Source for sheet goods?

[Mike Holbrook]

Now that my new table saw is almost together and my Easy Smart is in route, I am about to start building cabinets & bookshelves, starting with my shop, moving to my just finished basement, dog training building then, the rest of the house.

I have two questions. 1) what would you experienced guys recommend for materials (plywood, melamine, MDF..) 2) Where do you buy that grade of sheet materials?

Home Depot and Lowes only seem to carry construction grade materials and they have run many of their competitors out of business.I am North of Atlanta, GA in Alpharetta, GA.

[Jay Munsterman]

For cabinets and bookshelves I usually use birch plywood. Done some smaller painted projects in MDF.

I live in Atlanta (work in retta) and just last month birch ply showed up at my local Depot for $30 bucks a 3/4 inch sheet (or closest metric equivalent). It was just sitting in a stack at the end of the row that carries the usual assortment of construction grades. Really nice looking stuff. Haven't been back to see if it is now a normally stocked item.

In Decatur on Medlock Road there is the Woodshed, I know they stock Birch. Might also check Randall Brothers downtown. Haven't purchased sheet goods there, but they are pretty full featured. Got a bunch of hard to find crown moldings from them.

jay

[Frank Pellow]

I also prefer birch plywood. It is stocked at our local Home Depot stores as well as at Rona (the big Canadian competitor to Home Depot). Last week I pruchsed 6 sheets of good-2-side 3/4 inch birch at Rona for $58 Canadian (about $47 US) a sheet. So, it looks like the $30 a sheet that Jay has mentioned is a really good deal.

[Charlie Plesums]

Melamine is particle board, which sags just from looking at it. Not good for shelves that will carry a load, but great if you want something smaller that is easy to clean.

MDF is easy to work, although somewhat dusty, but moisture can ruin it. I would not use it in a basement or bath.

3/4 inch Plywood is pretty good (actual thickness 5/8 to 23/32). With a 3/4 x 1 1/2 front "decoration" to add stiffness, I routinely build bookshelves up to 36 inches wide.

The Home Depot birch plywood is good but not great - generally considered paint grade although I have stained it. I would certainly use it for basement, storage room, etc., but would switch to the furniture grade plywood ($100 per sheet) by the time I got to the living spaces (and after you have practiced woodworking on the storage spaces). Look for hardwood suppliers in the yellow pages.

[Mike Holbrook]

Hi neighbor,Jay,
That is a very good deal on Birch Plywood. I just got back from the Home Depot on Hwy 92. I was amazed to see that they had 3/4" sheets of melamine and some decent looking MDF $26-$28 a sheet. I believe their price on Birch or Oak Plywood was mid 40's. Looks like what they carry varries. Everything I saw was 3/4 or 1/4. I was sort of hoping for some 5/8, but then their 3/4 may be 5/8

I am having a hard time determining what to use for counter tops. I think I may put some formica pre-made tops from Home Depot on a few base cabinets so I have places that I can use my water bath sharpener. I am not sure veneer plywood is a good choice for working table tops. Glued wood would be ideal but very expensive and time consuming. MDF works but I don't like working with it and I do not like the look.

I am thinking about using rough 3/4 plywood, installing a solid wood edge, raised 1/4' and dropping a replaceable sheet of 1/4 hard particle board (like peg board) in the depression.

Like several of you said I would prefer to make the boxes out of birch plywood, the only problem is the cost. I wonder if I could make construction grade plywood work for my shop cabinets? I want to paint them a light, reflective color anyway?

[Jay Munsterman]

Like several of you said I would prefer to make the boxes out of birch plywood, the only problem is the cost. I wonder if I could make construction grade plywood work for my shop cabinets? I want to paint them a light, reflective color anyway?
Hey Neighbor,
I would think the construction grade might be a bit ugly under a coat of paint. Could do a half inch construction grade and laminate on a 1/4" sandply, not too expensive at the depot. Might be too much trouble.

I have two work tables that I use a hardboard drop in for a replacable surface. Has worked pretty well for me.

jay

[Bart Leetch]

Mike

I used 3/4" satin ply which is finish grade fir, real good on one side & not quite so good on the other side & it still was around $40 a sheet. It may be cheaper in your area. You can see some shop cabinets on my web site made out of satin ply.

[Chris Mann]

You'll probably find that each Home Depot has different stock. One of them close to me has had poplar 3/4" ply for $29 bucks lately. And it's good plywood, not just 5 layers, but 9. Around here the 3/4" birch ranges from 40-50 at the big box but closer to 60 at the lumber yards. But again, that's just for 5 layers and from what I understand, the more the better.

[Mike Holbrook]

That is one of my problems, I am so use to low grade construction plywood I have very little knowledge of the currently available types of better plywood. Maybe I will do a little calling around to the various Home Depots and Lowes in my area and see what they have. I am in an area that has 3-4 of each within 15 miles. I think I may have just had bad luck at the first two I checked.

[Joseph N. Myers]

Mike,

You may want to try www.woodfinder.com (http://www.woodfinder.com/) to check for "other" lumber supliers in your area. This site is really good for finding the out-of-the-way hardwood supplier but you might be able to find a sheet goods supplier.

My local HD also carries poplar plywod at $29.00. A couple of weeks ago, I was in there and they had a pile of 30+ with some water damage at the "very" ends - on sale for $14.95 so I picked up 4 sheets (can always use stuff like that).

They also have cut-offs and smaller pieces at reasonable prices on carts (they called the wood culls) and sometimes you can pick up some nice pieces especially for things shelves in the workshop. I have another HD actually closer but the 1st one is the only one that sells the "culls" so maybe the others in your area may also sell them.

Regards, Joe

[Mike Holbrook]

Joe,

Great link, I bookmarked it, and will probably wear it out over the next year or two.

I am familiar with the culls pile. There is so much construction going on in this area lately that I think I end up with some strange situations at the local HD. I do not remember seeing a cull pile around here in quite a while, maybe I have not noticed them, but I don't think so.