Plywood

[Nicknoxx]

Can anyone tell me what to look for when buying ply. The stuff from my local DIY sheds is terrible and warps as soon as you cut into it. I need to make several strips about 100mm wide and 12mm thick for a newfangled style workbench.

Thanks

 

[dirtydeeds]

go to a big local timber merchant, not a diy shed

i kent where i am merton timber are a good company

avoid travis perkins if you can (its only a price thing, there is no problem with their quality)

they hold better quality stock for around the same price as a shed, they stack it correctly so there are less warped sheets

they hold different qualities of ply and will help you chose the quailty you need for the job you are going to do

if your attitude is ok and its not five minuites before closing they will let you pick the sheet you want

but dont expect them to size it for you

 

[bjm]

From experience most plywood is never as flat as you want it to be. You will have more success by laminating two 6mm pieces between two flat cauls.

Brian

 

[dirtydeeds]

if you want thin flat sheets, mdf is an alternative

for a workbench moisture resistant resistant mdf is even better

 

[Woodmagnet]

I would go with M.D.F. myself. :wink:

 

[jasonB]

If you go with ply then birch throughout ply will be the best, this will have no voids and is made of many layers so will stand upto use on a bench. Don't get the birch faced or chinese ply.

Jason

 

[Racers]

Hi,
Birch ply gets my vote as well but the diy sheds stuff isnt as good its lots softer than the baltic birch. And you can make good stuff from off cuts.

Pete

 

[wizer]

Pete your not going to get away with posting something like that and not telling us how you did it! WIP Pics please! :wink:

 

[Racers]

Hi, WiZeR
Its just 9 feet of ply wood with a hole in the middle!

No WIP pics sorry, just laminate up enough ply, cut a hole in the middle with a jig saw, taper with a hand saw on both sides to keep the laminations flat, knock the corners off with a jig saw set to 45 deg then lots of work with spoke shaves and sand paper, the slot was cut last to keep the strenght while working on it. finished with danish oil.

 

[mister henderson]

I use lots of birch ply and it's much better stuff than any builders' merchant would stock. Main differences are the thin-ness of the laminations, and the fact that the laminations are all the same thickness and the fact that birch is a hardwood

It isn't flat, though.

If you need flat then the MR MDF is what you need