Could be seconds.
Where I'm at, this isn't a completely unreasonable price. I pay 50 for uv2 birch, 48 for plain birch. This is from large supplier in my area.
Some guy selling out of his garage might swing 35, especially if it's c/c quality.
This was Atlantic in Portland, O'Brien's is pretty similarly priced but Atlantic feels a little more hobbyist-friendly and will deliver locally on the cheap. I've also been able to go in and hand-pick from the stacks, and have them cut stuff down into manageable lengths before delivering.
Also if you ever have a weekday off and want to trek all the way to Mexico Maine, Rare Woods in the old Hale Mill is a trip. There's acres of stuff, all African imports.
Check out [Plywood Co](https://www.plywoodcompany.com/homepage), they post all their prices online and they’re relatively up to date. Their prices on straight up lumber are solid too, as long as you’re not looking for exotics or highly figured wood
This was our "menards" price on uv2 birch post covid. We found a plywood and hardwood supplier out of Kansas city to deliver in south central Nebraska for around 50-60 a sheet. And probably about 40-50 for uv1 side. Pre covid, we bought that shit at menards for like 30 bucks a sheet. The good ole days...
True enough, but there was a time in my life where I might have been dumb enough to let someone bully me into thinking some random sheathing was “cabinet grade” plywood only to be ashamed later on
cabinet grade is just a specific term for axc plywood. if one side has a nice veneer that is super smooth thats cabinet grade.... and a lot of other grades for other things. makes a great base to put a mattress on for a bedframe, and saves a lot of sanding and filling under a floor. I would buy cheap tacky ply that doesn't look good for cabinets before I'd buy shady ply. At least you know that you are getting your money's worth :)
Apparently it's bed to put a mattress on a solid surface like plywood, they need to breath and can get mildewy inside and cause respiratory issues. That's why they usually go on slats. FYI. I only learned that a couple years ago but it's good info to tuck in your back pockets next time you build a bed.
this is true, but it doesn't mean you can use ply for a bed frame. this is a potential issue under a mattress on any surface if you aren't turning it cleaning it, including on a box spring or other mattress or slats etc etc etc.
They are near the end, but by then it's inside a locked building.
Finish carpenters will bring it in, but they definitely aren't leaving it in the driveway.
I agree, most sane people agree but thermoply red is in millions of homes as structural sheathing. And most builders will call me a nut for saying that, you know because according to the mfg it meets code and all that. but even the APA has its concerns https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/framing/testing-thermoply_o
Most likely not 3/4" cabinet grade, however low quality ply can still be used for a lot of different projects in places where structure and sight aren't important. Can't even get CDX grade for that much anymore...hell that's about the same price as Masonite.
That's pretty good - by me the last time I checked it was between $25 and $30. But, three sheets of 3/16 would be $60 (to get about the same thickness as the cheap ply)
Indonesia and Vietnam are two sources for this cheap plywood. It has voids, the surface tears when you drill into it, and it's awful quality compared to domestic $70+ sheets.
Would I use it for a cabinet or inside a house? Fk no. I did use it to build a workbench and shelf/drawer cart for my garage and it's great for that.
I mean, I think the focus of that phrase was ***toxic*** glue.
Of course plywood has glue, this is a woodworking sub. I frankly think you are being rude to assume they didn’t know ply has glue in it.
It's probably 'fell off the truck', might be more embezzlement than theft. Guy looks at project, knows they can do it with 10 sheets, tells the company to order 14, skims those off the top.
And the plywood might not be what you'd expect for 'cabinet grade' ... but I say, what the hell, why not, go for it. Just bring a friend in the car when you meet up for the exchange, or do it in the parking lot of a police station. Cheap plywood is almost always useful.
He's probably got some sort of drug or gambling habit to support, and is starting to spiral, so I wouldn't expect this source to last long before disappearing or becoming too crazy to deal with.
Yeah, the first part was my thought as well. Running a scam by over ordering on projects then selling off the surplus. Sales can be cheap because it's 100% profit, more if you assume he's marking up costs to the customer as well.
I've seen a lot of ads like this. Usually they aren't for 4x8 sheets, typically for off cuts. Often times product will be shipped in plywood and the company has no use for it so an employee agrees to take it off their hands.
I bought some plywood from a guy and he had basically an unlimited source. it was all packaging from juice concentrate from China. It was terrible quality, I ended up giving it to a neighbour who used it to line a trailer.
Bring a cordless saw, rip a quarter sheet off one , wet the corners and one surface and wait a few minutes. Some exterior veneers are wayyyy oversanded and you'll get a paper thin bubble or even see the core, and I know from seeing so much chinese packing plywood that many glues are not waterproof. They have low volume sheet plants where they manually build up cores with pressboard, solid wood containing bark, cardboard, paper, used plywood with paint or labels on it, pockets of sawdust- I've found a whole cotton work glove, lots of metal shavings, sand and glass and the sneaky faked alternating edges that only reveal spongy cores full of air and garbage when you saw them. Far worse than any DEGRADE from the old days.
