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why baltic birtch?


edmjm

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On 7/5/2017 at 10:49 AM, avguytx said:

So is it an overkill to build cabinets out of Baltic Birch these days?

 

Baltic birch is the only thing I like working with.  First of all the outside veneer layers are thicker and harder than usual.  The stuff at Lowes has gotten to the point where it's nearly paper thin which chips easily with anything but the sharpest saw blade.  Also everybody calls it birch plywood but underneath those paper thin layers it's spruce, pine, fir, aspen, basically whatever is a cheap softwood in that region.  Baltic birch is much harder and consistent.  

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For what it's worth, I've built several Cornwall or Cornscala cabinets out of Baltic birch and I wouldn't even think of using anything else. The consistency of thickness, veneer, void free, etc are all far superior. And the density....lift a piece of Baltic birch, then a piece of the best standard plywood and you'll notice the huge weight difference. Of course, Baltic birch requires sharp carbide tools and a slower pace due to this. In production settings, this difference needs to be incorporated into the techniques, etc., but for hobbyist work, that's not a big problem for a huge reward. In addition, like others have pointed out, it's getting REALLY hard to find traditional plywood that is worth using anymore - with deteriorating quality hat creates huge waste, frustration and higher total costs.

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