Baltic Birch Alternative

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Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby KLat » Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:50 pm

Hello. I’m new to the group and currently in the process of building my teardrop. I have my frame built and now ready to move on to the next step. I live in New Brunswick Canada and am having a very hard time sourcing Baltic birch. Most places are out and won’t be getting any back in stock. I found one store that has a few sheets of 3/4” left but it’s $205 CAD tax in for a 4x8 sheet. What would you guys suggest for wood? I’m building a 5x12 and want to build my walls like in Tony Latham book. Thanks
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby tony.latham » Fri Oct 07, 2022 3:50 pm

Ouch. I heard the plant in Ukraine burned. War... :frightened:

I sit back and listen to this thread. :thinking:

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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby halfdome, Danny » Fri Oct 07, 2022 6:23 pm

I was at the Seattle Crosscut Lumber today and a 1/2" x 5 'x 5' sheet of Baltic Birch was priced at $130 a sheet, ouch!
I would look for Apple plywood (made in USA) which is similar to B.B.
Just stay away from plywood from China, as a cabinetmaker, I've had sheets delaminate during a cut.
Don't know if Pacific Birch Light is available anywhere but its lightweight and solid.
Years ago there was Finnish Birch from Finland but B.B. took over I guess.
:D Danny
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby tony.latham » Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:46 pm

I would look for Apple plywood


Danny:

I hadn't heard of this, had to Google it. ApplePly. My plywood supplier doesn't have it on their site so far... but thanks for giving me the heads-up.

:thumbs-up:

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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby KLat » Sat Oct 08, 2022 5:13 am

I will have a look around for some apple plywood but I highly doubt we would have that here. Our resources for lumber supply places is pretty limited. Only a couple private wood stores. Mostly stuck with big box stores. Marine plywood and regular birch plywood might be my best bet? Any issues with using marine grade?

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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby tony.latham » Sat Oct 08, 2022 9:38 am

Any issues with using marine grade?


Other than price, marine plywood is fine. The stuff Danny is talking about is called ApplePly. It's actually made from birch, not apple wood. Most box-store birch plywoods probably have a very thin birch veneer so it's not what you want.

One of the great things about Baltic birch and (apparently) ApplePly is the number of laminations.

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So when shopping for plywood, look at the number of laminations and how thick the exposed veneers are. AC and CDX plywoods are okay but a far cry from Baltic.

:frightened:

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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby twisted lines » Sat Oct 08, 2022 11:57 am

Is pure bond birch worth a hoot?
Racking up; And Rapin foam
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby mountainminded » Sat Oct 08, 2022 3:36 pm

I was also curious about the ApplePly product as an alternative to BB and asked about it on a recent visit to Crosscut Hardwoods in Eugene, OR. Eugene is where the ApplePly company is located. I was told by the Crosscut guy that ApplePly starts with BB plywood and adds their own face veneers— so it is really just BB ply on the inside with more species options and no annoying patches on the face. That could explain the thicker dimensions and higher cost. This info did not come directly from ApplePly but if true I would suspect the availability of the ApplePly product will also be limited.
Cheers,
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby Capebuild » Sun Oct 09, 2022 10:40 am

I had used okoume ply, a marine ply.
It came in 5x10, 18mm. Very light weight with no voids.
Kind of pricey though.
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby mountainminded » Sun Oct 09, 2022 3:55 pm

I’ve used the Okoume BS1088 ply in building sea kayaks and it’s a pleasure to work with! But the dark tone of that material is more “Smoky Boardroom” and less “Norwegian Wood.” Perhaps the shortage of BB Ply will force a design shift away from Birch interiors...
Cheers,
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby kokomoto » Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:36 am

I just checked 3 suppliers in my area, and none of them have any 1/8” BB. One said they might get some in a month, but no promises. The other two doubted they would be able to get any in the near future. A large supplier in Atlanta had a similar response. No BB. Not sure if or when they’ll ever get some.

I have the skeleton walls cut, and am ready to glue up the interior skins. Had planned to use 1/8”” BB. I have no idea what I will use as an alternative to BB for the ceiling and roof skins if it can’t be obtained any longer. The project is on hold until I can get a suitable alternative material.
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby QueticoBill » Thu Oct 13, 2022 4:31 pm

Revolution Ply? 5 ply, 5 mm (~7/64"), no voids, $22.45 per 4x8.

Slim pickings.
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby tony.latham » Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:09 pm

I have no idea what I will use as an alternative to BB for the ceiling and roof skins...


I think I'd buy a sheet of :thumbdown: luan and monkey with it. See if I couldn't get the stuff to reach the "okay bar."

The new reality of teardrop construction.

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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby mountainminded » Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:46 pm

There is also a 5.2mm Birch faced ply that is made in Asia and available from wood suppliers here in the Northwest. It goes for around $40 per sheet and is not the same as the underlayment product sold in the big orange box stores. I used it to panel the interior walls and ceiling on a current build and it worked well. Some sheets are more pliable than others and I haven’t sorted out that inconsistency yet. Perhaps they are from different factories. Call around and ask for “5.2mm Birch plywood.”
Cheers,
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Re: Baltic Birch Alternative

Postby Tom&Shelly » Sat Oct 15, 2022 10:14 am

At one time, I was planning on using 1/4 inch AC ply for our walls. Chickened out when I saw how bad even the A side was and how inexpensive nice Baltic (Ukrainian, apparently) birch was in those days. However, the A side of the A/C ply could be filled with epoxy and filler for a smooth appearance, sanded, glassed--possibly even on the inside, and then painted. I'll bet it could be rather nice.

I don't have a solution for replacing the 1/8 inch BB for the curved surfaces, however. Might be appropriate to consider square drops, or foamies. :thinking:

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