Working on my two nite stands. Last week I bought one 2'X4' piece of oak ply
at Lowe's, got one of the very few that was decent for the side and back
panels. Tried to find another this weekend for the other stand and no luck.
Don't usually have a problem at the local Lowe's, but their selection lately
sucks. So this morning I was near a Home Depot and decided I'd bite the
bullet and go in, something I don't do unless just absolutely necessary.
Shoulda bought a 4X8 at the lumber store when I started this, but due to
space, don't like hasseling the full sheet if I don't have to. Well anyway,
they had pleanty of 2X4 sheets, don't look to bad, pretty straight, good
enough for me. So when I started pulling them out I'm thinking that this is
different looking red oak than I'm used to. Got to looking closer and, wow,
this stuff is thin skinned, like less than paper thin. Like a film
impression of red oak, or what they call red oak, way to smooth, and just
looked different. Are they now doing this stuff with computer generated
paper or film now? Any body noticed this at their Orange Borg?

--
Paul O.

Very funny you mention this. I got some of what may be the same stuff
(it was 4 X 8) and built an entertainment center. Looks good raw.
Nice and clear. Stained it tonight. I think I have a problem with
that "thin skin". It looks like the veneered surface is about the
thickness of the pores. The adhesive appears to be in the pores and
when I stained it, the adhesive did not stain, of course. So now I
have a stained panel with pores that look like the stain did not fully
take. I got to think what I am going to do about that. Any ideas,
someone? The stain is Minwax Provincial. I think I need to color the
adhesive in the pores somehow.

Anyway

Hey Guys,

Plywood is rated in grades with a number and a letter found on the edge of
the sheet.

These are typically:

A (Best)
B
C
D (Worst)

1 (Best)
2
3
4 (Worst)

The letter is the grade of the front face, the number is the grade of the
back face.

A good hardwood/plywood distributor will often stock A2 and B2.

The Home Cheapo stores usually carry a "custom" grade which translates to
Z26 on the scale above, or in other words - crap!

Hope this helps,
Ed

profitfromwood.com

"Paul O." wrote in message
. ..

Shoulda bought a 4X8 at the lumber store when I started this, but due to
space, don't like hasseling the full sheet if I don't have to.

Sounds like you needed enough to have made a 4x8 sheet. Why not buy it and
have them cut it into pieces? Its usually considerably cheaper than buying
the smaller precut sheets.

Bob

I'm curious, Paul; does their ply have rotary cut veneer faces?

Dave

Paul O. wrote:

"David" wrote in message
...
I'm curious, Paul; does their ply have rotary cut veneer faces?

Dave

Paul O. wrote:

I'm not sure what 'rotary cut faces' are. This does not look like real wood
veneer. The coloring is off for red oak. Just looks and feels strange.
--
Paul O.

I've never seen anything but rotary cut veneer at the borgs.

I don't buy plywood there anymore. In fact, I don't buy any wood at the
borg except for framing lumber. I opened a business account at the local
supplier to the cabinet shops and now buy A1 or A2 plywood for very little
more than the borg price. Plus, they have hardwoods out the wahzoo - beech,
walnut, mahogany, red oak, white oak, cherry. When's the last time you saw
10" wide and 8 foot long cherry boards (4/4) for $4 a BF? It's gorgeous and
knot free.

Oh yeah - the business account only requires a business license from my
municipality. Cost - fifty bucks. I saved that on the first load I took
home.

Bob


"David" wrote in message
...
I'm curious, Paul; does their ply have rotary cut veneer faces?

Dave

Paul O. wrote:

Paul -

Rotary cut veneers give a grain pattern that cannot exist in solid lumber.
As the name implies, in rotary cut veneer, the veneer log is turned and the
veneer is cut in a continious sheet from the log, like unrolling a roll of
paper towels or TP, if you will. This method eliminates seams, repetitive
figure and the "banding" sometime seen in bookmatched, quartersawn or other
types of cuts, but it looks odd... If you think about it, if it were
lumber, you'd have a single board 8' long and however wide they managed to
get in a single strand off of the veneer log.

Now, if you're talking about that "wood photo" pattern that gets adhered to
particle board on the *really* cheap, cheap furniture, you're on your own.
That isn't anything except contact paper with a picture of wood grain, bozo
the clown or perhaps those WMD's...

HTH

John Moorhead


"Paul O." wrote in message
. ..

"David" wrote in message
...
I'm curious, Paul; does their ply have rotary cut veneer faces?

Dave

Paul O. wrote:

I'm not sure what 'rotary cut faces' are. This does not look like real
wood veneer. The coloring is off for red oak. Just looks and feels
strange.
--
Paul O.

BillyBob May 1, 7:13 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
From: "BillyBob" - Date: Mon, 02
May 2005 02:13:07 GMT
Local: Sun,May 1 2005 7:13 pm
Subject: Oak faced ply at the orange borg


"Paul O." wrote in message


. ..


