New Type of Plywood mentioned at TWA Meeting

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MarvinWatkins

New User
Marvin Watkins
At yesterday's TWA meeting in Raleigh, Bruce mentioned a new type of plywood that he had run across. If Bruce reads this or if anyone recalls, can you recount the details?

I thought he said that he found this new plywood that was pretty inexpensive with fewer voids. Unfortunately, I didn't write anything down at the time. I thought he had said it was call Ani-Ply and that he found it at Lowes for about $30 for a 4x8 sheet. Unfortunately, the folks at the Glennwood Road Lowes had never heard of it.

Any further details on the plywood, where you can get it, what makes it different and what type of projects it would be good for would be appreciated.

My immediate interest is for garage storage cabinets with doors. The price certainly caught my attention.
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
I saw the ply that Bruce mentioned last night at the Lowe's off of Hwy 42, at I-40 exit 312. I was surprised at the price and the look of quality to it.
I think it would be a good buy for shop cabinets or painted pieces. I am sure that it is made somewhere overseas for it to have such a low price, so don't be surprised to find irregularities in it.
Dave:)
 

sammy

New User
Sam Samotis
It may be what they call sand ply or Aruca. I use alot of this plywood on all of my jobs. The price of birch at the lowes in Asheville is at about $35 a sheet. Thats alot less than what i was paying a few years ago.
 

nelsone

New User
Ed
If it is the same as the sandeply at HD, it looks better than it works. I just did a builtin with it and fuzzes up pretty bad. If you prime it, then sand it down it gives a fair finish. Not too many voids, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything nice. Just my opinion!
 

thrt15nc

New User
Tom
Caution on the sandeply. Maybe it's just me but that sandeply stinks when cut. It's disgusting. I made a couple of shop drawers out of it and they still smell like someone got sick in them. Maybe the sheet I got was out of date?? :eusa_thin

Tom
 

woodguy1975

New User
John
Caution on the sandeply. Maybe it's just me but that sandeply stinks when cut. It's disgusting. I made a couple of shop drawers out of it and they still smell like someone got sick in them. Maybe the sheet I got was out of date?? :eusa_thin

Tom

Sounds like Poplar core to me. Poplar core plywood always has a smell to it.

John
 

yellofins

Ron
Corporate Member
I worked with the sandply building shelves for Raleigh Rescue Mission.
Some of the wood smelled like cedar when cutting and come spelled like poplar. I agree with the finis quality. It is a solid wood but better suited for painting after priming. The cut quality is very nice and void free......
Ron
 

Travis Porter

Travis
Corporate Member
Another caution on Sandply. At least at Lowes the thickness varies sheet to sheet and it definitely varies from buying it from HD or Lowes.

I use it for shop stuff a fair amount.
 
R

rickc

Thanks guys, I too was wondering about the stuff, and couldn't understand what Bruce said. Any idea how it holds up for exterior stuff? I want to make several "cat houses" for the Conservator Center in Mebane that will sit outside. I guess a coat or two of exterior paint should help, eh?
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Lots of questions. The common name for what HD sells as sand ply is STINK OAK, no explanation necessary. Lowes has started carring both 1/2 and 3/4 birch veneer from the Asian rim. Priced considerably lower than domestic. Recently in Lowes, I got some 3/4 birch from Canada that was exactly 3/4. What will those Canadians think of next? I mean plywood that is the thickness that it is labeled. The other plywood is Auurco ply. Lowes carried it for a short period a while back. Now they are stocking it again. Cary store on Walnut street and new store in Pittsboro has it. It comes in 3/4 AC exterior only. I have started using it for base for counter tops. It is a lot lighter to haul up a couple of sets of stairs, than high density particle board. Amazingly flat and basically free from interior voids. C face isn't anything to brag on though. Face veneers looks like what we used to get called Austrailan pine from of all places-New Zealand.
 

MarvinWatkins

New User
Marvin Watkins
Bruce,

Thanks for the reply. You 'da man. :eusa_clap Thanks everyone else for your inputs of various other options. It sounds like sandyply is not the most pleasant stuff to work with.

They will likely see me at the Cary store very soon. :eusa_danc
 

Alan in Little Washington

Alan Schaffter
Corporate Member
Bruce,

Thanks for the reply. You 'da man. :eusa_clap Thanks everyone else for your inputs of various other options. It sounds like sandyply is not the most pleasant stuff to work with.

They will likely see me at the Cary store very soon. :eusa_danc

I used the 1/2" Arauco on my backbench drawer boxes- seemed ok to work with, was even able to cut dovetaisl with the router without too much tearout. At Builders Discount Center I also found some 9 (11?) ply 3/4 inch stuff that looked really nice. Cheaper (about $30) and smoother than big box store birch. It may just be my technique or Forrest blade, but the surface plys seemed brittle and chipped easily when sawing. It worked ok for my shop cabinets
 

MarvinWatkins

New User
Marvin Watkins
I went to Lowes out in Cary yesterday to have a look at this new plywood. Looks like it will be a good option for my project. The price is definitely better that birch ply and the surface is better than standard BC pine ply. The wood is something called Radiata pine.

I found their website, Plywood. It has a little more information about the company and their products.

I also found that Lowes in Card and up near Wake Forest on Hwy 1 carry the Arauco Plywood.

Cheers.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
From experience: It is almost impossible to sand either side smooth enough to take stain without blotching, even using the prestain sealer. I have not tried sealing with shellac or lacquer first and using something like Polyshades, etc.
It is a very stable plywood and all the pieces I have gotten were a constant thickness (23/32 or 15/32), It dadoed very well with a stacked dado cutter on the tablesaw, but a router has a tendency for tear-out (which probably has more to do with me and the router than the Arauco).
The following are examples of it stained with min-wax oil stain and poly topcoat:
This is all Arauco edge banded with SYP
DVDshlf1.JPG

This one has edge-glued SYP for the top and drwer/door front, but the carcass is Arauco
ETSide.JPG
.
There are more views in my photo gallery.
Hope this helps give an idea of how it looks
:)
Go
 

eezlock

New User
Jim Heffner
Gofor,
How much is it selling for in 4'x 8' sheets? If all of it is as good as you have shown...it might be something good to try on an upcoming project of mine. May check out the Charlotte area Lowe's and see if they have it
and post what I find out. thanks, eezlock
 

MarvinWatkins

New User
Marvin Watkins
Jim,

I found the 23/32" Arauco Ply ACX 4x8 sheets for $26.97 at two of the Wake County stores. Apparently, it is not carried at all Lowes stores. I went to another Lowes and they looked at me as if I had three heads. If you goto Lowes website, select your store location and look for part #161485, you will see whether they carry it or not.

Gofor, thanks for the pics of a furniture project using this material. I wonder if sealing and glazing would help even out the color.
 
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