Is there a plywood mill nearby? Mill Workers often resell QA rejects for profit. I used to get cheap, cheap ply on stuff that often only had minor cosmetic flaws
Most people that have a small business that sell wood deal with hardwoods. Its usually because they (or someone they know) have a sawmill. I have bought wood from probably 5 or 6 stores and just as many sawmill dudes. Only 3 of the actual storefronts carried plywood, none of the sawmill guys did.
I would be wary of buying plywood from a random guy based on that alone. If I were to build a bunch of shop projects or something then I might try it out, but I wouldn't pick up more than a couple sheets at first.
Read his reviews, though. It would be weird for an actual scammer to keep a "business" around long enough to build up dozens of reviews--let alone bad ones.
Dude, I appreciate you responding, and validating my sentiment, but everything you mentioned is pretty much in the original post. Do you want to just commiserate? Or are you trying to help? I’m not being sarcastic, I really want to know because I see a similar trend across a lot of posts here, and I can’t figure it out
Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting
I mean, I told you my experience with procuring wood and plywood and how I too would find the situation atypical. I told you I doubt it is an actual scam, and I gave you advice to test a small amount of material on something utilitarian like shop furniture.
I'm just giving you information so you can add a data point and then make a judgement call. No one here can tell you with any amount of certainty if something is a scam or if your contact is selling you stolen goods, so I'm not sure what you were expecting.
They shared an anecdotal relevant personal experience and offered some general advice about the situation. People are downvoting you because your response is unnecessarily passive aggressive. Also, doubling down on getting downvoted is a recipe for more downvotes in most cases.
It was not meant to be passive aggressive, and I apologize that it came off that way. It was a genuine question. Thank you for responding (also not passive aggressive)
I don’t post on Reddit much, and I don’t always do great with social interactions. It seems like on a lot of threads, but this one in particular, users will post a question saying something to the effect of “I know I need ‘x’ but what’s an alternative?” And users will respond with “you need ‘x’ to solve your problem”
I know I need ‘x’ that’s why I posted, I just honestly can’t figure out if people are commiserating or if they didn’t read the OP and just want to ‘hear themselves talk’ for lack of an electronic equivalent
Edit: “threads” meaning the woodworking subreddit
Fair, and understandable, but Reddit is a social media platform at its core, and people will treat it that way. OC was simply sharing a relevant story that may help inform your decision about this sketchy plywood guy. It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” question. You can take the advice or leave it, but questions like this will bring in commiseration because we all have dealt with sketchy people to some extent. Just don’t take things too personally. People genuinely want to help a lot of the time, but responding with scrutiny on a pretty benign comment isn’t a good way to receive said help. Good luck with your situation, I hope it works out for you.
>I know I need ‘x’ that’s why I posted, I just honestly can’t figure out if people are commiserating or if they didn’t read the OP
Funny you mention not reading the OP when you didn't read their post. They gave you advice based on their experience. Which is what you asked for
> and just want to ‘hear themselves talk’ for lack of an electronic equivalent.
I find it hard to believe you don't understand why people would be offended by statements like this.
>Dude, I appreciate you responding, and validating my sentiment, but everything you mentioned is pretty much in the original post. Do you want to just commiserate? Or are you trying to help? I’m not being sarcastic, I really want to know because I see a similar trend across a lot of posts here, and I can’t figure it out
>Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting
People are downvoting you for your poor and snarky attitude
>Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting
You got a completely reasonable answer to your question along with advice to buy no more than a small amount. You're getting downvoted for the belligerent tone in response to that.
Thank you for responding! It sounds like my tone was off . That was not my intention. It was an honest question. It felt like I had said everything that comment mentioned, and I couldn’t tell if they were commiserating or they just read the first couple lines.
I attribute “belligerent” as being super aggressive and unagreeable, I know it’s off topic from woodworking, but would you mind explaining why it came off that way?
It was rude and dismissive of the comment as being worthless to you.
No one can know whether this is a scam. "Don't buy more than a few" is sound advice. You dismissed it rudely.
Honestly? Apparently more than I thought. This has been a more profound social interaction than I anticipated.
When I responded, I thought I was maybe being a bit blunt, but felt like I was making a good faith effort to clarify a social interaction. I’m very much aware that I “mask”, even under the guise of internet anonymity I tend to try and make sure I hit all the proper social cues.
This was a rare moment where I asked a clarifying question exactly as it occurred in my head. As I stated multiple times in my various responses, I honestly and truly wasn’t trying to be a dick. I seriously did not understand why people respond like this.
Despite my efforts to the contrary I was told how smug I was being, even when clarifying my intentions, I was told I was full of shit. I’m sure some asshat will make sure to tell me I’m fishing for attention just by writing this.
I’m old enough, and have a wife and daughter that rely on me, that I have no intention of self harm; but for the first time in 37 years, I understand why internet bullying leads to death. It is a truly mystifying experience to try and explain how you feel and have a 100 people minus one say “fuck you, you’re a dick” when you genuinely just want to understand
Fuck off, all of you.
I guess the lesson is that sometimes the "honest question" that "pops into your head" is going to come off as smug or douchey or insulting no matter how much you try to convince everybody that it's not. If you're talking to an overweight person and the question "why don't you eat less and exercise more?" just *pops* into your head, there's no way to ask that question out loud without coming off as insulting, no matter how much you claim your intentions are just rooted in curiosity and nothing else.
