a YT post yesterday Robin Clevett mentioned a good lower-priced - and available - birch ply alternative he's been using - he said he will show it in a future project film soon. (It may be the stuff @petermillard has mentioned recently?)

 

[petermillard]

In a YT post yesterday Robin Clevett mentioned a good lower-priced - and available - birch ply alternative he's been using - he said he will show it in a future project film soon. (It may be the stuff @petermillard has mentioned recently?)

No, it’s another board and I’m very much looking forwards to getting my hands on some.

 

[recipio]

Shame. The thicker outer layer in good Birch Ply is one of it's most desirable features. I give it a pre finishing sanding starting at 150 grit and denibbing sanding with 240 grit. A light touch is essential.

 

[Spectric]

Anyone looked at this

https://www.garnica.one/en-uk/plywo...MIqOCIpL_j_gIViQgGAB2byA07EAAYASAAEgJQAPD_BwE

 

[williams1185]

if you go to youtube peter millard posted a video friday about 2 alternatives globulus maple being one of them

 

[Spectric]

Well Petes video is here

and the results are not good for either popular ply or globulus. In Petes words neither is really a good alternative to 11 ply birch and the cost difference between them and real birch is not enough to warrant the cost. I looked at some 18mm the other day and it was top notch but £185 sheet unless you brought 20 sheets when a deal could be done. So lets see what this other stuff mentioned by Rob is like.

Robin Clevett mentioned a good lower-priced - and available - birch ply alternative he's been using