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Thread: Need ideas to use up 9 mm (3/8") Baltic birch

  1. #1
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    Need ideas to use up 9 mm (3/8") Baltic birch

    I need some ideas on what to build with 9 mm (3/8") Baltic birch. More than 5 full sheets remain out of a much larger stash of thicker BB acquired at an auction about 5 years ago. Once it is used up, I can reclaim the area in the basement where it has been stored.

    My first idea is for a number of lighter weight shop cabinets that I could hang on the walls. My recently acquired i-box jig was bought for that purpose. I am thinking 9 cm is too light for the typical household cabinetry.

    Please let me know how you might do to use it up. Thanks for suggestions.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  2. #2
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    Make lots of toys to give to childrens' organizations next christmas.

  3. #3
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    Drawer stock. My son is cutting it up to make circles for a couple different women who do signs and craft stuff on it.

  4. #4
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    You could donate some. Cincinnatti is not tool long of drive for me!
    I cut plywood in to squares and rectangles and give to kindergarten classes for the kids to draw and paint on with markers. They LOVE it since they usually only have paper.

    I have a sheet of 1/2" and one of 3/4".

    Zillions of uses around the house, shop, and farm. The stuff is fantastic for functional boxes, strengthening the bottoms of poorly designed kitchen drawers, making jigs, for stable holding fixtures for the lathe, shelves for the shop...

    I'm just maybe 4 hours down I75. I'd be glad to come get it out of your way just to help you out.

    JKJ

  5. #5
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    John, you can take a detour home and drop some off here.

    Seriously, David...lots of utility with that material for small boxes, drawer stock, ornamental things, jigs/fixtures, door panels, etc.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    I made these from 9mm 1' X 5' BB plywood drops, also using my Incra I-Box jig and a Freud SBOX8 blade set. The bottom of each has 9mm 1" sq feet with tapered edges, so they stack together well.

    I make a lot of small items in batches, and these boxes let me move them around the shop in batches, sometimes several totes for one batch, or sometimes just many small batches with one per tote. I have also made tool boxes for some of my tools that have a lot of small pieces that are hard to keep together. It's amazing how strong 6 and 9mm Baltic Birch is when made into boxes using box jointed corners.

    Charley
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  7. #7
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    Thank you for the suggestions which make me think that this thickness is sufficient for modest sized workshop cabinets that I had in mind. I am also toying with the idea of making a larger cabinet with faux panels using face glued narrow rails and stiles of the same material. To connect those narrow parts at the corners, I will try some form of tenons. A lap joint might work but would not look as nice with the exposed edges, me thinks.

    I like your boxes, Charley, and plan to make some. I have numerous off cuts of thicker material that can be used for jigs and such. I am not much of a 'crafter' but donating materials is a worthwhile. John, anytime you are in Cincinnati, it would be nice to meet you and I would gladly offer any material you might use for your various projects. although you would not need to bring a big truck to take the load home.

    Thanks again!
    Last edited by David Utterback; 01-01-2021 at 11:31 AM.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Utterback View Post
    ...I like your boxes, Charley, and plan to make some. I have numerous off cuts of thicker material that can be used for jigs and such. I am not much of a 'crafter' but donating materials is a worthwhile. John, anytime you are in Cincinnati, it would be nice to meet you and I would gladly offer any material you might use for your various projects. although you would not need to bring a big truck to take the load home.
    Do you do woodturing? I have many hundreds of turning blanks, many dry, some small, some larger. Some may make a good trade. I'll probably get up that way to visit my favorite wood dealer when the 2021 virus settles down.

    JKJ

  9. #9
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    David,

    Thanks for the offer, but I ended up with quite a bit of Baltic Birch scraps from a large project that I was involved in some years ago. They wanted the full sheets returned, but told me to keep the scraps. Since many thicknesses were involved in the project, I even had scraps of as large as 4' X 5', but they weren't full 5 X 5 sheets, so I got to keep them. I've made a lot of things with it, but still have a bunch left. I made 12 of those tote bins, and have made over 20 various boxes of different sizes so far. One part of what they had built used 4' X 5' of 9mm, so the rest of each sheet became a 1' X 5' scrap. There was a lot of scrap this size, and this is what was used for most of these boxes and tote bins.

    I haven't been in my shop since last August, due to a crippling knee problem. Both knees were replaced 12 and 13 years ago respectively, but now the right one has failed. It still works, but with a lot of pain. They won't do the surgery to fix it because of COVID-19, so I am sitting here every day and moving as little as possible because of the pain that I get when I do move. They are now supposed to do a nerve block on my knee on 1/7. Hopefully, this will let me become more active again. The nerve block can be done because it is performed in the Dr's office. Unfortunately, this nerve block is only temporary, and will need to be done again in a few months if they still aren't doing surgeries. This past 5 months has been really rough on me. I've always been active, and just sitting here every day is very hard to take.

    Charley

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Do you do woodturing? I have many hundreds of turning blanks, many dry, some small, some larger. Some may make a good trade. I'll probably get up that way to visit my favorite wood dealer when the 2021 virus settles down.