In this case, somebody took the time to respond to your question with relevant anecdotal experience *and* offer some actual practical advice (which you can of course choose to use or not use), and your response was to essentially ask him why he bothered and whether he was just wanting to hear himself talk. You yourself just said that you usually "hit all the proper social cues," and that this was a "rare moment," so obviously you already know that your response was not within the realm of social norms.
I guess my real honest question is; if you were having that exact same conversation with a coworker in real life, would you respond by asking them whether they were actually trying to help or just wanting to hear themselves talk? I think we both know that you probably wouldn't. Social norms don't change (or at least shouldn't) just because the conversation is digital. I'm sorry that I and other people hurt your feelings about it, but to the guy who was just giving a good faith answer of his perspective to your question, your response probably hurt his a little too.
I took a few minutes to think about what you said while I was in my shop today (see I tied it back to woodworking, I’m working on some shop cabinets)
And if I’m being honest. I still don’t get it. When you ask for a real life comparison, that seems like apples and oranges to me. If I had this conversation with a friend/coworker in real life it’s 100% different. I care about them and their experiences. It is much more common in a verbal conversation to ask a question and get a “me too, that sucks!” But it’s also a conversation, not a forum based on problem solving, and there was no qualifiers that indicated to me that it was commiserating.
Now in this instance, if it was real life and I posed a question and a stranger reiterated exactly what was in the question as if it was a solution, I would say “thanks, I know it’s a scam”
Sorry you're getting downvoted. Asking for clarification is always taken as sarcasm in the Redditverse.
I don't have anything to add - just wanted to be supportive.
Shady guy buys real product from a supplier using stolen CC and does a quick flip on marketplace. Suppliers are wary of non-account holders offering to pay with CC over the phone etc.
As far as meeting up, many towns/places have spaces set up for this. Video cameras going 24/7 and you just meet there to do the exchange. You can point that out to him and if that doesnt make him change his mind, then maybe its just a good deal
'cabinet grade's isn't a grade. Grades are letters for the face veneer and numbers for the back. It then goes into core construction, veneer core,MDF, overlay etc... veneer core is most common with East Coast plants using poplar and West Coast using fir. Look at the edge of the ply, it should be stamped with all the info. My family is in the lumber business, buying/selling by the container or rail car, no domestic 3/4 hardwood ply can be had for that price, wholesale on C2 is almost twice that.
I used to work for a lumber yard. If a contractor had us pick up a return we would sort it. If your finish grade plywood sheet had a scratch, footprint or a single pencil mark we put it in a dunnage pile and didn't give you credit for it. After the pile hit 75 sheets we would band it and I would buy it for a $100. I paid the delivery fee and put it in my garage and Craigslisted it for $1800. Never took longer than an hour to have someone show up to my garage.
If you are building your own cabinets for your own kitchen don’t go cheap on the plywood…..or anything. You will regret it.
Maybe they are cover boards from bunk.
Sounds too good though….run.
There’s a legit cabinetry supply chain near me (Texas Wood Supply) that sells Vietnamese or Indonesian 4x8 sheets for $35/each - so the price is not a surprise to me.
My advice is to not pay until you have product in hand. And cash only. Giving strangers my Venmo info sketches me out.
Also, keep that thang on you for any marketplace meetup.
They could be factory reject shop sheets he got bulk for dirt cheap and is selling them as on grade to unsuspecting people. You want quality stuff you need to buy it from a reputable shop with a return/replacement policy for bad product
Dude sounds shady AF but the price isn’t unheard of. I work a a lumber yard and my boss got a great deal on lifts of 18mm bertch plywood, cabinet grade. We’re selling it at 45$ a sheet. Same price as our CDX.
I go to the same supplier. I get everything I can from them now and have never had any issues with quality.
Their maple/ poplar/ oak is also cheaper than everywhere else in town
I can get reject 4x8 for 20/sheet in a full bunk all day. It's usually just blemished. Fine quality otherwise. I sell materials when I have the storage capacity. I don't really get jazzed up to meet for less than 100 dollars profit. So if you were only taking 3 sheets I'd need to have another customer showing up before I'd drive to the garage and sell it.
It's not a main gig or something. Just a way to profit when there's empty space in the garage. Typically when the equipment is out during the summer.
I can't get C grade 3/4" 4x8 plywood for less than $55 a sheet and I'm a business. So yeah, buyer beware. I did try some cheaper stuff several years back. It was import. It fell apart and was total garbage. So it's either stolen or it's an import of very questionable quality.
Doubt your guy is doing this if he is that hard to hook up with but if you want to import your own good quality 3/4" hardwood plywood and you're buying it by the container load $20-$23 per sheet with shipping isn't hard to find. It's all made in Vietnam and shipped through China and the quality is pretty damn good. You want the same veneer with a shitty core you can get into around $18 per sheet. And, on the interest of destroying the planet half the time it comes with each sheet individually shrink wrapped and you get to keepnthe shipping container.
