Arauco Plywood?

[shikeswithcanoe]

Hi Guys.

Was in Lowes the other day and ran across Arauco plywood. Looked pretty nice, wasn't too pricey, and is supposedly "green" so no darn dirty hippies were harmed in its making. I couldn't tell if it was as light as Luan or not. I did a quick internet search and ran across a guy that said it was made with waterproof glue, had almost no voids, and had a very nice finish on it.

You guys might wanna give it a looksy.

 

[stinger160]

I checked there website and they didn't list arauco plywood. Do you know if it is a special order item?

 

[JEM]

On the Arauco website, it says

Known for its high-quality faces and stable composed-core construction, exterior-grade AraucoPly is available in A-grade and B-grade sanded, beaded, premium siding, and form panels, and in thicknesses from 1/4 inch to 31/32 inch, depending on product type.

So make sure you bought exterior grade. Glue lines should be brown or black.

It looks like plantation grown pine. Pine will be a little resin-thirsty and heavy. But this looks like it might be different than your typical pine. Is it heavy?

 

[shikeswithcanoe]

It did not appear to be a special order at my Lowes because there was big pile of it in a place made for it like all the other wood. It is somethat that wasn't there a few months ago so it does appear to be a new item.

Like I said, I couldn't tell if was heavier or about the same weight as Luan but it didn't seem to be as heavy as your other generally heavier woods either.

 

[mommicked]

I special ordered two sheets from a local lumber yard in 3/8". It has a reputation for minimal core voids. Rot resistance? Well, it's pine. Cared for, pine tends to last....

A local charter boat captain who duck hunts and does boat repair swears by it. He says he took some scraps at lunch time one day, and (much to his wife's chagrin) boiled them in a pot for an hour. Then he took em and stuck em in the freezer for the afternoon (summer afternoon down south is as long as a winter day in Northern climes...). He said there was no delamination. He also said there were very few core voids in the pieces he was cutting to do various boat repairs.

I think without sales tax, I paid about $25 a sheet for the 3/8". Compared to okume, it's not as pretty, nor is it perfect. But if you're looking for a good quality lumberyard grade boat building plywood at a reasonable price, I think this stuff will be -very- hard to beat.

 

[shikeswithcanoe]

Swung by Lowes again the other day and got a better look at their Arauco plywood. It did have a nice finish on each side. Another interesting thing about it though were the plies. It was only 3 ply, but then again for 5mm thick plywood that isnt that uncommon. But I did note a difference between it and other thin plywood. Often, at least as it appears to me, on other cheaper thin plywood, the out ply appears to be thinner than the inner ply (paper thin even sometimes). On the Arauco, it was clear that the three plies were of equal thickness. Structually this is better because its the outer part of the plywood that is doing most of the work when it comes to resisting bending.

Oh, and a 4 by 8 sheet was only like 12 dollars give or take.

 

[JEM]

Did you happen to notice if the glue lines were dark or not?

 

[shikeswithcanoe]

I didn't notice the glue color. And the top sheet was missing any sticker that would tell you the weather grade of the wood. Though as mommicked notes it does sound like it at least fairly water resistant. And I would imagine that if you ordered some from a lumber place they should be able to tell you one way or another.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Arauco is underlayment certified. This means water resistant glue and no/minimum voids and small tight knots per APA specs. The local Menards has it in stock.