Baltic Birch Plywood

[Mike 55]

Hi,

I'm looking to make a crosscut sled and a couple of shop carts. I never used Baltic Birch plywood but I see it in the material lists all the time. Is it worth the cost and since I don't have any place that stocks it where is the best place to buy it on-line. 

Thanks

Mike

[DCarr10760]

Hi,

I'm looking to make a crosscut sled and a couple of shop carts. I never used Baltic Birch plywood but I see it in the material lists all the time. Is it worth the cost and since I don't have any place that stocks it where is the best place to buy it on-line. 

Thanks

Mike

Baltic Birch plywood is typically sold in an odd size, 5 ft by 5 ft sheets, it is available (at least in my area) at places that deal with cabinet grade plywood.  You can get small pieces of it through Woodcraft (sizes that can ship via UPS).  It's pricey for sure that way.  The major advantage with it is that it has lots of plies, with no voids, so it is stable and flat.  

I've found decent pieces of cabinet grade plywood at the box stores sold by the quarter sheet (24 x 48 and 24 x 24) that were pretty close in quality, sold as "sanded plywood."  

Good Luck!

DC

[JohnnyEgo]

Edit: DCarr was faster on the reply then I was, so much of this is an unintentional repeat.

Compared to the plywood you might buy off the shelf at Home Depot or Lowes, it is a different beast. The big-box stock ply has very thin face veneers, and the core layers are inconsistent and can be full of voids. You notice this most whenever you have exposed end-grain, or plan to route the edge. Baltic Birch uses all birch plies, and usually thinner plies, resulting in more plies in the lamination, and thus more strength. The cheap stuff you get off the shelf may use softwood or even wood filler. I used baltic birch to make my own sled and other jigs. It most commonly comes in 5' x 5' sheets instead of 4'x8', and is also known as '13 ply'.




While Home Depot doesn't normally stock it, their custom order desk will order it for you, even in small quantities.

Having said that, I have on more than one occasion improvised a sled for a purpose out of nothing more than whatever scrap of sheet stock I have on hand, and a hardwood runner also made from the scrap bucket. So it is not essential to your stated purposes, but Baltic Birch is a quantifiably better product, hence why it is the go-to ply for a lot of woodworking jigs.

Appleply is also very similar, and sometimes more available depending on your region.

[Mike 55]

Edit:  DCarr was faster on the reply then I was, so much of this is an unintentional repeat.  

Compared to the plywood you might buy off the shelf at Home Depot or Lowes, it is a different beast.  The big-box stock ply has very thin face veneers, and the core layers are inconsistent and can be full of voids.  You notice this most whenever you have exposed end-grain, or plan to route the edge.   Baltic Birch uses all birch plies, and usually thinner plies, resulting in more plies in the lamination, and thus more strength.  The cheap stuff you get off the shelf may use softwood or even wood filler.  I used baltic birch to make my own sled and other jigs.  It most commonly comes in 5' x 5' sheets instead of 4'x8', and is also known as '13 ply'.  




While Home Depot doesn't normally stock it, their custom order desk will order it for you, even in small quantities.  

Having said that, I have on more than one occasion improvised a sled for a purpose out of nothing more than whatever scrap of sheet stock I have on hand, and a hardwood runner also made from the scrap bucket.  So it is not essential to your stated purposes, but Baltic Birch is a quantifiably better product, hence why it is the go-to ply for a lot of woodworking jigs.  

Appleply is also very similar, and sometimes more available depending on your region.

Nice sled. I plan on building the one featured in Shop Notes. I will need (2) 1/2" sheets for the sled and at least 2 or 3 sheets of 3/4" for the cabinets. I no longer have a pick up truck so delivery albeit costly will have to do. I will check with Home Depot to see if they can order it and maybe rent there truck. I've used the box store plywood with mixed results. You are right, too many voids and I want this to look good as well. 

Do you know of any places to buy full sheets on-line that are reputable? All the places I Goggled only sell them in cut down portions due to shipping.

Thanks

Mike

[cpolubin]

Mike,

Rockler has a number of sizes that are available for shipping. They occasionally have it on sale. Also check the stores if there's one nearby. Not long ago they had 24"x60" sheets on sale for half price.