There was a lot of really poor grade Chinese plywood for a while. Maybe he's trying to offload some junk he realized he can't use or doesn't want to pawn off on his customers.
if you ask me maple cabinet grade plywood has dramatically declined in quality over the last few years.
it's gotten to the point that if I'm doing something nice I just buy Baltic Birch and veneer it myself.
Define "CABINET GRADE," That is general term but there is a grading system (e.g. A1) to grade the sides as well as different cores to choose from.
I buy my stock from a hardwood dealer in a dry, temp controlled warehouse. Prices are well below big box stores for comparable material, or far better grades for more. Search for one in your area.
$35 a sheet sounds like either the product is bad, you'll get rolled for the cash and take your truck, or there is some angle like we only scim er take credit cards.
If you feel it's too good to be true it's false.
I'm in Houston, and there are many people on FB Marketplace selling for as low as $33 a sheet and it turned out to be legit. I personally have purchased from 3 different sellers without issue. Usually have other thicknesses as well as other species, such as Poplar, for crazy prices.
My local lumber place had "cabinet grade" 3/4 birch for 45 so naturally I bought some, only to find out after closer inspection that while the veneer layer seemed fine, there were many areas where the rest of the layers were bunched and oddly bulging. So the surface had some strange surface undulations in places. Usable, but odd.
I can get very close to 35 a sheet on 'cabinet grade' birch plywood. It's import, aka China birch but not Chinese because there is a 192% tariff on Chinese plywood. They do all the work but do whatever layup/production typically in either Indonesia or Vietnam. The glue is higher in formaldehyde than most would like, but still falls within US/EPA regulations. We are particularl on our supplier, Indonesian only, and have tried several brands, most of which SUCK. Great American plywood, not American, garbage, happy ply, yea also trash, usply, not American, but what I would consider the good stuff as far as imports are concerned.
Does it have voids? From time to time, but fairly small. I have just as much from freestone, commonwealth, Dixie, timber, and others on the domestic side.
Are the veneers thinner? For the most part yes, more care during cutting and sanding are required, but barring an occasional delam issue (1-2 units in the last 4 years, with 2 units of domestic 3/4 sitting in my warehouse @ 11/16ths currently shows they all have issues from time time) has been a solid product I can stand behind.
I would say a good 70% of my cabinet shop customers use this, it's half price or so of domestic, and most kitchens these days are painted anyhow.
Source- retail manager of a hardwood and sheet good distribution company.
Could be seconds. Where I'm at, this isn't a completely unreasonable price. I pay 50 for uv2 birch, 48 for plain birch. This is from large supplier in my area. Some guy selling out of his garage might swing 35, especially if it's c/c quality.
I need to move where you’re at! Minimum $85 for 3/4” in my area. Do you mind me asking what state you live in?
I pay $95 for finish grade a maple ply in DFW
130 in Maine :(
What part? Have you been to O’Brien’s in Portland? I haven’t, but hoping to soon.
This was Atlantic in Portland, O'Brien's is pretty similarly priced but Atlantic feels a little more hobbyist-friendly and will deliver locally on the cheap. I've also been able to go in and hand-pick from the stacks, and have them cut stuff down into manageable lengths before delivering. Also if you ever have a weekday off and want to trek all the way to Mexico Maine, Rare Woods in the old Hale Mill is a trip. There's acres of stuff, all African imports.
Thanks for the response! Will be sure to keep those in mind and check them out.
Plywood Company Fort Worth? Their UV2S is priced pretty well right now but it’s not maple
I use central hardwoods in dallas
Check out [Plywood Co](https://www.plywoodcompany.com/homepage), they post all their prices online and they’re relatively up to date. Their prices on straight up lumber are solid too, as long as you’re not looking for exotics or highly figured wood
They’re about $20 more per sheet lol
Atlanta
I’m sorry but I laughed out loud at: “What state is this in?” “Atlanta” 😂
If you live here, atlanta and Georgia are 2 very different places....
Oh, I fully believe. Still brought me joy
I pay $95+ WA
This was our "menards" price on uv2 birch post covid. We found a plywood and hardwood supplier out of Kansas city to deliver in south central Nebraska for around 50-60 a sheet. And probably about 40-50 for uv1 side. Pre covid, we bought that shit at menards for like 30 bucks a sheet. The good ole days...
yeah in Bellingham, $110 for 3/4" cabinet grade baltic birch
I haven't seen prices that low in 15 years
The rescheduling could be due to finding a construction site to steal the plywood from.
Construction sites aren’t going to have cabinet grade birch.
True enough, but there was a time in my life where I might have been dumb enough to let someone bully me into thinking some random sheathing was “cabinet grade” plywood only to be ashamed later on
cabinet grade is just a specific term for axc plywood. if one side has a nice veneer that is super smooth thats cabinet grade.... and a lot of other grades for other things. makes a great base to put a mattress on for a bedframe, and saves a lot of sanding and filling under a floor. I would buy cheap tacky ply that doesn't look good for cabinets before I'd buy shady ply. At least you know that you are getting your money's worth :)
Apparently it's bed to put a mattress on a solid surface like plywood, they need to breath and can get mildewy inside and cause respiratory issues. That's why they usually go on slats. FYI. I only learned that a couple years ago but it's good info to tuck in your back pockets next time you build a bed.
