I believe most HDs buy plywood local suppliers. Mine sells birch (not Baltic birch) that's not too bad... thin veneer and thick plys but I've never seen them warped.
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I believe most HDs buy plywood local suppliers. Mine sells birch (not Baltic birch) that's not too bad... thin veneer and thick plys but I've never seen them warped.
Contributor
??? It’s warped because it’s poorly manufactured. That’s why it costs less.Originally Posted by Randall J Cox
On top of that, the stores selling crappy plywood don’t bother to handle/store it correctly.
But that’s a good thing since that would only deceive the consumer into thinking it was a better product than it is.
So my take on this thread (and my personal experience) is that big box ply isn't always as bad as some will make you believe. Hit or miss. And just because it is from a lumber yard doesn't guarantee a perfect product. Spend your money and take your chances. Best bet is to pay big bucks and get it from a cabinet supplier. If your pockets are deep.
NOW you tell me...
Contributor
What plywood are we referring to here?
The construction ply at the BORG near me is all Georgia Pacific. It does warp and potato chip, but it's not meant to be used for jigs and fixtures, or furniture. Some of the damage is caused by customers moving it around to find"the best piece" and then not put back on the piles. You should see some of the messes I've seen in the plywood aisle.
The "finer" ply comes from Canada. It's not furniture quality, but if you store it properly it will keep it's shape.
I know they have some oak and maple ply, but unless they're blowing it out of store, I leave it there. I have seen it priced less than construction grade because it gets damaged. It's good for making chicken coops and quail recall houses. It always warps and potato chips.
The places near me that actually sell furniture, or cabinet grade, ply do not let the customer go through the plywood panels. They'll pull it out for you and let you inspect it, but they put it back. You don't "handle it" until you've bought it.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
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My original question is why is it all warped.... I'm well aware that you can get anything you want if you want to pay enough.
I'm no plywood expert for sure but I've always guessed varying densities and moisture content of the inner cores is the main factor. Of course shipping, handling and storage affects flatness as well but I consider those secondary to the manufacturing process of materials used.
I would guess if you had a sheet with all plies of uniform density with no voids and uniform mc, 90% of warp problems would be eliminated.
Member
In my area there is only one real supplier of quality ply. They are open
Mon - Thurs and really have no interest selling to hobbiest. They are located
In an idustrial area no where close to anybody,which makes it all but
Impossible for me to get there. There is also a lumber yard that sells to
All the builders with a plywood and hardwood department. I found their
Plywood is of no better quality than the the borg,and it is twice the price!
I let the manager of the wood department know my feelings and she
Agreed 100%. She said she has talked to the owners of the company
And they basically told her, tough crap.So I make due with borg ply,
But only buy when I see they
have some decent stuff, ( which occasionally
They do) . I find the products they carry are not always the same each time.
Last edited by Rick Peek; 09-03-2018 at 7:18 AM.
Contributor
It's not a quality product to begin with.
It's made with inferior graded woods.
It's processed and pressed green.
The adhesive/glue component is probably just as inferior as the wood.
It's bundled and banded "wet".
It's poorly stored and handled at the store.
There is very little humidity control at all in any of the big box stores.
I'm only referring to the "cabinet quality" ply sheets they sell. The construction ply is made to a spec for building codes. It's not meant for wood working.
The same is true of the softwoods and hardwoods they sell by the linear foot. You would have to try hard, to find a way to pay more per bd/ft. than the stuff at a home center.It's generally just bottom of the barrel and barely meets the spec they're claiming.
It's all generally crap, but every now and then they seem to get some usable quality materials.
The Canadian ply they're selling near me is actually not bad stuff for general use and home projects. Not furniture, or cabinets.
Last edited by Mike Cutler; 09-02-2018 at 8:20 AM.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
Member
About 40 years ago, before the US was trading with China, I built a house, and also built the cabinets in that house. In those days builders used sheet goods for the doors, and routered a decorative groove in the face. Birch ply. After I had finished the house and sold it, the purchaser called up and said he had some warped doors. So I had to replace several of the cabinet doors that just had warped huge, probably 1" across corners. So I made replacement doors, finished them, and changed them out, then took the warped doors and put them in the shop, where they just laid. Later the doors flatened out, after they had finally dryed out, so was just a moisture in the plywood issue.
Member
I have been buying nominal 3/4 plywood at the local Home Depot for shop use and for one painted bathroom cabinet. It has a sticker that says it is made in Chile. It is softwood. There are few voids and I have not had an issue with warping. In addition to a floor to ceiling cabinet in my bathroom, I've made my workbench/outfeed table and some cabinets for the shop out of it. I've probably used 4 sheets so far - not a lot.
Over the years I've used oak veneer from big box stores and cherry veneered mdf from a big wholesale/retail outlet in Charlotte. The mdf was the flatest but I've never had plywood too warped to use. I've even used B/C plywood from a local lumber yard. It was poorly sanded on the C side but was decent.
I've seen it warped in the store but I just didn't buy that sheet.
I suspect plywood warps for the same reason solid lumber warps - the moisture content changed.
Member
The local Menards in my area has some very good sheet goods with a lot available on special order. It is expensive and even with that there are still some bad sheets here and there.
It pays to look around and even see what is available on order.
Joe
Contributor
I had similar results at Menards. I picked up 3/4" birch for a project and it was flat. I think it was 7 ply. I have looked at their oak and walnut and it appeared to be flat as well. No matter where you shop you can find warped sheets. It's wood and it moves. You can pay more but there's no guarantee it will be better.
Member
I tried to purchase 2 sheets of Baltic Birch on Saturday from one of the BB stores and every sheet we looked at was bowed so bad I would not be able to use them. The store employee just shook his head and told us we would be better off to go elsewhere--so I'll try the OTHER BB store and see what they have
Member
The plies were wet when they were assembled into plywood. I checked moisture level on some that was warping as it dried and it was an astonishing 18%!. that is framing lumber moisture content.
Member
The only plywood I use from the big box stores is Purebond from HD. It's pretty good and usually flat if they've stacked it decently. The plywood at my area Lowes stores is absolute junk. Menards is better than Lowes but not nearly as good as Purebond. If I need something better than Purebond I'll just go to Woodcraft and buy BB for $60 a sheet.
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