bad plywood from Lowes

[Cooler]

I went to Lowes the other day to buy a sheet of 3/4" ply with red oak faces.

I needed pieces that measured 30" long, so to make transporting easier I asked them to cut the sheet to three 32" pieces. The panel saw tore up about 2" of the oak veneer at each cut. The operator blamed it on a dull blade and I instructed him to make the next cut with a slow feed of the saw. Same result.

Luckily I was able to hide the ragged ends on the piece I was working on.

I just bought a new CMT 80 tooth negative hook angle blade for my radial arm saw. This blade should have cut the ply with almost no veneer damage. But instead it tore up the faces too (but not nearly as bad).

My conclusion is that the faces were not glued down well.

Has anyone else seen this?

[CLETUS]

Cooler said:

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Has anyone else seen this?

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It's very common with the thin veneers.

[barnowl]

Cooler said:

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... my radial arm saw. ...

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IMHO, it's the blade "pulling up" at the veneer. Same with the panel saw.

A slight score cut first would have helped, but a table saw is best, so the blade can "pull down" at the veneer.

[AHill]

Do you have a "show" side or are both sides meant to be looked at? Dull blade or improper blade may be the cause. He might have had the ply oriented where the blade was pulling up on the show side. Tearout that far is not common, but I suspect it's a blade issue. Panel saws were never meant to give you pristine edges anyway.

[Cooler]

AHill said:

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Do you have a "show" side or are both sides meant to be looked at? Dull blade or improper blade may be the cause. He might have had the ply oriented where the blade was pulling up on the show side. Tearout that far is not common, but I suspect it's a blade issue. Panel saws were never meant to give you pristine edges anyway.

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It is a brand new (just out of the package) 80 tooth 10-inch CMT blade designed for veneered boards (negative hook angle). I think it is the ideal blade for this application.

I will be able to hide all the rough edges. Most are going in dados so they won't show, or they are against the wall or hidden by another cabinet. But it is disappointing nonetheless.

[jteneyck]

I haven't had any problems with plywood from Lowes, though I haven't bought any oak veneer, just maple. I did have the problem you described with some birch plywood I bought at my local full service lumber yard. You could peel the veneer off in some spots. Turns out it was made in China. Full service, local lumber yard - plywood made in China. Lowes and Home Depot plywood - mostly made in US or Canada. What am I missing here?

When I need plywood for only one or two cabinets where I need it to look good and be durable I usually make my own from Baltic birch plywood and shop sawn veneer. Takes a lot longer and costs more, but I know it will be right.

John

[Robert Adams]

Combination of problems. The panel saws have dull blades to start with when new and the plywood I have seen recently at lowes is pretty bad. Even seen some pics of their maple ply that had a yellow pine cdx looking core to it.

[Steve N]

If you don't have a track saw you can simulate one with a circular saw, a fresh blade, and a cutting shoe. I find it also helps if you line both sides of the ply with painters tape to hold the chips steady while you cut through them. As Barn suggested scoring first can help eliminate a lot of the chip. You can do that easily with the cutting shoe right over where you plan to cut, and a utility knife drawn over that line. Just like you are cutting drywall, except that won't be any bending the ply back and forth to snap it off. You'll have to make that cut with the saw. It also helps if you put the down side on top of a piece of the "Pink foam insulating board"

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Even with fairly cheap ply I get relatively good edge cuts with either a track saw, or this arrangement.

[JohnnyEgo]

China ply from Home Depot. What they have on 'Special Sale' as 'Cabinet Ply' for $34.95. Horrible stuff. Lots of voids, paper thin veneer, uneven laminations with lots of hidden stress and warp. I will never buy that crap again, not even for shop furniture.

[mike4244]

Using a radial arm saw to rip will promote tear out if the good face is up. Saw with the good face down.If you have a cabinet or contractors saw then rip with the good face up.

mike