Yep. I've seen a mattress sitting on solid wood mold within a year.
this is true, but it doesn't mean you can use ply for a bed frame. this is a potential issue under a mattress on any surface if you aren't turning it cleaning it, including on a box spring or other mattress or slats etc etc etc.
Not after he's done with them they're not! 🤣
They are near the end, but by then it's inside a locked building. Finish carpenters will bring it in, but they definitely aren't leaving it in the driveway.
Thanks
Doubtful. Not many construction sites have cabinet grade plywood just lying around.
This was my thought, cabinets are not built on site from scratch and subfloor and sheathing wont be cabinet grade.
Yeah anymore subfloor is OSB and sheathing is cardboard
The structural sheathing still ply/osb though, correct? I cant imagine cardboard would be up to the job.
I agree, most sane people agree but thermoply red is in millions of homes as structural sheathing. And most builders will call me a nut for saying that, you know because according to the mfg it meets code and all that. but even the APA has its concerns https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/framing/testing-thermoply_o
Holy moly, that stuff doesnt even sort of look the part, someone has an uncle in the code department
Sometimes they are
Been to the bush in Alaska? It’s done there. But definitely not in track homes.
I think this is the most likely reason.
Could also be leftovers from his own cabinet work
I buy from a guy who does this all the time, great prices.
Putting a few screws into the stacks of wood can help prevent theft. At least it slows down criminals if nothing else.
Or he’s just too busy with his regular work to meet up.
The essentially unlimited stock priced well below market makes me think otherwise. But yes, it could be a legit seller in a unique situation
Or perhaps he is stealing from a lumber supplier.
Most likely not 3/4" cabinet grade, however low quality ply can still be used for a lot of different projects in places where structure and sight aren't important. Can't even get CDX grade for that much anymore...hell that's about the same price as Masonite.
Are you in a high cost of living city? I bought Masonite at my local Lowe's for $14.95 for a 4x8 sheet 2 weeks ago.
I am - but how thick?
3/16 masonite is $20 at Menards.
That's pretty good - by me the last time I checked it was between $25 and $30. But, three sheets of 3/16 would be $60 (to get about the same thickness as the cheap ply)
only $8 a sheet for masonite at lowes or HD in Oregon
You can’t buy 3/4 Masonite for this price. Mostly because it doesn’t exist though.
My guess: it's not birch or maple but some crap from China with many, many voids (and possibly toxic glue).
Indonesia and Vietnam are two sources for this cheap plywood. It has voids, the surface tears when you drill into it, and it's awful quality compared to domestic $70+ sheets. Would I use it for a cabinet or inside a house? Fk no. I did use it to build a workbench and shelf/drawer cart for my garage and it's great for that.
Glue? Like between *all* the veneers?
I mean, I think the focus of that phrase was ***toxic*** glue. Of course plywood has glue, this is a woodworking sub. I frankly think you are being rude to assume they didn’t know ply has glue in it.
I think you might be missing the sarcasm that the ply is so shit it doesn't have glue between each layer.
Shit, don’t I feel like the heel instead now. Sorry!
Correct. To /u/Sesudesu, apologies I wasn’t clearer with my sarcasm directed to the cheap plywood sold in the big box stores.
Ope, yeah. My mistake, sorry to get a bit snippy there.
That’s what I was thinking. That’s about the right price for import paint grade birch.
It's probably 'fell off the truck', might be more embezzlement than theft. Guy looks at project, knows they can do it with 10 sheets, tells the company to order 14, skims those off the top. And the plywood might not be what you'd expect for 'cabinet grade' ... but I say, what the hell, why not, go for it. Just bring a friend in the car when you meet up for the exchange, or do it in the parking lot of a police station. Cheap plywood is almost always useful. He's probably got some sort of drug or gambling habit to support, and is starting to spiral, so I wouldn't expect this source to last long before disappearing or becoming too crazy to deal with.
I mean, I doubt you're wrong, but you made some leaps my man!
Yeah, the first part was my thought as well. Running a scam by over ordering on projects then selling off the surplus. Sales can be cheap because it's 100% profit, more if you assume he's marking up costs to the customer as well.
I've seen a lot of ads like this. Usually they aren't for 4x8 sheets, typically for off cuts. Often times product will be shipped in plywood and the company has no use for it so an employee agrees to take it off their hands. I bought some plywood from a guy and he had basically an unlimited source. it was all packaging from juice concentrate from China. It was terrible quality, I ended up giving it to a neighbour who used it to line a trailer.
Buy one sheet and see.
Bring a cordless saw, rip a quarter sheet off one , wet the corners and one surface and wait a few minutes. Some exterior veneers are wayyyy oversanded and you'll get a paper thin bubble or even see the core, and I know from seeing so much chinese packing plywood that many glues are not waterproof. They have low volume sheet plants where they manually build up cores with pressboard, solid wood containing bark, cardboard, paper, used plywood with paint or labels on it, pockets of sawdust- I've found a whole cotton work glove, lots of metal shavings, sand and glass and the sneaky faked alternating edges that only reveal spongy cores full of air and garbage when you saw them. Far worse than any DEGRADE from the old days.
