Gimme five with the Shop Monkey: Try the Ply

Eight…. Nine… Ten….

Whew.  Iggy’s been doing some weight training because he knows we have an upcoming plywood-based project on the schedule.  He needs to improve his upper body strength to heft those sheets!

While he sits and eats a banana between sets – good source of potassium, you know – he slipped me this week’s list.


The top five reasons why plywood is so cool to work with:

  1. Thicknessing?  Panel glue ups?  What are you talking about?  With plywood, cut it to size and get cracking!
  2. Plywood comes in a wide array of face veneer species. And, if you can’t find what you need at your supplier, you can use it as a substrate for a fancier veneer.
  3. You will give your classic AMC Gremlin a workout trying to shove a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of ply through the hatchback when you carry it home from the supplier.
  4. Wood movement?  Come on… Plywood virtually eliminates it, allowing you to glue it in place in many projects, adding strength to the final assembly.
  5. Some sheets actually come straight from the factory pre-finished with a heavy-duty lacquer.  This is a huge time saver when working on cabinet projects, and eliminates that noxious finish smell inside the boxes.

One thought on “Gimme five with the Shop Monkey: Try the Ply”

  1. I had a ’71 Gremlin and hauled more than a few sheets of plywood, but only 2-3 at a time. Later, got an ’81 Dodge Colt hatchback and could haul 3 sheets at a time. Did I mention the lumber yard was 4 blocks down the street?

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