7 Laser Plywood Suppliers COMPARED

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[@asherdiy]

Learn laser engraving the simple way: asherdiy.com/bootcamp/ Get free laser files on my email newsletter: asherdiy.com/free-files/

[@thomasswenddal772]

You certainly have a lot of well researched information to share. You're tying up several knots of information strands in my fledgling knowledge base strands, so I truly appreciate your videos and consider them time well spent. Thank You!

[@asherdiy]

@@thomasswenddal772 Thanks! Glad you’re finding my channel useful.

[@mattgruenloh866]

I get my materials from Makerstock. I placed an order with them, and when it arrived I realized they are located a 1/2 hour from where I live. I contacted their customer service and found out that I can pick up my orders. It obviously saves the cost of shipping & that cost on returns although I haven’t had an issue with having to return anything. Actually, I can quickly go through my order before leaving and exchange any pieces right on the spot. Since my 2nd order, I have been picking my orders up in person. Also, while the company is not family run, it is a small group of makers who started/run the business. I’m kind of lucky like that, but if there are any other makers in NE Pennsylvania, Makerstock is located between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton in Old Forge.

[@armastat]

don't forget to also mention that these plywoods are bought in lots, which may be seasonal. and that each store might have 3-4 suppliers which change from time to time and even differ from store to store, region to region.

[@bradleysanker5625]

It’s interesting that you found so many issues with the Home Depot plywoods. I have cut thousands of these panels and only had a couple with defects, veneer wrinkles. Yes some are warped but warping can happen to the best woods. Temperature, shipping, storage all impact this issue. Great information about the options.

[@asherdiy]

That's super interesting - What type of the plywood are you buying from them? I work with mostly their Walnut and Maple veneers (though that wasn't covered in this videos experiment) and I'm wondering if it varies by the type of veneer used on the wood. Just a thought.

[@justinlaser]

Very relevant to my current interests since I just bought a stack from one of the online shops you mentioned here and was warped to high hell 😂.

[@asherdiy]

Justin Laser saw my video, this must be what “making it” feels like :) Big fan of your channel, and by the way, I loved your thumbnail for that “best niche” video you just did.

[@asherdiy]

Anyway, warping. Yup, that is probably the #1 issue I’ve seen with buying laser plywood. It can definitely be hit and miss. My current go-to is Home Depot, as I mentioned in the video, because if I get a bad pack, I can just return it.

[@dian3145]

@@asherdiy Right!?! 😆

[@dian3145]

Great analysis. Did you compare the soot? I have bought some where the glue used was so bad that cleanup took an extraordinary amount of time and effort.

[@asherdiy]

Sorry, nope. I didn't think to compare the soot.

[@Abbysatticcreations]

Ocooch I have ordered from and had issues they sent me out a whole new pack of the wood I had issue with. No questions asked. Just a FYI.

[@nathanblanchard8897]

We cut Makerstock at work, so I’ve seen hundreds of panels personally and we’ve cut in the low thousands over the last 4 years. Here’s what I’ve seen, and their discounts: Surface finish is usually pretty good. There’s sawdust on the surface out of the package, so they are doing something to smooth it out before shipping The sizes are SPOT ON. The edges are smooth and always fit perfectly on our laser Some bad things, and why I’m watching videos like this: Warping can be BAD. Our extraction works as a vacuum table, so most can be held down but we’re talking .5-1” across a 20x30 panel. Climate is Southern California for reference, humidity between 60-80 at least in the summer. Knots and inclusions are ruining up to 20% of a panel about 15% of the time. This can be solved with another pass, but sometimes requires 3+ passes. The thickness varies WILDLY. We have had 2.8mm all the way up to 3.2mm between shipments. Building on the last bit, they definitely have more than 1 source since the smoke deposition will change between orders. Sometimes it’s pretty fine, sometimes it gunks up the extraction vent very quickly. We recently tried out a local lumber yard for wood and while it is cheaper, we had just as many inclusions and the surface finish was worse. I dont have a lot to compare to yet, but if you reply to this comment in a while, I’ll update :)

[@asherdiy]

This is super useful insight - thanks so much for posting it here and I’d love to see an update, especially if you test out other suppliers.

[@christiancarlson5431]

Makerstock has higher shipping fees than most of the others. I ordered 15 sheets of 15x20 (probably not correct lol) and it was $61 for shipping to Jacksonville, Fl.

