# Chinese Plywood



## slowp (Jan 17, 2010)

I found myself checking out plywood prices while trying to figure out a Make It or Buy It already made project. I saw they now have oak plywood from China at Home Depot. If that is the case, and I decide to build, I think I'll use good old Doug-fir plywood. I don't think they are making that in China yet.


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## tomtrees58 (Jan 17, 2010)

sloep said:


> I found myself checking out plywood prices while trying to figure out a Make It or Buy It already made project. I saw they now have oak plywood from China at Home Depot. If that is the case, and I decide to build, I think I'll use good old Doug-fir plywood. I don't think they are making that in China yet.



man i will look at my wood from there now by american or dont get it thanks tom trees


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## Torin (Jan 17, 2010)

I wouldn't buy it either. The Chinese drywall worked out so well...


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## forestryworks (Jan 17, 2010)

I have a chest of drawers made of douglas-fir plywood. It even has the old DFPA (Douglas Fir Plywood Association) stamp on it. The DFPA is now the APA.


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## Hddnis (Jan 17, 2010)

It just doesn't seem that you can ship wood over there, make it into something, and then ship it back. 

It has to be more than cheap labor. 

I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I'll say it again...

We are killing ourselves with all the regulation at every level of every industry.

Our environmental laws are quickly fixing it so that we'll all die in a "clean" world of nothing. lol



Mr. HE


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## jgoodhart (Jan 17, 2010)

Chinese plywood sucks, all it's good for is warping! Got it at Home Depot to.


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## Ductape (Jan 17, 2010)

Torin said:


> I wouldn't buy it either. The Chinese drywall worked out so well...



Bingo ! What do you suppose is holding those plies together?? :jawdrop:


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## huskyhank (Jan 17, 2010)

That stuff is like potato chips - wavy and brittle. 
Don't buy it - you'll be sorry.


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## clearance (Jan 17, 2010)

Hddnis said:


> It just doesn't seem that you can ship wood over there, make it into something, and then ship it back.
> 
> It has to be more than cheap labor.
> 
> ...



You are right.


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## slowp (Jan 17, 2010)

Not exactly. A plywood mill in Port Angeles has reopened, according to the newspaper. We still make it here. 

The Chinese stuff was labeled, Oak. I'm not about to buy it.


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## stihl sawing (Jan 17, 2010)

I've heard of everything now, Kinda doubt they have any oaks. So why would we send them oak to make it with. Cheap labor i guess.


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## Clearwater (Jan 17, 2010)

*Real Oak?*

Was it made of real Oak, or something like Alder? Then stained to look like Oak. 
When I was researching bedroom furniture I found that to be the case. Seems everything comes out of China and that is what they did with the furniture I looked into.


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## Torin (Jan 18, 2010)

Ductape said:


> Bingo ! What do you suppose is holding those plies together?? :jawdrop:


Just the usual Chinese toxins!


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## slowp (Jan 18, 2010)

Clearwater said:


> Was it made of real Oak, or something like Alder? Then stained to look like Oak.
> When I was researching bedroom furniture I found that to be the case. Seems everything comes out of China and that is what they did with the furniture I looked into.



This I do not know. It just said "Oak" and China on it. $39.99 for a 4x8 sheet, maybe 3/4 inch thick.


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## Hddnis (Jan 18, 2010)

Might have had real oak on one side then at that price.

I'm trying to remember what a 3/4 sheet of all oak plywood costs. I know it is hard to find. Seems it was $78.00.



Mr. HE


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## Ljute (Jan 18, 2010)

Ductape said:


> Bingo ! What do you suppose is holding those plies together?? :jawdrop:



Baby formula with melamine.


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## porch monkey (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up on this slowp. I've bought plywood from HD before and never even thought to look at where it was made...never even considered that they might get if from China. That might just be a west coast thing because it would still have a lot of trucking on it by the time it got here from the west coast but it's sure worth checking into. 

Maybe I just need to stop buying anything from HD if that's the way they wanna be.


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## slowp (Jan 18, 2010)

porch monkey said:


> Thanks for the heads up on this slowp. I've bought plywood from HD before and never even thought to look at where it was made...never even considered that they might get if from China. That might just be a west coast thing because it would still have a lot of trucking on it by the time it got here from the west coast but it's sure worth checking into.
> 
> Maybe I just need to stop buying anything from HD if that's the way they wanna be.



NOOOOOOOOOO! They buy a LOT of lumber made in my community. In fact, they bought so much that the local mill has not shut down for any extended times. I bet some of MY trees went to Home Depot. Look for the green secret paint....


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## J35 (Jan 18, 2010)

stihl sawing said:


> I've heard of everything now, Kinda doubt they have any oaks. So why would we send them oak to make it with. Cheap labor i guess.



Maybe it is because they are willing to buy.

Not sure about the rest of the country, but here in eastern VA lots of shipping containers leave here full of hardwood logs headed over seas.

Destination ?

Have fun


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## cantoo (Jan 18, 2010)

I was in Japan a few years ago and seen some nice logs. Huge old growth softwood stuff being cut into 2x4's for construction. Same yard had 1000's of hardwood logs ready o be veneered out. I'm sure some headed back this way too. The logs came in on open deck container ships.


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## jaba (Jan 18, 2010)

Learned the hard way last year! Purchased cabinet grade birch plywood from 
HD and its main competitor to make pantry cabinets for a customer. Constructed them as I always do, Get a call few months ago to come check them out-warping and other issues including some separation in the ply. Turns out I still have some left over pieces in my other shop from this build-you guessed find three pieces marked- MADE IN CHINA!!


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## Hddnis (Jan 19, 2010)

Sounds like HD owes you T&M to replace the cabinets.

That should teach them to stock china junk.