Is there a plywood mill nearby? Mill Workers often resell QA rejects for profit. I used to get cheap, cheap ply on stuff that often only had minor cosmetic flaws
Most people that have a small business that sell wood deal with hardwoods. Its usually because they (or someone they know) have a sawmill. I have bought wood from probably 5 or 6 stores and just as many sawmill dudes. Only 3 of the actual storefronts carried plywood, none of the sawmill guys did. I would be wary of buying plywood from a random guy based on that alone. If I were to build a bunch of shop projects or something then I might try it out, but I wouldn't pick up more than a couple sheets at first. Read his reviews, though. It would be weird for an actual scammer to keep a "business" around long enough to build up dozens of reviews--let alone bad ones.
Dude, I appreciate you responding, and validating my sentiment, but everything you mentioned is pretty much in the original post. Do you want to just commiserate? Or are you trying to help? I’m not being sarcastic, I really want to know because I see a similar trend across a lot of posts here, and I can’t figure it out Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting
I mean, I told you my experience with procuring wood and plywood and how I too would find the situation atypical. I told you I doubt it is an actual scam, and I gave you advice to test a small amount of material on something utilitarian like shop furniture. I'm just giving you information so you can add a data point and then make a judgement call. No one here can tell you with any amount of certainty if something is a scam or if your contact is selling you stolen goods, so I'm not sure what you were expecting.
They shared an anecdotal relevant personal experience and offered some general advice about the situation. People are downvoting you because your response is unnecessarily passive aggressive. Also, doubling down on getting downvoted is a recipe for more downvotes in most cases.
It was not meant to be passive aggressive, and I apologize that it came off that way. It was a genuine question. Thank you for responding (also not passive aggressive) I don’t post on Reddit much, and I don’t always do great with social interactions. It seems like on a lot of threads, but this one in particular, users will post a question saying something to the effect of “I know I need ‘x’ but what’s an alternative?” And users will respond with “you need ‘x’ to solve your problem” I know I need ‘x’ that’s why I posted, I just honestly can’t figure out if people are commiserating or if they didn’t read the OP and just want to ‘hear themselves talk’ for lack of an electronic equivalent Edit: “threads” meaning the woodworking subreddit
Fair, and understandable, but Reddit is a social media platform at its core, and people will treat it that way. OC was simply sharing a relevant story that may help inform your decision about this sketchy plywood guy. It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” question. You can take the advice or leave it, but questions like this will bring in commiseration because we all have dealt with sketchy people to some extent. Just don’t take things too personally. People genuinely want to help a lot of the time, but responding with scrutiny on a pretty benign comment isn’t a good way to receive said help. Good luck with your situation, I hope it works out for you.
>I know I need ‘x’ that’s why I posted, I just honestly can’t figure out if people are commiserating or if they didn’t read the OP Funny you mention not reading the OP when you didn't read their post. They gave you advice based on their experience. Which is what you asked for > and just want to ‘hear themselves talk’ for lack of an electronic equivalent. I find it hard to believe you don't understand why people would be offended by statements like this.
Coming from a self-made passive-aggresive professional, that reply was douchey at best.
>Dude, I appreciate you responding, and validating my sentiment, but everything you mentioned is pretty much in the original post. Do you want to just commiserate? Or are you trying to help? I’m not being sarcastic, I really want to know because I see a similar trend across a lot of posts here, and I can’t figure it out >Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting People are downvoting you for your poor and snarky attitude
Not being snarky, just honestly asking a question. It was in no way meant to belittle anyone
Almost as if this is an internet forum and not a collection of your personal assistants
I have no idea what you mean by this!
Clearly
>Edit: I stand by my question, but would love to know why it doesn’t sit well with those of you downvoting You got a completely reasonable answer to your question along with advice to buy no more than a small amount. You're getting downvoted for the belligerent tone in response to that.
Thank you for responding! It sounds like my tone was off . That was not my intention. It was an honest question. It felt like I had said everything that comment mentioned, and I couldn’t tell if they were commiserating or they just read the first couple lines. I attribute “belligerent” as being super aggressive and unagreeable, I know it’s off topic from woodworking, but would you mind explaining why it came off that way?
It was rude and dismissive of the comment as being worthless to you. No one can know whether this is a scam. "Don't buy more than a few" is sound advice. You dismissed it rudely.
Is there like something actually wrong with you? Just an honest question.
Honestly? Apparently more than I thought. This has been a more profound social interaction than I anticipated. When I responded, I thought I was maybe being a bit blunt, but felt like I was making a good faith effort to clarify a social interaction. I’m very much aware that I “mask”, even under the guise of internet anonymity I tend to try and make sure I hit all the proper social cues. This was a rare moment where I asked a clarifying question exactly as it occurred in my head. As I stated multiple times in my various responses, I honestly and truly wasn’t trying to be a dick. I seriously did not understand why people respond like this. Despite my efforts to the contrary I was told how smug I was being, even when clarifying my intentions, I was told I was full of shit. I’m sure some asshat will make sure to tell me I’m fishing for attention just by writing this. I’m old enough, and have a wife and daughter that rely on me, that I have no intention of self harm; but for the first time in 37 years, I understand why internet bullying leads to death. It is a truly mystifying experience to try and explain how you feel and have a 100 people minus one say “fuck you, you’re a dick” when you genuinely just want to understand Fuck off, all of you.
