Plywood, for TD, no sticks

[LoneReefer]

Seems fuzzy on what kinda plywood to use for a teardrop that does not use structual sticks.

Option 1:
3/4X49X97" MDF
Item # 37461
$19.97

Option 2:
3/4" OAK 7 PLY LOWES CLASSIC , 4X8ft,
Item # 16422
$43.99


Option 3:
3/4 BIRCH 7 PLY LOWES CABINET ,4 X 8 ft,
Item # 12271
$43.99

Option 4:
3/4" 4X8 BLONDEWOOD HARDWOOD PLYWOOD, 4 X 8ft,
Item # 41769
$28.79

Option 5:
23/32" 4X8 ARAUCO PLYWOOD ACX , 4 x 8ft,
Item # 161485
$27.75

Option 6:
23/32" 4X8 BC PINE ULX EXTERIOR , 4 x 8ft,
Item # 12229
$28.96

[madjack]

...toss #1 immediately, MDF is not for strucural or exterior use
We used 3/4" 14ply cabinet grade ply for walls...#2 & 3 are very acceptable #4 is not a bad alternative but takes more work for a fine finish, never heard of #5 and doubtful #6 would give you the finish you want
madjack

[doug hodder]

In the words of Monty Python....#1 is "right out" as far as the others...whadda want?...a woody exterior or an aluminum one....if it is aluminum skinned....acx ply would be fine...saves you a lot of money. If you want a woody exterior, better get something that "shows" and protect it....don't get a high dollar veneer ply and cover it with aluminum, waste of money.... Doug

[madjack]

...oops, excuse my manners and WELCOME TOTHE BOARD(there I made amends)
madjack

[LoneReefer]

How much did that 14 ply cost per sheet? Less than a 100 bucks?
It must be beautifull to look at.

[madjack]

...LR, I don't have the receipt on hand at the moment but it wasn't all that high, it is a generic hardwood ply, nothing fancy and I'm afraid we got in too big a hurry and while it looks just fine we coulda had a much nicer finish to it had we not gotten is such a hurry...the time spent is always worth the result(usually)

...a warning to all...back when we first started building we bought some 14 ply 3/4" birch from Lowes for 30 bucks a sheet, it was manufactured in CHINA and half way thru the build it started delaminating so badly that we had to disassemble and tossit, buying new ply to continue...you generally get what ya pay for

madjack

[doug hodder]

If you are doing a Woody....VIVA marine ply...won't have that problem....won't be cheap though.....Doug

[asianflava]

Man I hope that doesn't happen to me. When I started I was getting nice luan that would bend easily. The last couple sheets I got (from the same place) were stamped China. They would only bend easily on a diagonal. They were also prone to cracking. You could break a sheet just by squeezing it too tightly when you picked it up. BTW I'm talking about 1/8in ply.

[bledsoe3]

I used regular plywood and skinned the exterior with luan. No plugs or anything to try and hide.

[TRAIL-OF-TEARS]

Welcome reefer,
Do you have an aquarium?
You also need to consider what type of finish you want on the inside. I used the Lowe’s 3/4" 7 ply birch on the side walls and the 3/4" Blonde wood for my front wall and the lower portion of my bulkhead as well as the face for my inside cupboard. I was originally going to put aluminum on the outside but I wanted the nice birch on the inside and it was cheaper and less time consuming to use the nice 3/4" but after I varnished the outside I just could not cover it with the aluminum, it looked too nice plus it saved me $200.00.

[mikeschn]

...a warning to all...back when we first started building we bought some 14 ply 3/4" birch from Lowes for 30 bucks a sheet, it was manufactured in CHINA and half way thru the build it started delaminating so badly that we had to disassemble and tossit, buying new ply to continue...you generally get what ya pay for

madjack

I've been playing with some hardwood maple plywood from Home Depot... that's not the delaminating stuff you are talking about is it?

Mike...

[madjack]

...Mike the stuff I was reffering to was a birch ply from lowes manufactured in china...we had bought several sheets for a cabinet job we were doing and it was Ok, went back and bought a couple more for TD sides and as it sat there, attached to the floor it started to warp(14ply mind you) and delanimate...it was cheap and acted like it was

madjack