Shoulda bought a 4X8 at the lumber store when I started this, but due
to
space, don't like hasseling the full sheet if I don't have to.


Sounds like you needed enough to have made a 4x8 sheet. Why not buy it
and
have them cut it into pieces? Its usually considerably cheaper than
buying
the smaller precut sheets.

Bob


Good thinking. Wish I'da done that the last HD 3/4 oak ply I bought.
Voids turned up in a # of bad places... Never again. Tom

Yes, at my local HD I just bought some 1/4" birch ply to use to make
some "floating" shelves (torsion box design with solid maple on three
face sides). The veneer layer was paper thin almost like it was sprayed
on, it wasn't but it sure was thin. Sanding was an adventure to say the
least. It took no effort at all to blow right through to a core layer.
Luckily I had already planned to dye and tone it to a darker shade
which helped to conceal some of my boo-boo's. Soon I plan on building
some kitchen cabinets and believe me I will be visiting a hardwood
supplier here in the greater SF Bay Area for my sheet goods and
hardwood.

Dale

Paul O. wrote:
Working on my two nite stands. Last week I bought one 2'X4' piece of
oak ply
at Lowe's, got one of the very few that was decent for the side and
back
panels. Tried to find another this weekend for the other stand and no
luck.
Don't usually have a problem at the local Lowe's, but their selection
lately
sucks. So this morning I was near a Home Depot and decided I'd bite
the
bullet and go in, something I don't do unless just absolutely
necessary.
Shoulda bought a 4X8 at the lumber store when I started this, but due
to
space, don't like hasseling the full sheet if I don't have to. Well
anyway,
they had pleanty of 2X4 sheets, don't look to bad, pretty straight,
good
enough for me. So when I started pulling them out I'm thinking that
this is
different looking red oak than I'm used to. Got to looking closer
and, wow,
this stuff is thin skinned, like less than paper thin. Like a film
impression of red oak, or what they call red oak, way to smooth, and
just
looked different. Are they now doing this stuff with computer
generated
paper or film now? Any body noticed this at their Orange Borg?

--
Paul O.

This stuff definitely has seams, like several pieces glued side by side. My
guess, the more I think about it, is this ain't the real stuff.


--
Paul O.



"John Moorhead" wrote in message
. ..
Paul -

Rotary cut veneers give a grain pattern that cannot exist in solid lumber.
As the name implies, in rotary cut veneer, the veneer log is turned and
the veneer is cut in a continious sheet from the log, like unrolling a
roll of paper towels or TP, if you will. ...

HTH

John Moorhead

Hi Paul,

I had 10 sheets of this stuff delivered from HD
about 6 weeks ago (working on an entertainment
center). It is pretty awful (C-3 grade by GP), but since
the project will be "built-in", very little will
show - most of it will be drawers , doors etc.

I don't think I will ever buy plywood there
again. Have to find a better supplier in my area.

I guess for $43/sheet, I should not complain.

I also got some 1/4 inch oak ply - this stuff really
sucks! It looks almost like poplar or something to me,
but it does "say" red oak. Be using that for backing.

Live & learn - tho you'd think I'd be getting smarter
in my old age by now.

Lou



In article , Paul O.
wrote:

Working on my two nite stands. Last week I bought one 2'X4' piece of oak ply
at Lowe's, got one of the very few that was decent for the side and back
panels. Tried to find another this weekend for the other stand and no luck.
Don't usually have a problem at the local Lowe's, but their selection lately
sucks. So this morning I was near a Home Depot and decided I'd bite the
bullet and go in, something I don't do unless just absolutely necessary.
Shoulda bought a 4X8 at the lumber store when I started this, but due to
space, don't like hasseling the full sheet if I don't have to. Well anyway,
they had pleanty of 2X4 sheets, don't look to bad, pretty straight, good
enough for me. So when I started pulling them out I'm thinking that this is
different looking red oak than I'm used to. Got to looking closer and, wow,
this stuff is thin skinned, like less than paper thin. Like a film
impression of red oak, or what they call red oak, way to smooth, and just
looked different. Are they now doing this stuff with computer generated
paper or film now? Any body noticed this at their Orange Borg?

I was at Lowe's this past weekend looking for the same thing. It was
all graded C-3. (new Lowe's Little Elm, TX) It's probably the same at
all stores.

I passed. I figured better to wait until I could get back to the
lumber store during the week, than get rubbish over the weekend...

Dave


Profit From Wood.com wrote:
Hey Guys,

Plywood is rated in grades with a number and a letter found on the
edge of
the sheet.

These are typically:

A (Best)
B
C
D (Worst)

1 (Best)
2
3
4 (Worst)

The letter is the grade of the front face, the number is the grade of
the
back face.

A good hardwood/plywood distributor will often stock A2 and B2.

The Home Cheapo stores usually carry a "custom" grade which
translates to
Z26 on the scale above, or in other words - crap!

Hope this helps,
Ed

profitfromwood.com