Arauco Ply warped on me

[Chris Tsutsui]

I made some budget storage box's and got three sheets of Arauco Plywood from the BORG cause it was only $30ish per 7ply 3/4" plywood.

After cutting a 4'x4' door, it twisted overnight and now fitment for the doors are terrible. I can't even place one door on the floor flat cause it's trying to do the twist...

The sheet was lying flat and looked great in the store, but as soon as I got home I started to notice the full sheet begin to warp.

So is this Arauco brand to be avoided? It's 7 ply and had a good finish on it to paint over. Any solutions to this other than replacement?

I guess I learned my lesson... :(

[David DeCristoforo]

Sorry to have to say it but you are buying "cheap crap" and you are getting what you paid for....

[Jason Hallowell]

I too bought some to make some shop furniture and jigs recently. At only $3 more per sheet than construction grade ply, it seemed like a good deal. Of the 6 or 7 sheets I bought, two warped and had some delamination issues, and the rest were just fine. They'll all get used for something eventually, so I can't say it's a bad deal for the price, but you do get what you pay for. It works fine for my shop furniture that will get abused, but I'd never buy that stuff for anything that might leave my shop.

[Joe Jensen]

This is the outcome when most buy on price. Sadly for many of us, buying from a yard that sells quality is hard as at least in Phoenix, the commercial yards are only open 7am - 4pm Mon-Fri. HD and Lowes are close and handy, but they sell crap. When the stocked good stuff, customers didn't buy.

[Michael Donahue]

That stuff is junk....pure and simple. I work at a borg and have seen that stuff delaminate right into two pieces as it was being cut for a couple customers. People hate paying $50-60 for the birch, but at least its not made in China and uses formaldehyde-free glue.

You get what you pay for I guess :rolleyes:

[Jack Ellis]

I use Arauco ply for shop furniture and I think its fine for that purpose. It's relatively inexpensive and if left "naked", the edges look pretty decent. It does move a bit and for that reason, I've discovered I cannot use it for shop fixtures. I will use it for prototypes because it's relatively cost-effective for that purpose..

Arauco is made in Chile from a South American softwood, which is probably why it moves as much as it does. I bought some Chinese plywood on one occasion that looked pretty good but moved a lot more than Arauco does. No more.

[John Piwaron]

HD birch ply isn't very good. I got a couple of sheets that turned into potato chips. I ended up using 1 sheet to make shelves. I glued each shelf to a 2x4 frame underneath to force them flat. The other sheet awaits it's ultimate use as a kitty condo.

HD plywood - never again.

[Mike Vermeil]

That stuff is junk....pure and simple. I work at a borg and have seen that stuff delaminate right into two pieces as it was being cut for a couple customers. People hate paying $50-60 for the birch, but at least its not made in China and uses formaldehyde-free glue.

You get what you pay for I guess :rolleyes:

Birch plywood is produced in multiple countries including China. Don't assume that because it's birch, it's from North America.