baltic birch ?'s

[puc]

so the only place i could find baltic birch locally is @ dixlieline. they carry 5x5 sheets ($32 p/ sheet) but only in small quantity. 3-5 to be exact. from the looks of it, theres 9 plys in the 1/2"., all seem to be even and doesnt look like the cheap crap with the veneer on the outside. thing is though, i can see that its warped. should i skip on this and just go with AC stuff @ lowes or are the plies @ dixieline still salvagable to use as the outside walls? how would i go about flattening them?

[horst]

1/2" 9-ply??? never seen anything like it
that would make for a very stiff box, in fact if the warp is bad it might be a struggle getting it all lined up
and cutting could be a chore aswell, can you quantify the warp?

[David Carter]

The BB I bought for my first build was 1/2" 9-ply, and it was great wood. It wasn't immune to warping either, but nothing real bad. It would be helpful to have an idea as to how badly it's warped. But, if you're not comfortable with it, 5-ply Arauco from Lowe's (if you can get it in your area) works well, too. Not as bulletproof as the BB, but good nonetheless (and lighter). I've built two T39's and two DR250's from Arauco (because the price of BB was outrageous at the time), and it did well.

[Scott Brochu]

man the BB in my area is running about 60 bucks a sheet. It was 11 ply also.
Thats why for all builds that I do for myself will be from arauca. I made a O15tb and on my second with the stuff and it seems to be just fine.
my .02

[LelandCrooks]

60 bucks
I was yellin' when it went to 38 from 30 here.

[Scott Brochu]

Free delivery though.
Still going with the Acaura on all builds.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

so the only place i could find baltic birch locally is @ dixlieline. they carry 5x5 sheets ($32 p/ sheet) but only in small quantity. 3-5 to be exact. from the looks of it, theres 9 plys in the 1/2"., all seem to be even and doesnt look like the cheap crap with the veneer on the outside. thing is though, i can see that its warped. should i skip on this and just go with AC stuff @ lowes or are the plies @ dixieline still salvagable to use as the outside walls? how would i go about flattening them?

That's a good price on 9 ply. Warping is of little consequence, take it home, stack it flat on a floor weighted for a few days. Once assembled you'll never know the difference. Aside from Arauco Lowe's plywood sucks.

[Scott Brochu]

Aside from Arauco Lowe's plywood sucks.

I totally agree!

[puc]

ill go pick some up now. before i do, how many sheets (5x5) does it take to build a 14" t39?

[bgavin]

From the plans:
A 20 inch wide T39 takes one 4x8 sheet of plywood for the sides and panels, a quarter-sheet for the braces.

[myn]

I was at Menards today.

They had 4x8 sheets of 5 ply 1/2" Arauco on sale for $21.98 Unfortunately they don't offer any cutting services so if you need to get it home, it will have to go as a single 4x8 piece.


They also had a variety of sizes available in 9 ply baltic birch which from what I saw appeared to be void free and significantly better quality than the crap I saw at HD and Lowes.

The prices for the 9 ply 1/2" Baltic Birch as follows:
4x8 - $52.99
4x4 - $24.98
2x4 - $12.37
2x2 - $8.59

Anyone know of a national wood distributor that delivers?

Maybe Arauco By Mail

[AntonZ]

4x8 ...(snip)... Arauco By Mail

What size letterbox have you got?

[puc]

bb 5x5 25.99

[MEGAHERTZ]

I was at Menards today.

They had 4x8 sheets of 5 ply 1/2" Arauco on sale for $21.98 Unfortunately they don't offer any cutting services so if you need to get it home, it will have to go as a single 4x8 piece.


They also had a variety of sizes available in 9 ply baltic birch which from what I saw appeared to be void free and significantly better quality than the crap I saw at HD and Lowes.

Maybe Arauco By Mail

If it is the same BB I got at Menards you should avoid it like a plague!!! The stuff looks as if it has no voids, but buy a piece take it home and saw through it. You will be able to filter air with it. I guess they fill and sand the edges at the factory or something and it hides the voids on the factory edge. Also I think I remember seeing a "Made In China" sticker on one of the sheets I returned. That was about a year ago. They could have better stuff now, but beware. Not sure about the Arauco they have, but I'm going to give it a shot when I go to build.

[10range]

I am also interested in the Acaura from Menards. None of our local Lowes carry the Acaura.