    JKJ
    Thanks, John, for offering to share your stash. I have tried turning on several occasions and have been much better with spindles than vessels. I bought an old PM 3520A when I retired in 2014 but have not used it much. I also have some turning blanks on the shelves and [I]may[I] get to them some day. Turning would be more appealing to me if the chips did not fly all over the place.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Lent View Post
    David,

    Thanks for the offer, but I ended up with quite a bit of Baltic Birch scraps from a large project that I was involved in some years ago. They wanted the full sheets returned, but told me to keep the scraps. Since many thicknesses were involved in the project, I even had scraps of as large as 4' X 5', but they weren't full 5 X 5 sheets, so I got to keep them. I've made a lot of things with it, but still have a bunch left. I made 12 of those tote bins, and have made over 20 various boxes of different sizes so far. One part of what they had built used 4' X 5' of 9mm, so the rest of each sheet became a 1' X 5' scrap. There was a lot of scrap this size, and this is what was used for most of these boxes and tote bins.

    I haven't been in my shop since last August, due to a crippling knee problem. Both knees were replaced 12 and 13 years ago respectively, but now the right one has failed. It still works, but with a lot of pain. They won't do the surgery to fix it because of COVID-19, so I am sitting here every day and moving as little as possible because of the pain that I get when I do move. They are now supposed to do a nerve block on my knee on 1/7. Hopefully, this will let me become more active again. The nerve block can be done because it is performed in the Dr's office. Unfortunately, this nerve block is only temporary, and will need to be done again in a few months if they still aren't doing surgeries. This past 5 months has been really rough on me. I've always been active, and just sitting here every day is very hard to take.

    Charley
    Good luck with the procedure, Charley. I have also been laid up since August with a left knee that started to lock and swell. The surgery in Sept solved the locking but has made the pain much worse. I now need to weigh the options with a replacement likely in the near future after covid is less of a hazard. Much like you, I have also been very active on my feet and being laid up is a big adjustment. I had just started re-building our deck when the problem started. It is not done which is a source of irritation for me from my usual perch in the family room.

    BTW, my wife and I are both UNC alum. She was raised in Lexington which may be near your central NC location. I would move back there in a heartbeat but we are anchored in Cincinnati with our kids and grandkids nearby.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  12. #12
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    As a hoarder of plywood I'm horrified that you would consider disposing of this precious commodity.

    This stuff is preposterously strong, and ideal for shop cabs. If you gang the verticals together, it will be a full 3/4 thickness.

    A front gusset will resist bowing under heavier loads.

    FWIW - I just paid real money for 3/4 scraps because full sheets are sold out.

  13. #13
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    Here is a small open topped box I made out of quarter inch to hold all the KitchenAid accessories. The various bits outgrew a dedicated drawer in the kitchen....

    20210102_173152[1].jpg

  14. #14
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    David,

    I'm SW of Lexington, nearer to Concord. I had both knees replaced one year apart 13 years ago. The older replacement right knee is the one acting up this time. Maybe they could put our good parts together to get one good one of us :~)). Well, it's commonly done with older machine tools. (At least my sense of humor is still with me.)


    Scott,

    Nice box, but just butt joints in the corners? I hope it stays together. If not, at least it will give you some more shop time.

    A few more boxes for you both to see.

    Charley
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Lent View Post
    Scott,

    Nice box, but just butt joints in the corners? I hope it stays together. If not, at least it will give you some more shop time.


    Charley
    It was an experimental build that has exceeded my expectations.

    The quarter inch was marine 3 ply left over from a boat build. I wanted to see if I could develop the shape to match the bins for potatos and used kitchen towels already on a low shelf in the kitchen. I had to build two jigs as the glue up took two phases, and used West systems epoxy (105 and 207) with lots the silica antler bits for thickening and strength, with a bit of sanding dust to color match.

    Once it was assembled and cleaned up I put two coats of plain epoxy (more 105 and 207) on it inside and out. No battens. No fillets. Just butt jointed, both edges prepainted with regular epoxy from one cup before the thickened epoxy was applied from a second cup. No UV protectors. I kept it in the shop for a week to be sure the epoxy was fully cured/ reasonably food safe and put it into service.

    I gave my wife and children no special instructions, just here is the bin, and look, it goes with the other two bins, fits on the same shelf and holds all the parts to the KitchenAid. It is abused regularly and mercilessly, especially for holiday baking season. If grandsons come along I am sure it will someday be a helmet for sword fighting with pot lids as shields and mixing spoons as swords.

    It gets minimal UV exposure, less than two hours per year; so far the epoxy is fine with no UV layer over it.

    I can force the top into a parallelogram if I work at it, but it springs back nicely. I wouldn't make a tool chest or a bookcase out of 3/8s, but small things like this that aren't stuffed full of metal or books are remarkably strong compared to thicker plywood. They gain a lot of stiffness from being made to relatively small sizes with good edge joinery.

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