Choosing wood for all new interior build...

[LenS]

Baltic birch is the wood of choice for cabinet carcasses. Very stable and strong. Important if you are hanging them in a van. If it is going to be mounted to the floor I use 1/8-3/16" birch plywood reinforced at all edges with 1x3 clear pine forming very strong and light shear panels. Durable - solid birch or hard maple door facings (there is a soft maple), It does not have to be finished dark. If you really want the counter tops germ free think laminate or solid but not wood. The former will hold up to strong cleaners and latter will not.

[SheepShagger]

Originally Posted by E-rex

Planning on doing some woodwork in Baltic Birch (different projects, using thicknesses from 1/8" to 5/8"). Not so easy to find stores that carry it here close to NYC, but the odd thing is that with the suppliers I have found, the prices vary so widely. One place is cheaper than HD plywood (Rosenzweig in the Bronx), while another supplier in NJ is much more expensive..

Have you tried a lumber yard? Every lumber yard round here stocks it, but no box store.
Price for me is $29 for 4B and $45 for 3B both 3/4 5x5 I can't get 4x6 here yet. So maybe you are not complaining the same grade?
Grade 3B will have perfect finish, 4B will have had the knots cut out and filled with a patch on the outer layer.

[E-rex]

Originally Posted by SheepShagger

Have you tried a lumber yard?

Checked the local yards. Nobody I spoke with had it, and some didn't even know what it was (Sure, come on in.. we have birch plywood!) A few said they could order it (but at high prices- was just quoted $119.86 for a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" B/BB).

Having it shipped to me is looking to be either impossible (depending on the vendor), or at best it is cost prohibitive. Best option (so far) is the place in the Bronx, but they have no Sat hours. (Driving into NYC on a weekday is a major PITA..)

No rush at the moment as that is a summer project, but I am trying to line up supplies now for the bed project. I am thinking of using 1/8" for door panels as a spring project, and the NJ supplier (still a drive, but easier than the Bronx for me) does carry that, at a tolerable price.

[86Scotty]

Specialty wood places here have the 5x5 pieces. Surely if your near NYC there is a specialty wood shop that is familiar.

I get 1/2 or 3/4 Birch ply from Lowes/HD. It's not Baltic Birch but it looks great and does the job well. This entire interior is 3/4 birch cut from the 4x8 sheets at Lowes/HD.

[boywonder]

Cabinet grade birch will work fine....It's really nice stuff.....available in 4X8 sheets.....just not as many laminations as BB.....

If I couldn't find BB easily I would just use that.

[LenS]

if you really require a light color in your finish I would recommend checking out water base varnishes. The solvent based vanishes such as Spar Varnish impart a warm yellow finish. The water base ones are essentially clear. Both have good durability ratings.
Our interior is a combination of birch plywood and Baltic birch plywood (6 dwr cabinet). The finish we went with was Minwax PolyShades stain and polyurethane "Honey Pine Satin - 310".

[E-rex]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

Specialty wood places here have the 5x5 pieces. Surely if your near NYC there is a specialty wood shop that is familiar.

Baltic is not as common as I expected. Nuisance, but not impossible. Still hunting, but as mentioned, the pricing is quite inconsistent. When I first learned of Baltic Birch, I thought the 5x5 size was really odd. Ironically, the 5x5 size is now a plus for me, being very well suited to my bed / seat / lounge project. The main part of the platform will be 54"x55", and I like having that as a single piece with no seam.

Right now Rex is a very bare cargo van with the fugly unpaneled metal doors. I initially planned on simple Lowes paneling for the door panels (I prefer cheap and easy) but from what I read, when cheap paneling gets wet (and the doors will be exposed to that) the pressboard absorbs water and can easily turn to oatmeal. I think I would prefer Baltic for door panels, as I have read that the glue is a bit more water resistant than standard plywood. My main decision on the doors is whether I need 1/4", or if 1/8" would be OK. (I am leaning towards 1/8".)

PS: beautiful interior Scotty.. I really like the black edging. Very nice effect.

[86Scotty]

Thanks. I miss that interior. It just worked.

Have you tried typing 'baltic birch' into your local Craigslist? Every now and then on CL here I stumble across this wholesale place over in Asheville NC that gets baltic birch by the pallet, different thicknesses. It's apparently pretty popular. It's always worded like 'for now', 'finally got some more of this in', etc.

[E-rex]

First step was googling 'baltic birch, NJ'. Also tried a experimenting with a couple of other terms or locations, but not much success. Lately I have been trying variations on 'cabinet maker supplies, lumber'.

I always try CL, you never know when something like baltic birch or corian will pop up. I am always on a perpetual quest on CL for something, and when I find that, I change my search target and hunt for something else. The van hunt was a particularly long (but ultimately rewarding) quest.

[LenS]

I have no problem finding Baltic Birch in SE Michigan, but your posts made google it just to see the listings.

Man see this source in Toledo, Ohio. I think it is HALF the price I pay. The savings on loading up on it there would more then pay for the gas. WOW!

Toledo Plywood - Hardwood Plywood