plywood sheeting 2440*1220 mm

[head clansman]

hi all

This morning I've been around all timber suppliers here in weymoputh and inspected there sheeting supplies to see the way it's stacked by the individual companies what i saw well it beggers believe .

I'm very disappointed with not so much the finish on the plywood today, as most can be sanded to a required finish , but the way its bowed and bugled & is even twisted . theres no way it can be used to constructed any thing with apart from flatroofing - flooring .

As I'm part way through constructing my tool cabinet the ply i have used , has well the best i can say about it just about did the job so far, but from here on in not only to finish this job , but also as important for any future work i need flat good quality sheeting of various thicknesses and differing finishes .

I live here as i mentioned In Weymouth Dorset I don't need lorry load of sheeting, just be able to place an order at times for say about half dozen sheets and know when it arrive its going to be good . any ideas . thanks for any replies in advance . hc :wink:

 

[HeathRobinson]

Hi HC,

I would also love to know the answer as to where one can get high quality ply along the lines of the sheets Waka used in his tool cabinet. While his was some rather flash birdseye maple I'd settle for something plain so long as the outer surfaces were veneered with good quality wood and there were no voids. Well, I could accept a few small voids but the ply sheets like the sheds sell are ridiculous.

I have one lead but have not investigated it yet, S.L. Hardwoods. If you look under their sheet goods section of the website you'll see they do all kinds of things. Perhaps something there would help you? Obviously, not having used them, I cannot comment on any warping / twisting and the general condition of their sheet goods nor on any minimum order quantities.

HR

 

[TheTiddles]

I recently used Edens for the first time, yes, I had to order £100 worth to get free delivery, however, my order of:

2 sheets 18mm MR-MDF
2 sheets 6mm WBP
2 sheets 18mm WBP
1 sheet 4mm WBP

Cost £130 delivered to my garage door, was all dead flat and the price I'm pretty happy with, I will definitely use them again (and clear a 9'x5' area for cutting it up in, should have seen that coming really...)

Aidan

 

[jasonB]

As Tiddles says go to one of the bigger panel specialists, Edens, Lathams, C F Andersons, Montague Meyer, etc. They will have a bigger range of boards and they will be correctly stored. They all have several branches dotted around the country.

A Birch throughout ply is the only one likely to give a decent surface and be flat.

Regarding South London Hardwoods, although they list a reasonable range of panel products they only keep maybe one or two of each in stock and they are not stored in ideal conditions. If you want several boards they are unlikely to be consecutive boards off a pallet and would have been handles more than a big stockist who will load straight from pallet to lorry. I'm close to SLH but still get my boards from the local panel supplier, Richard Russel's who probable have 1000times the stock of SLH.

SLH will not deliver much themselves so you will be trusting your boards to a courier!!

Jason

BTW boards come 1220x2440 not 1200x2400, thats plasterboard sizes :wink:

 

[head clansman]

hi jason

that's some good info there , at this moment price becomes a secondary thought , sheeting is supposed to be (flat) not bowed bugled or twisted , it make it really hardwork to construct anything with material like that, don't really want a secondary company delivering either as they won't care about how it handled . loads of names there jason that will give me a few more web links to look up thanks . Hope some of the companies are near hear so at least i can go have a look at the quality before ordering and ask some questions, thanks . hc

 

[JanneKi]

Ply is very prone for bending if it's not stored properly - it's quite flexible material and especially in moist environments (especially thin plys) are very prone for bending.

Usually the companies do not store the plys indoors in proper stacks (i.e. 100% support below the 1st ply or at least with very short intervals). The worst cases I've seen has been 2 supports (2x4" or similar) below the plywood lot for a full sheet (1220x2440mm) -> of course the ply will then bend to match the surface it's resting on...
:x

 

[wizer]

At Morgan's (Rochester) their sheet stock is indoors but sits on racks with just 2 supports. Every pile was banana shaped.

 

[Vinny]

HC

Ive had http://www.robbins.co.uk/index.asp recommended to me. I am led to believe that they are a wee bit more pricey than others but they carry a lot of stock and you can walk round the yard (so I'm told) they also periodically have a "bundles sale" on hardwood offcuts.

theyre only in Bristol so not too far (couple of hours) if you wanted to have a gander yerself.

vinny

 

[head clansman]

hi

thanks vinny, appreciated .hc

 

[JoinerySolutions]

I have lost count of the times sheet goods have been returned to the supplier due to poor condition, from being soaking wet to gouged out faces from errant forklifts. Suppliers need to really sort these things out, they are not helped by bosses who decide to use buckled sheets for cabinet door panels due to delivery commitments. A previous employer caught a cold with that one!
Where possible I will check the facilities of my suppliers, though this is still not infallable, and some special orders are sourced from much further afield.
The short answer is to know you supplier or be super vigilant....or both.

 

[dellpitch]

Hi

I use Robbins in Bristol, they have good stock & apart from one sheet they have all been flat & in good condition.

They specialise in ply for the boat building industry & I have seen pallets ready to be shipped in the UK, N Ireland & France.

For reasonable quantities there sales office seem to have a fairly sharp pencil.

Speak as you find to me they do a good job.

Regards

 

[shipbadger]

By sheer coincidence I've just been to buy half a dozen sheets of plywood this very day, from Robbins in Bristol as mentioned a couple of posts above. Received the same quality service as on my first visit and was impressed by the knowledge and helpfullness of the staff, not the same people as last time so it wasn't a one off the first time.

Tony Comber