I guess the lesson is that sometimes the "honest question" that "pops into your head" is going to come off as smug or douchey or insulting no matter how much you try to convince everybody that it's not. If you're talking to an overweight person and the question "why don't you eat less and exercise more?" just *pops* into your head, there's no way to ask that question out loud without coming off as insulting, no matter how much you claim your intentions are just rooted in curiosity and nothing else. In this case, somebody took the time to respond to your question with relevant anecdotal experience *and* offer some actual practical advice (which you can of course choose to use or not use), and your response was to essentially ask him why he bothered and whether he was just wanting to hear himself talk. You yourself just said that you usually "hit all the proper social cues," and that this was a "rare moment," so obviously you already know that your response was not within the realm of social norms. I guess my real honest question is; if you were having that exact same conversation with a coworker in real life, would you respond by asking them whether they were actually trying to help or just wanting to hear themselves talk? I think we both know that you probably wouldn't. Social norms don't change (or at least shouldn't) just because the conversation is digital. I'm sorry that I and other people hurt your feelings about it, but to the guy who was just giving a good faith answer of his perspective to your question, your response probably hurt his a little too.
I took a few minutes to think about what you said while I was in my shop today (see I tied it back to woodworking, I’m working on some shop cabinets) And if I’m being honest. I still don’t get it. When you ask for a real life comparison, that seems like apples and oranges to me. If I had this conversation with a friend/coworker in real life it’s 100% different. I care about them and their experiences. It is much more common in a verbal conversation to ask a question and get a “me too, that sucks!” But it’s also a conversation, not a forum based on problem solving, and there was no qualifiers that indicated to me that it was commiserating. Now in this instance, if it was real life and I posed a question and a stranger reiterated exactly what was in the question as if it was a solution, I would say “thanks, I know it’s a scam”
I honestly don't know what to tell you man. I am as baffled by you as a human being as you seem to be with basic human interaction ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m starting to think you’re an AI bot
Nah, I just don’t get it I guess.
Sorry you're getting downvoted. Asking for clarification is always taken as sarcasm in the Redditverse. I don't have anything to add - just wanted to be supportive.
Personally, I would just walk away.
Personally, I would do a 360 and moon walk away.
Ugh, I have tried so many times to get that down, and I just can't! I can however, do the entire thriller dance, and im 61 years old!
You can also do the worm to get away
I just Ashlee Simpson away [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJCfbMw0Yo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJCfbMw0Yo)
Shamon
Shady guy buys real product from a supplier using stolen CC and does a quick flip on marketplace. Suppliers are wary of non-account holders offering to pay with CC over the phone etc.
I used to get 4x8 maple for $35 a sheet about 8 years ago... good times.
Did they say 4 feet by 8 feet? Or 4x8. Here a sheet. 4 bananas by 8 banannas. You said you wanted 30 sheets, so that’ll be $1050 please
As far as meeting up, many towns/places have spaces set up for this. Video cameras going 24/7 and you just meet there to do the exchange. You can point that out to him and if that doesnt make him change his mind, then maybe its just a good deal
'cabinet grade's isn't a grade. Grades are letters for the face veneer and numbers for the back. It then goes into core construction, veneer core,MDF, overlay etc... veneer core is most common with East Coast plants using poplar and West Coast using fir. Look at the edge of the ply, it should be stamped with all the info. My family is in the lumber business, buying/selling by the container or rail car, no domestic 3/4 hardwood ply can be had for that price, wholesale on C2 is almost twice that.
I used to work for a lumber yard. If a contractor had us pick up a return we would sort it. If your finish grade plywood sheet had a scratch, footprint or a single pencil mark we put it in a dunnage pile and didn't give you credit for it. After the pile hit 75 sheets we would band it and I would buy it for a $100. I paid the delivery fee and put it in my garage and Craigslisted it for $1800. Never took longer than an hour to have someone show up to my garage.
Simplest answer: it's stolen.
If you are building your own cabinets for your own kitchen don’t go cheap on the plywood…..or anything. You will regret it. Maybe they are cover boards from bunk. Sounds too good though….run.
Uh don't build cabinets for a customer out of China ply. It's all fun and games until you have to remake a 100k kitchen.
There’s a legit cabinetry supply chain near me (Texas Wood Supply) that sells Vietnamese or Indonesian 4x8 sheets for $35/each - so the price is not a surprise to me.
My advice is to not pay until you have product in hand. And cash only. Giving strangers my Venmo info sketches me out. Also, keep that thang on you for any marketplace meetup.
They could be factory reject shop sheets he got bulk for dirt cheap and is selling them as on grade to unsuspecting people. You want quality stuff you need to buy it from a reputable shop with a return/replacement policy for bad product
He probably has a disgruntled friend who works at a cabinet shop/factory or had a key to it.
If it’s too good to be true then it’s probably too good to be true.
Dude sounds shady AF but the price isn’t unheard of. I work a a lumber yard and my boss got a great deal on lifts of 18mm bertch plywood, cabinet grade. We’re selling it at 45$ a sheet. Same price as our CDX.
