Ken, where are you getting that locally and is it BB or Apple ply?Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald
Contributor
Ken, where are you getting that locally and is it BB or Apple ply?
[OP]
Member
Based on my research it seems that upper midwest and the south are cheapest areas. Well, my search will continue.
Contributor
Cary,
Help me out. Where do you get BB here for $50?
Thanks - Bill
Member
I think I can answer the question in red fairly easily. The answer is no. Real Baltic Birch plywood is manufactured in the Eastern European (Baltic) countries. It will have been imported from another continent.
Member
Last time I went, here in Sacramento, CA the prices were as follows from two of the local spots, one is much more expensive but it gives an idea. The cheaper place carries all the same sizes, I just didnt get the pricing.
5' x 5' Sheet:
1/8" - $24.95 (expensive store)
1/4" - $12.65
3/8" - $28.95 (expensive store)
1/2" - $25
5/8" - $44.95 (expensive store)
3/4" - $30.65
4' x 8' Sheet:
1/2" - $41.95 (expensive store)
3/4" - $72
1" - $95
Last edited by Ben Rivel; 10-17-2018 at 1:12 PM.
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
Member
I think there are 5 possible grades for the face of baltic birch so there could be quite a few different combinations considering there are two faces. I know the better grades cost more. I have a choice of grade when I order but am limited to just a few choices where I purchase it. Some local outlets only stock one of the lower grades and of course sell for less.
https://www.wood-database.com/baltic-birch/
Moderator
I've had suppliers tell me they had 4x8 baltic birch and when I got there it had poplar layers and birch veneer on the outside. The only real baltic birch I've found around here is in 5x5 sheets. That is unless you are foolish enough to buy it from Woodcraft where they cut off 12", sell the 4x5 piece for the same price as a 5x5 sheet then sell the 12" wide offcut for an insane amount!
Sorry, I don't know the current price.
JKJ
Contributor
Crosscut Hardwood in Portland. It says Russian birch but I am guessing it is the same. Lots of plys. I started using it a few months ago and am very pleased.
Contributor
Just an update on my experience with the Baltic birch from Menards. I special ordered a 3/4” 4 x 8 sheet of Baltic birch online last week from Menards. I placed the order on Sunday and they delivered it to my local Menards store on Wednesday. It was $69.99/sheet + $13.99/shipping & handling + $4.62 tax for a total of $88.60. I cut up the entire sheet last night in various sized pieces for a project. I found the entire sheet to be void free and of good quality. I did have a couple of veneered patches on the sheet but they were on the back side and were about the size of 2 half dollar coins. The plywood was packaged very well too. It was encased with a 4 x 8 sheet of OSB on top and bottom and completely wrapped in moisture barrier paper. Keep in mind that you will have extra packing material to dispose of when you special order a sheet of plywood. I asked to leave the packing material at Menards as I didn’t want to have 2 pieces of OSB to dispose of at home. I also had ordered a 5 x 5 sheet of 1/4” BB from my lumber yard. The only difference I noticed in that sheet is that it didn’t have any patched areas on either side of the sheet. All and all, I thought the sheet was of the same quality as the lumber yard.
Member
5x5 Baltic Birch $48 for 3/4, $33 for 1/2 and $21 for 1/4 from Hardwood Inc in Clarksville TN
Contributor
Be wary! Some less-than-reputable dealers push Chinese or Russian [& possibly others] knock-offs as BB or..."Just as good as BB". The knock-off products are prone to warp and frequently have unacceptable quantity of voids. [Ask me how I know!] [Hint...It was expensive]
Member
It must be "good stuff"cause we watched Building off the Grid on TV for a few minutes and this guy paid $100,000 for a tent in CO 8ok from Denver-had a laminated baltic birch frame with canvas stretched over it. Personally, I'd have bought a log kit and toted them up the dirt road he built. Far more ecological than the thing he wasted $100k on IMO. Whats wrong with North American birch?
Contributor
Umm, pretty sure "BB" is produced in Russia and Finland, the knockoffs would be from elsewhere...
Contributor
Vermont Prices
5x5
1/8" =$20
1/4" =$24
3/8" =$35
1/2" =$40
5/8" =$55
3/4" =$60
4x8
1/4" =$60
1/2" =$100
3/4" =$140
Mk
Contributor
I buy from several different wholesale companies in Salt Lake. Typically I pay around $37 for 5x5 3/4" BB and around $55 for 4x8 3/4" BB. My understanding is that for years it was only available in 5x5 as that is how the European countries bought it. Then 20 years ago or so, they started making it for the US market tough it was more on a bf basis. I think today 4x8 sheets are about the same price per bf as 5x5 or just a bit more. I was surprised the last time I bought the 4x8 at how cheap the price was compared to in the past.
I love the product and it is cheaper, much cheaper than a 4x8 sheet of alder/cherry etc. I pay over $100 per sheet for those.
I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.
John Steinbeck
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote