Crappy Plywood

[J. Clarke]

It's not disagreement, it's use of cutesy pejoratives. And into the killfile you go.

[Martin Eastburn]

BC kinda takes your chance.

AB is good.

What brand is it - is it metric ? Likely from Chile.

Mart> This might seem like Déjà vu for some, because I'm pretty sure I've

[-MIKE-]

I disagree. You shouldn't have to "take your chance" on basic standards of manufacturing. By that reason, if one buys the cheapest tire off the shelf, then if it doesn't hold air, well, "Tough luck, you bought the cheap stuff." That's bull$h!t and any attempt to defend it is simply rationalization for what has become a very substandard industry.

There are grades of plywood for a reason and it's mostly cosmetic, and has nothing to do with the quality of manufacturing. The grading of plywood should never be a determining factor for the minimum standards of all plywood.

I don't care *what* grade the plywood is, or how low, if that $h!t de-laminates on its own, it's defective, plain and simple.

[Puckdropper]

"J. Clarke" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

That would be me! I also refer to my DeWalt 740 as a "Radio Alarm Slaw".

I haven't gone over the edge *yet*, I've got the tools and talent to sharpen a pencil on the lathe but have yet to do so. Although... I wonder what would be faster: New pencil on the lathe or in the pencil sharpener.

Puckdropper

[J. Clarke]

The thing is, you're not a jerk about it. Some people act like the choices they make are the only correct choices and the use of one product over another makes them somehow superior. I get bored with that very quickly--discussions with such people quickly turn into something that resembles theology and if I wanted to discuss theology I'd have joined the clergy.

[krw]

You really are a whiney little bitch. Keep me there.

[Scott Lurndal]

This, from the guy who called an entire state a "hole" in an earlier post today. Look in the mirror much?

[krw]

Another whiney bitch heard from.

You got that right. Illinois is a real shit hole. Worse, even than New York or California, though they get honorable mention.

[clare]

No arguement there - but buying the cheapest crap you can buy greatly increases the likelihood that it WILL be defective.

[DerbyDad03]

Unfortunately it will only be going back to the store that you bought it from and maybe, just maybe, the distributor. Odds are it will never make it back to the manufacturer for inspection and possible process improvement .

You'll get your money back but the problem will still exist.

[-MIKE-]

I'm not on a crusade. :-)

[Leon]

And oddly very often better quality than domestic costing 30% more.

[-MIKE-]

Yep! I find it varies, greatly depending on the lot. Apparently, even from Asia you don't want thing made on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon. :-)

I got some 13 ply, 3/4" baltic once from HD that was sitting on a pallet marked "special buy" and "closeout." $25 a sheet!!! And I only bought one.

To this day, some of the highest quality cabinet grade plywood I've ever used.

[Puckdropper]

-MIKE- wrote in news:nvqrka$kf0$ [e-mail]:

I got some of that too. Now that I'm a little older and a lot wiser, I'd probably buy the pallet! You're just not going to get better stuff, especially at $25/sheet!

Puckdropper

[clare]

No, the cheapest you can buy is very seldom better than higher priced domestic. There is good imported stuff that is cheaper than domestic - and possibly better - but that's not "the cheapest you can buy"

[Martin Eastburn]

Water based glue used on interior grades will give up if it is wet or kept in high humidity.

Exterior ply is made of tough strong glue. It doesn't give up.

I suspect you got ply that was in the rain - maybe the stack so your sheet doesn't look like it got rained on. Also the B is open with voids. Knot holes. They help wick in moisture.

Standards are based on classes. Dimensions are based on sheet size.

Foreign junk isn't controlled or is ignored at the port or manufacture.

US spec controls US mills and anyone that presses it for quality.

If you are buying Chile or Chinese wood, their spec counts unless the buyer requires other specs.

Martin

[Jack]

OSB has been used almost 100% on roofs in my area (PGH) for many years now. It is the perfect material for roofing. I used it on my shed roof

26 years ago, good as new. It's about impervious to weather. My son brought home 3 boxes made out of it from a department store warehouse that something came packed in. We made a couple of feral cat houses out of it. They have been outside, unfinished in Pgh weather for over 16 years. The are still in very good shape. Only plywood I know they would last as well is Wolmanized or Cedar. I don't have any recent pics but other than discoloring, they are very good shape. They outlasted 4 of the cats, one cat left.

I knew they would last because several cabins on an island near me were made of this stuff, also unfinished and they were in perfect shape after many years in the weather, including floods.

[Jack]

I did exactly the same thing when I built my rolling lumber rack. It was cheaper than the cheap stuff I planned on using. I had a hard time cutting it up for rack as it was too good, but I did anyway. Should have bought more, but I don't build much anymore.

I've never bought plywood that was not square and dimensionally correct though(width/Length). Moreover, I've noted that the lumber I buy at my HD is always square. Years ago, when we still had lumber yards around, lumber was never square and always had to be squared off before using. Today, I assume because the milling equipment is much better, it is

99.999% square right off the shelf. I'm surprised you are getting unsquare material. BCX is pretty bad stuff though, you need at least AB from my experience, but it should at be square...

[Jack]

I agree completely. Voids are always a problem with lower grade ply. Should still be square however. If your stuff is not square you need to complain loudly, that's the mills problem and needs addressed by the retailer.

Glue is the biggie for outdoor stuff. The wood lasts as long as it can dry out.

OSB used for roofs must have some awesome glue, impervious to water, bugs, mold, etc. No living thing seems to eat it, that stuff holds up quite well. I know from experience. Some here are trashing it (Kevin), which really surprises me. I guess they never used it and are out to lunch on this one. When I first noticed it used in homes, I was surprised. Now I know why it's used. Probably not good for ground contact, but not much is, other than pressure treated stuff with a high poison to wood ratio:-)

[clare]

There is OSB, and then there is OSB. Some of it has such a high resin content it stands up well to moisture - and even soaking. The rest swells like crazy when it get set, and falls apart like wet newpaper as soon as it gets wet. Lots of shed kits made of the latter were sold a few years back - siding was not included but was required according to the plans. Many never got siding or even a coat of paint, and they just disintegrated in about 2 or 3 years.. A lot of that cheap "aspenite" was also used for subfloors, and a water leak anywhere caused the stuff to give way.