Cliff

[BattleRidge]

It might be worthwhile to do some serious searching for a good wood supplier and branch out and possibly away from the big box stores - checking with cabinet, furniture or other builders for their suppliers if possible.  Hopefully you will come up with a great and somewhat local resource.  Unfortunately I am not from nor familiar with the options in South Carolina and haven't ordered wood online (I have seen it listed with the sheets broken down into smaller sections for less costly shipping) so I cannot really help you there.  I can give some comparisons for a few things local to me in east central Ohio.  Note that not all products are available at all big box stores and thus the comparisons are limited.  Also, prices can vary and the Baltic Birch plywood 5'x5' (1/4", 1/2" & 3/4") that I bought from Keim in October were each about $5 cheaper than it was from the previous price I had from April.

My primary supplier is Keim Lumber in the tiny Amish community of Charm and I have purchased from them for 30+ years and since it was just a small store with several outbuildings (it's grown immensely from the early days - http://www.keimlumber.com ).  They also offer free delivery within 150 miles which is quite convenient as it is located about an hour (50 miles) from my home.  I am quite lucky to have Keim and they have a huge array of options and stock available at a reasonable price.

I was just at Keim on Oct 25th and had them print out a recent price list of Baltic Birch and other products to help in planning future projects.  To make it less complicated, I will list the products in price per square foot for easy comparison.  I like comparing the price per sq ft and will eventually use most (if not all) of the wood at some point in time so the dimension aren't a critical factor.  There can be a significant price difference in the 5'x5' panels vs 4'x8' ones at times (needless to say, I lean toward the 5'x5' BB/BB panels).

Keim Lumber
Baltic Birch (BB/BB grade)
  5' x 5'
size     $/sq ft            
1/8"    .40
1/4"    .63
3/8"    .80
1/2"    .94
5/8"  1.38
3/4"  1.43
1"     2.33
  4' x 8'
1/4"    .83
1/2"   1.48
3/4"   2.06

Baltic Birch (B/BB grade)
  5' x 5'
1/4"    .81
1/2"  1.34

Baltic Birch (BB/CP grade)
  5' x 5' 
3/8"    .94
5'8"   1.29

Baltic Birch (BB/CP grade)
  4' x 8'
1/2"  1.56


Lowe's

Birch (not Baltic Birch) (C-3 grade)  
  4' x 8'
3/4"   1.74

Maple  (C-3 grade)
  4' x 8'
1/4"     .73
3/4"   1.59


Menards

Baltic Birch (BB/CP grade)
  4' x 8'
1/4"   .83
1/2"  1.61
3/4"  1.94

[MsNomer]

My local lumberyard sells something they call BB for about $20/sheet. You get what you pay for—it’s got all the layers, but it is not flat and the outer layers are fragile.

[Halfathumb]

Hi,

I'm looking to make a crosscut sled and a couple of shop carts. I never used Baltic Birch plywood but I see it in the material lists all the time. Is it worth the cost and since I don't have any place that stocks it where is the best place to buy it on-line. 

Thanks

Mike

Hijacking this thread. Over the past several years I've been using China Birch (3/4 4 X 8 $62) with very little problems, if any.

[Mike 55]

Hijacking this thread. Over the past several years I've been using China Birch (3/4 4 X 8 $62) with very little problems, if any.

Wow, hard enough for me to find a dealer with Baltic Birch let alone China Birch. I found several places online but they do not sell whole sheets due to shipping. They have numerous options but the shipping is more than the plywood. I plan on calling around to some of the lumberyards to see if they stock it. I went on Home Depot website and they do not show it as a special order but I will stop in tomorrow.

[jteneyck]

Hi,

I'm looking to make a crosscut sled and a couple of shop carts. I never used Baltic Birch plywood but I see it in the material lists all the time. Is it worth the cost and since I don't have any place that stocks it where is the best place to buy it on-line. 

Thanks

Mike

I buy it through my local full service lumber yard, who orders it special.  I typically buy the 5 x 5', genuine product complete with Cyrillic letters on the edge, but I can buy 4 x 8', too, though I'm not sure of its actual origin.   A 5 x 5' sheet of 3/4" typically costs $65 - 70 by the time I pay the handling charges and taxes.  Not cheap, but very good stuff.     

John