Am I asking too much? - Venting, another day at the Borg

[Dan Mages]

I stopped by HD to grab a 1/4" sheet of birch plywood, all they had in stock was severely warped. I found a drone and asked if they had anything that is flat. The guy, probably around 60, looked at me and said, "It's plywood. It is not going to be flat. You are asking too much." Gee... Flat plywood does not exist? This is new for me. Am I really asking too much?

Dan

[Jim Dunn]

Tell ya what Dan I for one would not buy 1/4", I guess you mean 1/4", plywood unless I was gonna laminate it to a sheet of MDF or other substancial material.

I've tried to buy 1/4" stock from them and found if it wasn't warped when I purchased it, it was by the time I got ready to use it. Last sheet of 1/4" I purchased was baltic birch.

Jim

[Dan Connolly]

I guess you just don't understand----this curved plywood is made to fit against their curved studs!!!

[Allen Grimes]

Dan,

First of all, why did you change your avatar from that purple, spanking thing.

The plywood around here is normally flat though I have ran into lots of warped ply and bought carelessly bought some, thinging it was all flat. I would say, judging by what you said and my experience with HD, that HD is NOT the place to buy wood or plywood. They overcharge and never have anything good, here at least. I've bought lots of 1/4" plywood that was flat. And it stayed flat until I used it, though when I buy wood/ply it gets used up that day or the within the next few.

My projects are another story, I've never posted any because I've yet to make something good:o. I blame my teacher.;) Soon, my fellow WWs, soon.

[Bill Arnold]

You're not asking too much. Actually, I've had good luck with quality and pricing of plywood at the HD near me. I've used 1/4" oak and birch ply as well as a lot of 3/4" oak and birch ply -- all of it was fine. I looked through the stock to pick some that was as clear as I wanted it, but all of it was flat. Store personnel are generally quite helpful.

[Matt Meiser]

If you have one, try a different store. I've noticed a big difference in both stock and service quality at stores even in the same city (Toledo) at both HD and Lowes.

Last week I went into HD to buy some of the 13 (or something like that) ply birch they've been carrying lately. The only stock I could find was up high. They had two other SKU's of birch ply down low and told me it was the same thing. After showing them the difference they finally got it down so I could buy some of what I wanted after I told the 4th person. When I was leaving, they told me that if I wanted any more I'd have to take what was on the floor because they weren't getting it down again. I'm tempted to go back in and demand one more sheet just for that.

[Jim Dunn]

This is a piece of 1/4" birch ply from the orange box. Was flat when I purchased it.

[George Summers]

I stopped by HD to grab a 1/4 sheet of birch plywood, all they had in stock was severely warped.
Dan

Unless I misunderstood, I think Dan was buying ¼ sheet, not ¼" of ply. If that assumption is correct and it is ¼ sheet of say, 3/4", ply, then yes it should be flat, even at HD.

George

[Dan Mages]

Thanks for catching that... It is a 1/4" thick (3/16th now) 2'x'4' sheet. I will probably run out to my hardwood dealer to get some real ply.

Dan