Mr. HE


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## Nosmo (Jan 19, 2010)

*Runaround*

HD would probably send a couple of their representatives to inspect those cabinets and you'd get the runaround. They'd probably come up with a story like you stored the plywood in a high humidity area before using them. 

Nosmo


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## Blazin (Jan 19, 2010)

Back in 2000 I sold 10,000bf of primo veneer red oak logs to a buyer, after the deal was done he told me mine were part of the 500,000bf he was selling to china. Makes me sick..they get our top grade veneer logs, turn them into ####, and then send em back here with the little gold sticker..WTF :bang:


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## slowp (Jan 19, 2010)

The other side of the story--the log export market has supported loggers who might not be working because the domestic market has been so low. Don't be in such a hurry to condemn it.


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## outonalimbts (Jan 19, 2010)

*Back in the late '90's I supplied chip logs and timber to Vaagen Lumber Republic, WA*

Back then the timber industry wasn't very good in the U.S. So Vaagen Brothers would hi grade the timber, slash contract prices on every defect, no matter what size of defect, then take the logs as chip logs. We would haul and unload entire tracts, 100- 300M board feet at time to only get a fraction in full price timber. We didn't have much choice as they were the only mill within 50 miles, so we sold our timber there.

Our trucks hauled short logs, 18' max. most were cut to 16.5" with trim. By our contracts we were locked into prices such as $80 per 1M board feet raw timber, and our truck would haul approx 3.5M board feet. (M=1,000). Of course, out of a load if 5 tons went to chip logs the price dropped to $32 a ton, which was roughly 1/5th of the price of the Grade 1 or 2 logs.

Well, we went through this for many months, actually about 2 years worth of work. 

Come to find out after all this time, the logs I had been supplying as well as most of the logs coming out of the woods, were being shipped to a broker, he was selling them to Japan. The prices he was charging Japan, were about 10 times what we were being paid for the logs at the mill!

Okay, I can understand supply and demand. What I learned though surprised me at the time but not so much anymore. When the logs get to Japan, they off load them and float them in lakes, rivers, and even the sea in pens. Then they sink them to the bottom. They then dredge mud on top of them, and do it again with another layer of logs.

When the US timber industry can no longer supply enough logs to keep our mills profitable, then Japan is going to wait until lumber prices are through the roof here, then they will mill these logs.

It made me kind of sad at the time, I was producing a raw product that was to be utilized in American made products, my neighbors homes, or even at my home. Instead they were sold to a foreign market, for much higher prices than paid for. Especially because the graders were padding their pockets by hy-grading the logs, and only paying for chip logs.

Now, Vaagen Brothers Republic branch is totally shut down, not even the buildings are left on site- They killed their operation through their greed.

Plywood from Japan, well yes as the logs are US grown, US harvested, And in some cases Americans have Died to supply this wood product.

Proud to be an American!


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## Hddnis (Jan 19, 2010)

I'm happy to export, it just don't see sending a log overseas to be made into something we already make here. Especially when the finished product that comes back is inferior. 

I sometimes buy from HD still. Mostly though I've found small mills, sometimes family operations, that sell better product at the same or better prices. They are getting more for their product and I'm paying less. We both win. All that is cut out is the layers of middle men making money without really doing any work.



Mr. HE


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## Curlycherry1 (Jan 19, 2010)

stihl sawing said:


> I've heard of everything now, Kinda doubt they have any oaks. So why would we send them oak to make it with. Cheap labor i guess.



The largest supplier of American Black Walnut lumber to the US and the rest of the world is the Hong-Hong Lumber company in China. Cheaper for them to buy our logs, ship them over there, saw them up, dry them and send the rough lumber back.

http://www.honghonglumber.com/en/index.asp


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## Blazin (Jan 19, 2010)

I hear all of the above, but damn.... why can't we make our own fookin wood products!?!?!? There it is again.........:deadhorse: well benefit from it yes, but right...Aaah ####


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## Greystoke (Jan 19, 2010)

Does not surprise me...You can't even buy a Gerber knife anymore that is made in the USA! What is next...Leupold optics? :bang:


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## tramp bushler (Jan 19, 2010)

porch monkey said:


> Thanks for the heads up on this slowp. I've bought plywood from HD before and never even thought to look at where it was made...never even considered that they might get if from China. That might just be a west coast thing because it would still have a lot of trucking on it by the time it got here from the west coast but it's sure worth checking into.
> 
> Maybe I just need to stop buying anything from HD if that's the way they wanna be.


.

. Don,t container ships come into Galveston ..////.. 40 foot whale back flats in the hatch , containers on deck .. PanaMax !!! If I remember they can run 69,000 metric tonnes and go thru the canal .
.
. I bet they are getting their timber from Russia ... Biggest stand of timber left in the world from what I understand ...


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## Curlycherry1 (Jan 19, 2010)

tramp bushler said:


> .
> . I bet they are getting their timber from Russia ... Biggest stand of timber left in the world from what I understand ...



Baltic birch plywood comes from Russia and other cold countries around there. It is not always made out of birch but the Ruskie stuff is almost always birch. It has many more layers that traditional plywood and it never has voids from open knots or holes. Because of all the layers it is more stable and takes nails/screws much better. It also does not warp any where near as easily as regular hardwood plywood does. It typically comes in 60" by 60" square sheets. It is good stuff!


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## discounthunter (Jan 23, 2010)

Blazin said:


> I hear all of the above, but damn.... why can't we make our own fookin wood products!?!?!? There it is again.........:deadhorse: well benefit from it yes, but right...Aaah ####



because we are spoiled brats. we have outpriced ourselves,and what we havent outpliced the government has taxed to death,or both.plus i wouldnt be surprised to see the actual deals the government has worked out with foriegn manufacturers in substidies.they are probably paying 20% to countries to throw us 1% business.


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