Birch ply

[jsjwilson]

OK. So video after video of jig making and DIY solutions to avoid buying tools seem to be made by people with never supplies of rather nice looking Birch ply. Where are they getting this that doesn't cost a bomb?! Any advice appreciated!!

 

[Ozi]

The easy way

Step one build time machine.

 

[paulrbarnard]

The easy way

Step one build time machine.

Step 2: start a YouTube channel while you are back in time
Step 3: use your influencer income to buy the ply with no consideration of cost.

 

[ps.harris80]

Step 4: use said influencer status to blag free wood of some poor unsuspecting supplier who thinks your exposure will help their business.

 

[artie]

Where are they getting this that doesn't cost a bomb?! Any advice appreciated!!

We have no idea how much it is costing them.

But that is a minor problem compared to the immaculate machinery and spotless workshops.

I have dust extraction on every saw and planer yet after 30 minutes work the whole shop is like a blizzard and the floor littered with debris.

 

[robgul]

Reagrdless of price Birch ply in top quality seems to be unobtainable ANYWHERE . . . . . I'd really like to be proved wrong as I have a project that needs a sheet and, within "a big reason", price is immaterial.

 

[Calum Bettison]

I also need to make a few jigs sometime soon. And cheap ply (if that’s such a thing!) just never seems to do the job for precision jig making.

Anyone tried this Garnica ply? I’m always getting their adverts on Instagram saying it’s the best alternative to birch ply. I think it’s made from poplar if I remember correctly. My apprehension is that there’s not many plys so my assumption is that it’s less stable than proper furniture-grade birch ply.

 

[Ollie78]

Bought some at Timbmet the other week, it was cross grain as thats all they had but didn`t matter for my particular need.
Sometimes Arnold Lavers have a decent price on it.
For jigs maybe MDF is enough.

Ollie

 

[clogs]

just checked....maden the US, rotary cut Birch plywood 3/4"x 8'x4' = $119 US......
no idea of UK price.......

 

[Calum Bettison]

Bought some at Timbmet the other week, it was cross grain as thats all they had but didn`t matter for my particular need.
Sometimes Arnold Lavers have a decent price on it.
For jigs maybe MDF is enough.

Ollie

How did you get on with the Garnica Ollie?

Stiffness, hardness and stability are my main concerns. To be fair I use MDF for jigs quite often, but I'm planning to make a deep and wide table for the pillar drill soon (to sit on its existing pivoting table) and the stiffness of birch ply would be ideal.

 

[Calum Bettison]

On another note, I have a friend of a friend who works in the merchandising dept of IKEA, and he said they chuck unbelievable amounts of birch ply away regularly. Apparently they're not allowed to give it away or sell it, probs some H+S nonsense, but he's kindly offered to give us a heads up when they next swap out their displays with the hope that he can intercept some for us before it gets to the skip.

So if you know anyone who knows anyone that works at IKEA, maybe give them a nudge and a wink, they might be able to do the same!

 

[Ollie78]

How did you get on with the Garnica Ollie?

Stiffness, hardness and stability are my main concerns. To be fair I use MDF for jigs quite often, but I'm planning to make a deep and wide table for the pillar drill soon (to sit on its existing pivoting table) and the stiffness of birch ply would be ideal.

Ah sorry, miscomunication. I was talking about birch ply. If strength is the main point and not looks then a lower grade bb/c or something might be fine and cheaper.

Ollie

 

[heimlaga]

The way I was taught to work wood there is only limited use for birch plywood. Probably because I got much of my knowledge from men who had learned woodwork before the market was flooded by cheap Russian birch plywood in the 90-ies. Before that the stuff was expensive and was used accordingly.
In Finland birch plywood can still be bought but it is very expensive. The world has moved back to normal after a 25 year glut.

The youtubers apparently live in a world of their own or at least in some uknown country very far from all places I have ever heard of.
It isn't just their insanely wasteful use of birch plywood.
It is also their gadgetry. They seem to have every gadget invented by mankind. All new and shiny. Struff that few professionals can afford. And yet they cannot afford a proper cast iron planer/thicknesser nor a proper sliding table saw. The two basic machines for all reasonably efficient woodwork.