Arauco plywood

[Tom]

Is this the plywood people have been using (per Bill's sticky post in "Tips, Techniques, and Supplier links)

http://www.arauco.cl/panels/panels_area.htm

My Lowe's stocks A/C plywood for $23 US per sheet:

http://www.arauco.cl/usa/pdf/Araucoply_dic_05.pdf

The 1/2" birch with the thin outer plies is $29 per 4x8 sheet.

[gdougherty]

I pay about $23+tax for the Arauco stuff. It'll have a plastic stapled tag that says Arauco on one of the edges.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

I pay about $23+tax for the Arauco stuff. It'll have a plastic stapled tag that says Arauco on one of the edges.

+1

[bgavin]

I saw a load of this at Lowe's this afternoon. 5 plies, pretty even thickness. Ede inspection shows a number of voids in most sheets.

I don't know what this stuff weighs, but what is the appeal of Arauco plywood?

[SoundInMotionDJ]

What's not to like?

I've cut up 8 full sheets from two different pallets and found 3 or 4 voids. It's been as flat as any plywood that I've worked with. Because it's stocked at Lowes, I can turn all those b-day gift cards into "free" wood (in the sense that I get wood and my bank account has the same number of $$ in it when I get home). And it is reasonably inexpensive.

--Stan Graves

[bgavin]

Stan, if you have access to a beam balance scale, please weigh a 4x8x1/2 on and give me an accurate measurment. Baltic birch is 39 pounds per cubic foot, precisely calculated. MDF is 49 pounds.

What is not to like is the voids I saw. Perhaps I'm spoiled on BB. If there is a significant weight savings, I could do Arauco for the internals, and BB for the shell. If no weight savings, I'm not at all interested. The pittance of money saved is not worth using a lesser quality wood for my projects.

[wannabe]

The wood I got from Lowes was pretty good looking, much better than anything else in any stores I've ever seen and $30 cheaper per sheet compared to the BB from the only place around for me to get it at.

[Les Webb]

From what I understand the "Arauco" plywood is radiata pine. A google search will give you plenty of results. I wish the local Lowe's sold it so I could get a good look at it.

Les

[SoundInMotionDJ]

Stan, if you have access to a beam balance scale, please weigh a 4x8x1/2 on and give me an accurate measurment. Baltic birch is 39 pounds per cubic foot, precisely calculated. MDF is 49 pounds.

I do not have access to anything more accurate than a bathroom scale. But if you're interested in that number, I can walk the scale out to the garage and attempt to balance a sheet on it.

--Stan Graves

[LelandCrooks]

Weigh yourself , then with the sheet. Subtract. Only way to get any accuracy on bathroom scales.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I like it because it takes a Duratex finish just as well as birch, and it's lighter and less expensive. The structural issues are compensated for by the cab designs.

[bgavin]

The Lowes in my area sells Arauco 15/32" for $23 in 4x8 sheets. It appears pretty flat, unlike the crappy CDX on the shelf above it. When I can get it, BB in 4x8 is $43 per sheet.

Yesterday I bought a sheet of plytanium BCX in 15/32" for wiring closet mount board. This is 4 thick plies and weighs 34.4 pounds per cubic foot. One 4x8 sheet is 1.25 cubic feet.

The weight difference between BB and this BCX is 6.8 pounds per 4x8 sheet. This comes to a 13.6 pound difference for a 20" T39 and 17 pounds for a T48.

My 24" T39 is entirely BB and weighs 74 pounds naked. I have not weighed it with carpet, 12LF driver, and fittings in place.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

Weigh yourself , then with the sheet. Subtract. Only way to get any accuracy on bathroom scales.

(Me holding a sheet of 1/2" Acuro ply)
MINUS
(Me)
EQUALS
43 lbs.

A sheet of 1/2" ply is 1-1/3cu.ft.

So, Acuro ply weights 32.25lbs per cu.ft.

--Stan Graves

[bgavin]

I calculate plywood at 15/32" * 48 * 96, or 1.25 cubic feet per sheet.

Your weight of 43 pounds is 34.4 pounds per cubic foot, which is inline with my measurements of BCX sheets. Close enough for CalTrans...

The Arauco is a heckuva lot better than that shitty "American Birch" I used for my T39. At least the Arauco has thick plies... mine has that very thin top ply which is where the PL grips. The stuff I used had a lot of plies, but they were crap. Several screws bit into "nothing" and spun when I tightened them down. Annoying as hell.

[Frankenspeakers]

I've noticed a general decline in the qualityof wood again recently. I got a load of 1/2" CDX (what I asked for) to do some wainscotting to protect the drywall from pallet jacks and forklift operators, I also ordered a few sheets of 3/4" AC I asked for "aruco" and the supplier initially said they had it- then said 'naaah, we don't have aruco, but radiata pine is the same thing". 50 sheets of 1/2" and 10 sheets of 3/4". the CDX and the AC look the same. the AC has plugs on one side, and knots on the back- just lile the CDX. I had the stuff delivered, so I couldn't cherrypick, but I think that either wood is gettting generally worse, or the consumer is getting screwed a little more thoroughly than usual... The 1/2" was for walls, and the 3/4" was for "special Projects", for work, otherwise I would have raised a stink. Last year, I got a sheet of 1/2" radiata for a tabletop for SWMBO. The table project got tabled and the ply got commandeered for my twist on line arrays. I had a bear of a time cutting that stuff! the 12" x 40" fronts and backs twisted and tweaked mercilessly. I had to clamp and PL everything using the table saw sled for a form to keep the pieces reasonably straight. It was a royal PITA to work with. I may try Lowes to see if their wood is any better. Hulburts though is reputable, and has better prices than any of the other local lumber houses.