Warped Sheet Goods ?

[gkaiseril]

Last I heard, the Chinese bought pine on the US West Coast and loaded it onto a factory ship. While sailing around the Pacific, the logs were processed into plywood and the ship returned to the US an off loaded the manufactured plywood and load more trees for the next round.

I see the possibility for a lot of moisture in the product.

 

[tiralie]

I also have to make a new door (upper left most) because I had a devil of a time with warped sheet goods.  I used 3/4” refinished maple ply and 3/4” Medex brand MDF.

How did you construct this door?
Did you use a rail and stile bit to produce a stub tennon or did you cut a groove and use Domino?
Tim

 

[iamnothim]

How did you construct this door?
Did you use a rail and stile bit to produce a stub tennon or did you cut a groove and use Domino?
Tim

Hey Tim,

Thanks for asking.

The “stiles” and rails are Medex with a 1/2” groove for a pre-finished ply center panel.
The corners were mitered and one Domino was used.  6mm I think.

The photo below is of the first cabinet I made 10 years ago.  This is a five piece door.  I used a stile/rail and an Amana Tool panel bit for the center. 

Work got in the way of woodworking and the laundry room became the second set of cabinets I made.  I think I went backwards.
I'll be starting the guest bath in a couple weeks.

[attachimg=1]

 

[tiralie]

The “stiles” and rails are Medex with a 1/2” groove for a pre-finished ply center panel.
The corners were mitered and one Domino was used.  6mm I think.

Sorry to keep on about this but I am curious, were the rails and or stiles warped when you assembled the door or did they warp after? The reason I ask is it sounds like and looks like your glue up created the warp not the materials. If you have an MFT you can keep a door from warping by clamping it down to the top while clamping it during glue up.

The photo below is of the first cabinet I made 10 years ago.  This is a five piece door.  I used a stile/rail and an Amana Tool panel bit for the center. 

Looks good. I think you should stick with that construction technique. Amana has a nice adjustable shaker door stile and rail bit.

I think I went backwards.

Yes, we all do. We get overconfident. It takes as much discipline to be a good carpenter as it does to be good at anything.

 

[RC]

My sheet good suppler said there is no such this as Baltic Birch from China. He said Baltic Birch is from Russia, period. That is why they call it Baltic.  That's what he said?

Gee.  I think I'd rather have it from China

No you don't. That stuff is crap.
Baltic Birch is from Russia, birch plywood can be from anywhere even heaven forbid Canada.
All Baltic birch is Russian but not all birch (veneered) plywood is Baltic or even birch ply.
Tim

I would like to point out that most of European birch plywood is manufactured in Finland by for example UPM

We do import a lot of wood from Russia in addition to our own woods so materialwise one could say that at least a part of the materials used for plywood manufacturing may originate from Russia, but the Plywood factories are in Finland.

Technically Russia is not a even much of a Baltic country after the Baltic stated of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania gained sovereignty from Russia. They are left with mainly St.Petersburg as their harbor city to the Gulf of Finland.

 

[iamnothim]

Sorry to keep on about this but I am curious, were the rails and or stiles warped when you assembled the door or did they warp after? The reason I ask is it sounds like and looks like your glue up created the warp not the materials. If you have an MFT you can keep a door from warping by clamping it down to the top while clamping it during glue up. 

I have been trying to recall if the Medex was bowed while I was making it.  That said, there's no way I would have used it if I noticed it was bowed.

I think you found the cause.  It's the same thing I did on the rosewood counter.  I used too much clamping pressure and it was only on a vertical axis with Bessey Clamps.

 

[tiralie]

I would like to point out that European birch plywood is manufactured in Finland

We do import a lot of wood from Russia in addition to our own woods so material wise one could say that at least a part of the materials used for plywood manufacturing may originate from Russia, but the Plywood factories are in Finland.

Agreed and thanks for pointing that out. Even the largest importer of Baltic Birch in N.A. refers to it as "Russian Birch" on their site, but their own "primer"titled Handbook of Finnish plywood describes a Finnish manufacturing process.

I must admit to a soft spot for the Finns, they are some of the most passionate hockey fans in the world!

Tim

 

[WoodWhisperer]

I've used imported prefinished birch once for a project. The $15 a sheet I saved wasn't worth the trouble in the end!! The prefinished maple seems to keep going up in price.  You have to lay the plywood flat to stand a chance in it not warping.  I built this plywood rack to house all my plywood. 

[attachimg=1]

EDIT> resized and rotated picture

 

[land_kel]

Imported ply is so bad, that after using it once you will pay the domestic price, cry a bit but the frustration level reduction will allow for a better nights sleep.