Plywood at HD

[Scott Linn]

The other day I went out and bought several sheets of 3/4" plywood for my bookcases that I was building. I know that the actual thickness of the plywood should be 23/32" (or just a little under 3/4"). However, when I got the plywood home and was cutting and testing my dadoes for the shelves, the pieces didn't fit quite correctly. I got out my calipers and the plywood was actually a couple fractions THICKER than 3/4". Has anyone else ran into this problem? I guess I learned a lesson the hard way to never assume anything!

Scott Linn

[AL]

Did you measure in several places? I frequently get plywood that is thicker on one end than on the opposite end.

[robrjt]

Made the mistake of buying some oak plywood from Lowes. Stuff was made in china, 18mm thick. Edges were slightly bevelled. Never seen that before, either...junk stuff.

[Scott Linn]

Yeah, I checked in alot of different places and on different sheets. I even went back to HD and ALL the boards were consistently this size.

Scott

[todd]

I bought some meranti ply at my local hardwood supplier that, unfortunately, was of inconsistent thickness. That will really put a damper on your dadoing. I've learned since to bring a caliper to do a double-check.

todd

[Swingman]

Very common circumstance, no matter where you buy your plywood.

To the point that I carry around a short stile cutoff in the truck as a gauge, with a "project" dado cut in it, for whenever I need more plywood for a cabinet project that is already in progress.

[Robatoy]

Well, then that's good news! All you need to do is make your dado a little wider.

[Frank Ketchum]

Meaure and cut test pieces for plywood always! The very nature of the construction method of ply guarantees that there will not be uniformity in thicknesses.

As for Home Depot, I have recently decided that I will never, ever, under any circumstance spend any more money on the absolute crap that they peddle there as hardwood faced plywood. The last purchase I made there pissed me off so bad that it was reloaded on the truck and returned.

Frank

[bdeditch]

[bdeditch]

[George E. Cawthon]

Yep, I think you run into this with the cheaper grades of plywood. I never had any problem before

1976 or so using 3/4 fir plywood. My first experience with uneven thickness was with 3/4 oak while making a desk for my son. I measure the ends of shelves for thickness then dadoed the case sides for the shelves. Sure enough the ends fit but the shelves wouldn't fit in the dadoes. One of the shelves had a huge bump (probably an extra 3/16" and the cut edge showed that a piece of had been shoved a little too far and overlapped another piece in the same layer. All of my experience has been with 5 or 7 ply plywood. A friend across the street gives me scraps and he normally uses a 9 ply plywood in 3/4". He has much less trouble with uneven thicknesses that I do.

[Kevin Craig]

... Which is a much easier proposition than tightening them up!

Kevin

[Frank Ketchum]

Something like that. It was labelled "cabinet grade" and looked fine on the outside. One cut quickly revealed it was not. I have also noticed a decline in the quality of birch faced ply which normally is about $40 a sheet. I am done with this place, although I am sure some will say that I shouldn't have bothered with them in the first place.

Frank

[Charles Self]

Scott, that's an inexpensive lesson. Widen the dados, and finish the project, and remember next time to measure ANY material before cutting another piece into which it will fit.

[Charles Self]

I like that idea.

[bdeditch]

[George E. Cawthon]

Yep. But tightening them up isn't that hard. just rip a piece that fits in the dado, glue, and then cut the dado again.

[Frank Ketchum]

Did he claim that it was "cabinet grade" as the sign said? If so, he is a liar. Cabinet grade has a specific meaning and this clearly was not. If it is HD making this claim, then they are probably just idiots. In any case, there are much better places to buy plywood.

If you happen to talk to him again, let him know that his product cost HD the business of one woodworker.

Frank

[bdeditch]

[J T]

Mon, Jan 2, 2006, 8:11pm (EST-1) [e-mail] (Swingman) says try this Cockroach: To the point that I carry around a short stile cutoff in the truck as a gauge, with a "project" dado cut in it, for whenever I need more plywood for a cabinet project that is already in progress.

Neat. Which makes me think it would also be a good idea to carry around a chunk about a foot long, with several cuts, all properly labeled.

JOAT You'll never get anywhere if you believe what you "hear". What do you "know"?

- Granny Weatherwax