Specifying hardwood plywood

[Packard]

The local lumber yards only carry the very basics on hardwood plywood.  I can get birch, maple, and red oak.

I plan on driving 60 plus miles to a real lumber yard:
http://www.condonlumber.net/

However, I am uncertain on how to specify the plywood.  I want white oak with a straight grain and no knots for the exterior, and white oak interior which should look nice enough for cabinet work. (I don’t want large nasty patches or significant voids on the interior. 

I will buy 3/4” material.  How do I specify the faces on the plywood?  I want the exterior to look very nice.  The interior can be a small step down from that.

 

[woodferret]

No Knots = A grade face
second face sounds like it could be B or 1.  Although confirm with them 1 doesn't have patches.

Straight grain = rift or quartersawn.  Note white oak is going to have strong medullary rays in QS, so you'd probably lean rift.

So... Rift White Oak A/1

 

[Packard]

Thanks for that information.  I am driving to their White Plains facility (headquarters) so I should be able to see the sheets before they load it in my van. 

Going forward, they have a local warehouse where I can pick up by appointment once I know exactly what I need.

I’ve been told that there is no shipping charge for transfer to the warehouse as they make frequent trips back and forth. 

So going forward this should be easy.

Does anyone know what approximately I should pay for this?  I am trying to avoid sticker shock.

Thanks,

Packard

 

[woodferret]

3/4" White Oak 48" x 96" Rift Cut Grade A/1 Veneer Core Veneered Panel, Columbia Forest Products

My supplier is $100 USD per sheet.

Just for reference, there's also

MDF core is about $107.
Particle core is about $105.

Depends on how stable you need.

* Just to note I'm in Atlantic Canada which tends to have a price premium (thanks to transport).  So don't be surprised if yours is actually far less.

 

[GregorHochschild]

I never saw full 3/4'' 4x8 sheets of rift sawn WO in grade A-1 for $100. Maybe a very long time ago. They are $225 at our local lumberyard right now. You can get them a little cheaper at other places but it's still going to be $180 per sheet. Just saying that you shouldn't be surprised if you pay much more than $100 USD. I would love to pay that... 

Edit: My location is east coast USA.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I never saw full 3/4'' 4x8 sheets of rift sawn WO in grade A-1 for $100. Maybe a very long time ago. They are $225 at our local lumberyard right now. You can get them a little cheaper at other places but it's still going to be $180 per sheet. Just saying that you shouldn't be surprised if you pay much more than $100 USD. I would love to pay that... 

Edit: My location is east coast USA.

What he said (+1). Maybe in 2019 you could find them for around $100, but not around here since COVID.

 

[woodferret]

Ouch, I guess we got the discount for probably southern ontario harvested white oak.

 

[4nthony]

Does anyone know what approximately I should pay for this?  I am trying to avoid sticker shock.

Back in December, I paid $253 for a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" Rift-sawn white oak plywood at my local supplier.

I didn't check the grade, but I'm going to guess it was A1 as there were no knots, blemishes, or patches.

 

[Packard]

Thanks guys.  I will call Condon lumber on Monday and get some numbers.  I’ll let you know what the New York pricing is.

 

[tjbnwi]

You want A1 this will give you clean face sheets. Some mills do an A2 which is also clean.

For the straight grain A side you want rift sawn white oak (RSWO), the 1 or 2 side I’d also go with RSWO. You can go with plane sawn but they probably wont have it.

If you want the grain running the long bias you order 4x8 (or 10 or 12), if you want the grain running the short bias you order 8x4 ( or 10 or 12). The 8 by x will probably not be a stock item. I end up ordering or 8 by x from IAP outside of Indy and they ship it to us once they have it pressed up. It is pressed up on furniture grade particle board.

Don’t be surprised if you can only get the face laid up on MDF.

The balance of a 10x4. This is the B side.

[attachimg=1]

A piece of 4x8x1/2, A side showing.

[attachimg=2]

Tom

 

[rmwarren]

I doubt you are close enough to Reading PA for it to make sense however Industrial Plywood advertises RSWO in 4 by 8 A1 veneer core.
https://www.industrialplywood.com/browse/cabinet-grade-products/white-oak.html

No idea of pricing, however they were consistently ~50% of the cost of similar material in the Philadelphia/SNJ area. In the before-times I could get 3/4" import birch ply, prefinished, for around $52. Prefinished rotary maple was $90, plain sliced $99 (6/20).

Love the look of the white oak.

RMW

 

[tjbnwi]

If you do get a veneer core, make sure it is a Combi Core. Combi Core has a sanded 1/8” MDF sheet below the veneer. Without it you’ll see and feel all the undulations of the plywood.

Tom

 

[tjbnwi]

We order our sheet goods in by the bunk/lift, at least 3 a month of 3/4 alone, each bunk hold 34-40 sheets depending on the core. I think they’re bunked by weight. 

Pre-finished maple cost me ~140 a sheet, RSWO ~210 a sheet, walnut ~195 a sheet. We also bring in 2 bunks of 1/2 pre-finished maple a month, 1 bunk of 1/2 RSWO, they cost what 3/4 use to cost. 

Tom

 

[Packard]

A lot of information here.  I’ll re-read the posts before I call on Monday.