Warning: That 'good deal' on Baltic birch plywood might cost you a week

Last Tuesday I picked up a pallet from a new supplier in Tacoma for what seemed like a steal, but the sheets were all warped and had voids in the inner plies. I had to scrap an entire kitchen's worth of drawer boxes, about 32 in total, and reorder from my usual guy. Has anyone else gotten burned by a plywood batch that looked fine on the outside but was junk inside?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopherw344d ago

Ever wonder if some plywood suppliers are just selling potato chips with a wood veneer? I swear the last "bargain" batch I got had more air pockets than my kid's pool float. Cut into a sheet for a bookshelf back and found a void big enough to lose a screwdriver in. That's not plywood, it's a structural lie.

alicemurphy4d ago

Read a forum post where a guy found a whole nest of packing peanuts inside a sheet... it's getting ridiculous.

claire8724d ago

Tacoma has always been a gamble for sheet goods in my experience. @alicemurphy's story is wild, but most bad plywood just means more sanding and filler. You learn to check the edge grain before you buy anything.