Stay Away From Plywood?

[Bandit]

I started building my floors, so I went to Lowe's to get my plywood.
I could not find any grade of plywood that was not warped or full of knots. Even the finished one side was terrible.
Then I found out that 1x2 maple is not 1x2, it is .75x1.5.
It is amazing that you can sell a start dimension and not actual dimension. Start dimension means they start with a piece that is 1x2 and after planing it down, it is .75x1.5. You pay for the saw dust.
The 15/32" (what's with this?) finished one side is $21.99 a sheet.
I then check with True Value Hardware and they have 1/2" Luan that is perfectly flat and smooth finished both sides for $20.00 a sheet.
I then ask what is Luan, as the finish is cabinet grade, and he tells me that it is the part of mahogany that is not used for furniture. It is a very good looking finish. I will use this for my external walls, floor and cabinet faces and stain and finish it. It comes from Honduras.
It is amazing some of the trash that these box stores get away with selling. The 15/32 plywood, finished one side was warped, split grain, knotty and very rough.
I was so thrilled to find this 1/2" Luan.
I will never buy plywood again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[s4son]

I may have said this before, it kills me that they can make plywood in China and ship it over here cheaper then we can make it domestically. I don't remember if it's Lowes or Home Depot that sells the Chinesse plywood but like you said, it's all junk. I have found a really neat lumber yard in KC that has all kinds of wood. Red Oak, Maple, Birch, this really neat purple heart wood stuff that really is purple. I've been buying 5X5X1/8 Russian birch for my ceiling here at about $12 a sheet. Schutte Lumber http://www.schuttelumber.com/default.shtm

Scott F.

[Gage]

It's strange the way younger management thinks now days. Let's make the most money we can today and the heck with the customer. I bought all my 1/8" birch at Lowe's 5 years ago and it was good US stuff. But like that they sale the cheap Chinesse imported plywood now and I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot poll. I now get all my lumber needs from a Lumber store. Cost a little more but is well worth it.
And come to think of it. 1x2's and 2x4's never have been 1x2's or 2x4's as long as I can remember. Unless you got them from a specialty wood store.

Have a good day.

[GPW]

OH GREAT!!!!! The only day I could get some help to go to the lumberyard (Sat. ) they were closed .... ended up at the HD and bought , yes , Chi-Ply ... 10 sheets of it ... So now I'm stuck , eh ???? Sides already cut out and framed .. Junk ???.... Well ... what am I gonna' do now .... I'm going to paint everything , out and in anyway , so the beauty stuff would be for naught .... But is there a safety issue here .... stuff cuts and screws like all the rest ... am I gonna' die cause of Chi-Ply ...???

My next one , I'll definitely use the good stuff , if I survive....

[Gage]

Naa, no safety problem. just personal taste. And if your satisfied, continue on with what your doing. If your not having a problem, then don't worry about it.

Have a good day.

[fornesto]

It's strange the way younger management thinks now days. Let's make the most money we can today and the heck with the customer.

FYI:

The CEO of Lowes is 60 years old. The CEO of Home Depot is 58 years old. The 30 year old store manager is not deciding to buy Chinese plywood. Typicaly baby boomer attitude, blaming it on young people!

[goldcoop]

it kills me that they can make plywood in China and ship it over here cheaper then we can make it domestically. I don't remember if it's Lowes or Home Depot that sells the Chinesse plywood but like you said, it's all junk.
Scott F.

Scott-

You & me both brother!

What makes it worse is LARGE shipping companies like Hyundai (yes the Korean car people) have factory boats...

They are always shipping stuff from China to US! While in LBI they pick up LOGS, by the time they are back to China they have ply ready for them.

We get what's left over on the next trip back to USA...

The MC is very HIGH and the glues between the plies is POOR.

Cheers,

Coop

[Classic Finn]

Well weve also been hit with the China Syndrome here in Finland..
Just on the news the forest industry and mills are closing down.. Over
5000 people are loosing their jobs here..

Sad as sh.... China here we come....


Chinese Plywood?????? Chinese Quality


Classic Finn

[oklahomajewel]

Funny, that I am looking at this thread and getting ready to head to Lowe's to spend American cash for my American teardrop and hearing what you say about the chi-ply. I would say I am on your side, and might see what condition it's in when I get there. Luckily, here in OKC there are other "lumber" stores.

