Sanding Plywood

[nate379]

Is there a way to sand plywood without it getting bumpy with the 2 different kinds of wood? It seems that the lighter colored wood is softer and eats away faster.

I am just building a simple box to store some firewood in the house. 3/4" AC plywood and sand it a bit to clean it up and then put a stain on it. Nothing too fancy, but I mean it just holds wood anyhow.

 

[Keep]

I would sand with 150, stain, light;y sand with 220, poly or whatever sealer, lightly sand with 220. 2nd coat, call it a day.

 

[jake00]

you could start with a sanded grade of plywood

 

[Keep]

Since I cannot edit for some reason. I forgot to add, use a large sanding block. If you can cut a piece of MDF to hold 1/3 of a sheet of sand paper. Around a 4inches by 9 inches. Will give you a nice flat surface to avoid dips.

 

[nate379]

Yes, did you read my post? A/C plywood.

you could start with a sanded grade of plywood

 

[jake00]

I was thinking of a cabinet grade birch or something.

I recently sanded some cdx lightly with 80 grit on a ROS.

worked well

 

[Gary S]

Most of the AC plywood I've had seemed to be made out of fir or pine, and these woods have the alternating lines of hard and soft.
You might consider a better plywood like birch. I've been able to find birch plywood on sale for as good a price as the AC pine.

 

[southpier]

use paste wood filler.


sand.


sanding sealer.


sand.


primer.


sand.


first top coat.


sand.


second top coat.


ad infinitum.

 

[nate379]

3/4" Birch plywood is $70 a sheet. (Reg 3/4" AC plywood is $45 a sheet)

I have the AC left over as scrap so made sense to use it. Not the end of the world if it's bumpy, but though maybe I could do something differently to not have that.

 

[Gary S]

Birch plywood is $70 a sheet. (Reg AC plywood is $45 a sheet).

Ouch! That hurts. Around here I can find birch plywood on sale sometimes for around $30 a sheet.
At $70, you don't want birch. It isn't that much nicer.

 

[Kurt4440]

What kind of sanding equipment/technique are you currently using?

 

[tcianci]

What you are seeing is the difference between the annual rings of the tree that the face veneer has been cut from, it is not 2 different types of wood. As you noticed, one area is harder than the other. You may get it better with a very large block and a relatively coarse grit, like 80 grit to start.

 

[mmhouse]

You might want to check the 'big boxes.' In our area they have some import plywood that is more consistent in texture. It's somewhat similar to mahogany but it's a species I'm not familiar with (and can't remember the weird name).

 

[Hank McMauser]

You might want to check the 'big boxes.' In our area they have some import plywood that is more consistent in texture. It's somewhat similar to mahogany but it's a species I'm not familiar with (and can't remember the weird name).

You're probably thinking of meranti, or okume plywood not sure if the spelling is correct.
For ac plywood try and get the arrocco pine, it's a South American pine (chile)grown on plantations,they trim the branches as the tree grows allowing the outer layers of the tree to be nearly knot free,the end result being fewer football patches.

 

[Wingnut65]

I agree with the proceess mentioned so far. I'm building a shelving unit right now and found I get a much smoother finish when I paint and then sand the peach fuzz off and then paint again. Same process as above

 

[Al B]

Ouch! That hurts. Around here I can find birch plywood on sale sometimes for around $30 a sheet.
At $70, you don't want birch. It isn't that much nicer.

Around here no plywood is $30 a sheet. Wow what a difference the area makes.

 

[nate379]

Orbit sander with 60 grit.

It's just a box that will have fire wood dumped into it by the stove so doesn't have to be fancy. I had the sander out figered I'd smooth it down a bit before staining it.

What kind of sanding equipment/technique are you currently using?

 

[jake00]

Around here no plywood is $30 a sheet. Wow what a difference the area makes.

I buy 3/4" birch by the pallet, I usually pay 30-35


I'd bet a plywood supplier in your area would sell it for that too

 

[ratdoggy]

He's in Alaska which would explain the price difference between $35 and $70 per sheet.