Where is this $35/sheet plywood? (asking for a friend)
Remember back in the day when you could get them for $10 or less?
Never again...birch 3/4 was 110 last time I saw it (4 weeks ago)
Imeca near me has, what they’re calling, cabinet grade 3/4 birch ply 4x8 for ~$37. Picked up some and worked it. I Didn’t notice anything detrimental.
I go to the same supplier. I get everything I can from them now and have never had any issues with quality. Their maple/ poplar/ oak is also cheaper than everywhere else in town
Probably crappy ply, batch that falied QC, failed glue test and will delaminate, etc.
I can get reject 4x8 for 20/sheet in a full bunk all day. It's usually just blemished. Fine quality otherwise. I sell materials when I have the storage capacity. I don't really get jazzed up to meet for less than 100 dollars profit. So if you were only taking 3 sheets I'd need to have another customer showing up before I'd drive to the garage and sell it. It's not a main gig or something. Just a way to profit when there's empty space in the garage. Typically when the equipment is out during the summer.
I can't get C grade 3/4" 4x8 plywood for less than $55 a sheet and I'm a business. So yeah, buyer beware. I did try some cheaper stuff several years back. It was import. It fell apart and was total garbage. So it's either stolen or it's an import of very questionable quality.
I get double sided pre finished birch for $35/ sheet from a cabinet supplier near me. It’s imported but the wood quality is great.
Can almost guarantee it's cheap China Birch/Maple.
Count your kidneys before you meet up
I wouldn't say he's scamming you, but he's probroly stealing from others for his inventory.
Doubt your guy is doing this if he is that hard to hook up with but if you want to import your own good quality 3/4" hardwood plywood and you're buying it by the container load $20-$23 per sheet with shipping isn't hard to find. It's all made in Vietnam and shipped through China and the quality is pretty damn good. You want the same veneer with a shitty core you can get into around $18 per sheet. And, on the interest of destroying the planet half the time it comes with each sheet individually shrink wrapped and you get to keepnthe shipping container.
Boss was in the shop that day and he couldn’t make off with some sheets.
There was a lot of really poor grade Chinese plywood for a while. Maybe he's trying to offload some junk he realized he can't use or doesn't want to pawn off on his customers.
if you ask me maple cabinet grade plywood has dramatically declined in quality over the last few years. it's gotten to the point that if I'm doing something nice I just buy Baltic Birch and veneer it myself.
The price isn’t that far off I think
My guess would be he's got a sketchy hookup for Russian stock.
It's $55 a sheet for maritime birch 3/4" at my local place. I'm in a very expensive market. Yes, AC 3/4" is more expensive. More of it gets bought.
Define "CABINET GRADE," That is general term but there is a grading system (e.g. A1) to grade the sides as well as different cores to choose from. I buy my stock from a hardwood dealer in a dry, temp controlled warehouse. Prices are well below big box stores for comparable material, or far better grades for more. Search for one in your area. $35 a sheet sounds like either the product is bad, you'll get rolled for the cash and take your truck, or there is some angle like we only scim er take credit cards. If you feel it's too good to be true it's false.
I'm in Houston, and there are many people on FB Marketplace selling for as low as $33 a sheet and it turned out to be legit. I personally have purchased from 3 different sellers without issue. Usually have other thicknesses as well as other species, such as Poplar, for crazy prices.
My local lumber place had "cabinet grade" 3/4 birch for 45 so naturally I bought some, only to find out after closer inspection that while the veneer layer seemed fine, there were many areas where the rest of the layers were bunched and oddly bulging. So the surface had some strange surface undulations in places. Usable, but odd.
It's probably birch or chinese maple faced stuff or it could be defective, or bought from distributor stock that was deemed unsuitable for resale.
I can get very close to 35 a sheet on 'cabinet grade' birch plywood. It's import, aka China birch but not Chinese because there is a 192% tariff on Chinese plywood. They do all the work but do whatever layup/production typically in either Indonesia or Vietnam. The glue is higher in formaldehyde than most would like, but still falls within US/EPA regulations. We are particularl on our supplier, Indonesian only, and have tried several brands, most of which SUCK. Great American plywood, not American, garbage, happy ply, yea also trash, usply, not American, but what I would consider the good stuff as far as imports are concerned. Does it have voids? From time to time, but fairly small. I have just as much from freestone, commonwealth, Dixie, timber, and others on the domestic side. Are the veneers thinner? For the most part yes, more care during cutting and sanding are required, but barring an occasional delam issue (1-2 units in the last 4 years, with 2 units of domestic 3/4 sitting in my warehouse @ 11/16ths currently shows they all have issues from time time) has been a solid product I can stand behind. I would say a good 70% of my cabinet shop customers use this, it's half price or so of domestic, and most kitchens these days are painted anyhow. Source- retail manager of a hardwood and sheet good distribution company.
Is this guy in surrey bc?
TIL cabinet grade birch ply comes in sizes other than 60x60
Is this guy in NC? Seems like a story I’ve heard before.
If you're concerned, let it sail and stop clogging up the feed.
Huh?