Robert,

Nothing burned, it just smelled like it. That was the confusing
part. I am sure the Chinaply is bound by something made from boiled
animals and food remnants.

Because of the blemishes in my full sheets, I had to run down and pick up
another 1/4 sheet of 3/4" plywood today. I didn't want to spring for a
full sheet, and Lowes was out of the precut panels, so it was back to Home
Depot.

I was a lot more careful this time, making sure there were no blemishes on
either surface, and confidently carried my panel up and paid for it.

Unfortunately, when I got home I realized the grain didn't quite look
right. Now granted, I'm not all that familiar with wood species, but this
looks more like oak than birch. I double-checked the label, it says birch,
but it sure doesn't look like the usual stuff.

Of course, once again, I didn't catch on until I had cut the panel down to
the size of my shelves. Geez, I can't win... I got so busy looking at the
"quality" of the wood, I completely forgot to even check if it was the
right "type" of wood. Maybe I should just go sit down for a while.

Anyway, when I was cutting this panel, it smelled like... Well.... Urine.
Kind of disgusting actually.

Anthony