Maybe that's why I like my older house , built by my carpenter daddy back in the early 50s and still standing solid. And I've heard it often said that "old" wood is so much better..... probably because it was good, US grown and milled....

I'll be painting mine, and covering the inside so the looks aren't so important. BUt the older I get , the more I try to "Buy American" ..

[Gage]

<snip>FYI:
The CEO of Lowes is 60 years old. The CEO of Home Depot is 58 years old. The 30 year old store manager is not deciding to buy Chinese plywood. Typicaly baby boomer attitude, blaming it on young people!

Chances are, they are for the most part only looking at the bar charts. They have management under them that makes the decision on what and where to buy. There jobs are to save the company money and make as much as possible for the company as they can. It's just a way of life today.
"baby boomer attitude", maybe so. But there isn't the dedication and pride between employer, employee and customers today as there was say 20, 30 or 40 years ago. And that's just the way of big businesses today. There are very few jobs out there that you can work at for 30 years and have a good retirement pension plan where the employer also chips in. And why are so many jobs going over seas, but to save overhead and make more money for the company. Look how hard it is to find good quality products. Why is that?

Have a good day.

Is this thread going off topic? I don't think so, not yet anyways, but close.

[asianflava]

Pension...What's that? There are few companies that offer it anymore. The ones that do are trying to squirm their way out of it. When we were spun off, I cashed mine out and put half of it in my 401K. I was able to cash mine out because I selected the "Portable plan". The folks who chose the "Traditional plan" got screwed. Yes they will get more come retirement time but now that we were spun off, their account sits in limbo. They cannot withdraw from it (unless they retire) and it does not earn interest.

The reason why there is no employee loyalty to their company is because there is no company loyalty to the employees. Before we were spun off, we had several downsizings, layoffs, closings, whatever you want to call it. I saw many 15+year and 20+year people let go. They would find a way to let people go. For some reason management always dodged the bullet.

I've said it before, I try not to buy the Chinese products but often times, you cannot avoid it. When I bought my table saw, there is no choice, they are all made offshore. Craftsman, Delta, Rigid, even Powermatic are made offshore. I buy my ply at a independent lumber and ply yard, sometimes it is Chi-ply. Hey they have to compete too, I don't blame them.

[Micro469]

It's strange the way younger management thinks now days. Let's make the most money we can today and the heck with the customer.

FYI:

The CEO of Lowes is 60 years old. The CEO of Home Depot is 58 years old. The 30 year old store manager is not deciding to buy Chinese plywood. Typicaly baby boomer attitude, blaming it on young people!

Proves his point . The CEO of HD is 2 years younger!!

[jje507]

Whoever is to blame doesn't change the fact it is junk. After about 2 weeks of having most of my major pieces put together I noticed a small bulge on one of my side panels, no problem I thought, cut it out with a razor, stick in a small patch and I should be good to go. This is what I ended up with.

Needless to say the orange box would not help me out and I have not been back since.
(it was not a moisture problem)

[Micro469]

Whoever is to blame doesn't change the fact it is junk. After about 2 weeks of having most of my major pieces put together I noticed a small bulge on one of my side panels, no problem I thought, cut it out with a razor, stick in a small patch and I should be good to go. This is what I ended up with.

Needless to say the orange box would not help me out and I have not been back since.
(it was not a moisture problem)

Man, That sucks BIGTIME! You allready put a lot of work into the tear, and to have that happen must be heartbreaking! If it was mine... NO, I don't even want to go there.... Can I recommend a fix, if you allredy haven't done so? Remove the rest of the veneer and glue a very thin 1/4 0r 1/16 veneer plywood on the side, rather than try to replace the whole piece.....

[rooster]

Bandit, I don't know your age, but for the past 40/50 years all demensional like 1x2; 2x4; 2x6 and so on was made smaller by the lumber industry to save on our forerst. Trees don't grow fast enough to keep up with supply and demand. They started making 2x4's, 1.5x3.5 and they almost has the same strength as the old 2x4. Its the same with the 1x2; 1x3 just as you stated they are .75x 1.50 & 2.5.
Sorry you had a bad experience at Lowes. I don't shop there, I went to Home Depot and found beautiful 3/4" plywood for my tear with birch on one side and maple on the other.
Hope you find what you need . . . .

Jim,