Light Weight Wood Question

[mrjim123]

I plan to rebuild an Avatar 2x10 cabinet to reduce weight. In a previous thread I received recommendations that I build with either Arauco or poplar plywood (reference post #3 in thread Light Weight Cab Rebuild).

I've tried Home Depot, Lowe's and another local lumber company in Indianapolis, and none of them have either type of plywood. Any ideas on how to locate a dealer, besides blind phone calls? I've tried Googling "Arauco" and didn't find anything really helpful, maybe because it's not available in Indianapolis.

I was surprised when the guy at Lowe's told me that poplar plywood really isn't any lighter than birch (which my current cabinet is built with). He said that's because only the veneer is actually made of poplar. So, is plywood where every layer is poplar even made? Also, is Arauco a brand name and, if not, does it vary in composition from one manufacturer to the next?

[will33]

Search lumber suppliers in Indianapolis. There will be plenty of them you've never heard of, they're where professional cabinet makers/higher end custom job carpenters/sailboat builders, etc. get their stuff from, exotic wood suppliers, etc. Those guys don't shop at HD. For whatever reason, a lot of the good stuff comes in 5x5 sheets, not 4x8.

[will33]

I googled "lumber supply indianapolis" and got at least a dozen that aren't common names. Granted they may not all carry this type of stuff but several of them will.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by will33

Search lumber suppliers in Indianapolis. There will be plenty of them you've never heard of, they're where professional cabinet makers/higher end custom job carpenters/sailboat builders, etc. get their stuff from, exotic wood suppliers, etc. Those guys don't shop at HD. For whatever reason, a lot of the good stuff comes in 5x5 sheets, not 4x8.

+1.

I was surprised when the guy at Lowe's told me that poplar plywood really isn't any lighter than birch (which my current cabinet is built with). He said that's because only the veneer is actually made of poplar.

Clueless he is.
Poplar is almost never used as a veneer, as it's considered 'junk' wood, with discolorations that make it unsuited for a fine finish. Poplar plywood, like Baltic Birch, doesn't have a veneer, rather they have equal thickness plies. He wouldn't know, as Lowes doesn't sell either. They sell something labeled as 'birch', but it's cheap Chinese crap, not Baltic Birch.

lot of the good stuff comes in 5x5 sheets

That's because it's used mainly in kitchen cabinets, which used to be almost universally 30 inches high.

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by mrjim123

I plan to rebuild an Avatar 2x10 cabinet to reduce weight. In a previous thread I received recommendations that I build with either Arauco or poplar plywood

I remember when Don Oatman and I were discussing the build for my LDS 2X8 Three Way in 2005 that he didn't actually have any of the Italian Poplar Plywood because it was
quite a bit more expensive. It does weigh considerably less though. I had heard that some of the glues that makers like Epifani use add less weight to the cabinets as well. Is that just an old wives tale?

[will33]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

+1.

Clueless he is.
Poplar is almost never used as a veneer, as it's considered 'junk' wood, with discolorations that make it unsuited for a fine finish. Poplar plywood, like Baltic Birch, doesn't have a veneer, rather they have equal thickness plies. He wouldn't know, as Lowes doesn't sell either. They sell something labeled as 'birch', but it's cheap Chinese crap, not Baltic Birch.


That's because it's used mainly in kitchen cabinets, which used to be almost universally 30 inches high.

Interesting. What's more obvious is that no large commercial bass cabs, including the ever-popular 810, have a dimension greater than 48".

[will33]

Originally Posted by Ric Vice

I remember when Don Oatman and I were discussing the build for my LDS 2X8 Three Way in 2005 that he didn't actually have any of the Italian Poplar Plywood because it was
quite a bit more expensive. It does weigh considerably less though. I had heard that some of the glues that makers like Epifani use add less weight to the cabinets as well. Is that just an old wives tale?

If you mean just the glue that holds the cab panels/bracing together, it's meaningless. If you mean all the glue that holds together all the individual plys of the plywood together, that could add up to something.

Edit to add: in some of the cheaper plywood out there, the individual plys can actually separate from each other due to cheap glue, no matter how good you put the seams together. One reason to stay away from stuff that has a paper thin veneer as an outer ply...what your seam ends up being is veneer glued together that will stick, but the rest of the panel separates from it. I've got away with it on small cabs by cutting the panels with 45 edges so all the seams are edge glued, but it's still better to use quality ply to begin with.

[dhomer]

Check for arauco at Menard's. The larger stores should carry it.. Being Indy, that shouldn't be an issue.. If price is no object, search for marine plywood, particularly okoume..