[@nathanblanchard8897]

Just throwing out another comp: $150 for about 50 sheets of 20x30 to California. In bulk, I assume $3/sheet to ship. They do have a bulk discount for orders above $250 and $500 (I think?? Can’t remember the threshold) so it does get offset a bit!

[@insalt54]

thank you

[@bentoombs]

Can you use a heat press for shirts to help get warps out?

[@crashgtr]

Have you ever tried that?

[@briansmith7046]

You had mentioned you would be sending out the spreadsheet to members who signed up, i signed up for that but never got the spreadsheet link could you provide that please.

[@asherdiy]

Hey Brian - I must have sent it out to everyone already before you signed-up. I just went ahead and made some changes though so that new people who join will get the plywood spreadsheet 3 days after joining (because there are some other free things I send beforehand), so if you joined today or yesterday, you should get the spreadsheet by the end of this week. I'm glad you asked about this though, because now anyone who sees the video later after the initial posting will still be able to get the file. Cheers.

[@briansmith7046]

@@asherdiy I got the free files on May 10 but nothing about the spreadsheet yet. posting this on May 15.

[@asherdiy]

Hey Brian - thanks for those dates, that helps. You must have joined just hours after I sent the spreadsheet originally(it went out on May 10th). I think I’ve now found your email, and you should have just gotten the spreadsheet yesterday (possibly right after you posted this comment).

[@kensmith4918]

have you tried TEMU ? long shipping time but not bad quality

[@asherdiy]

Nope, I haven't. That's an interesting idea though. It hadn't even occurred to me that you could find laser plywood on Temu.

[@jamesl.223]

For Ocooch you must have priced out a different type of ply because Baltic Birch is WAY cheaper than you have. The site currently reads: 1 piece 1/8" x 12" x 12" at $1.36 a piece. I am not associated or have i ever bought from these dudes before but yeah this is majorly wrong just saying.

[@briansmith7046]

It appears that you were inconsistent on your inclusion of shipping thus skewing the results. You have maker stock at $3 which is actually 10 pieces at $15.00 plus $15.08 so average $3.18 you can buy 1 at $1.50 but shipping is $15.08, you list $3. However with ocooch you have 1 piece at $1.44 and shipping of $6.89 , but 10 pieces are $14.40 plus $7.11 shipping so average $2.15, you list it $8.33. These numbers include shipping to your zip code.

[@asherdiy]

Hey Brian - I've replied to your other comment. When you get the spreadsheet, it has comments that explain when (and why) shipping was included or not. I think that will help to clear things up. I have no incentive to discount Ocooch or Makerstock, and I would not do so on purpose. Hope this helps.

[@briansmith7046]

@@asherdiy Thanks for the reply. I have ordered from Makerstock and Ocooch in the past and consider them very similiar. Ordered from Craft Closet also. I am going to adjust my post because I do not think you did anything on purpose, I did want to point out you used varying methods for cost analysis.

[@IntrexinCustom]

So I do like the video and comparison. But your price per sq ft is not fair/a good representation. Because of the minimum orders ranging from 1-10 and shipping normally doesn't go up much for more. Not saying you should of bought 10 of each, just load up your cart at pieces shipped to your door prices to be fair. Also in this comparison I will throw out most home depots have panels like as in they chop down 4ft x 8ft sheets for free and that will really drop your price per sq ft. And getting to pick your own not warped and what color/grain you want

[@asherdiy]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment Drew. I do think pricing at 10 per supplier would have been an improvement. That didn’t occur to me. Regarding cutting down 4x8s, I don’t know how practical that is in reality. Maybe your local Home Depot has better stock than mine, but I’ve tried finding good quality plywood for laser projects at my Home Depot (and my local Lowes) and found the quality to be pretty poor compared to what I can get through mail order. Just my personal experience.

[@IntrexinCustom]

@@asherdiy So you do need to poke through the stacks to find good sheets, but also make sure your looking at the right stuff, there is several grades at each one and are pretty spread out atleast at mine. But the 4x8 sheets are the same Columbia Purebond(didnt what purebond really was, but it makes sense and lasers great for me too) as you got in tiles. But the real benefit there is I was after "Glowforge"(I have a xtool) size of 12x18 to make the most use of my cutting area and that size can be harder/more expensive than the 12x12s

[@MileyonDisney]

c o o l

[@NYCustomize]

1. You need to be less vague about "Birch Plywood" as domestic is not nearly the same quality as Baltic Birch adding more confusion to new users. Baltic doesnt get voids, uses even 1mm alternating veneers, and urea glue (though 4x8 Baltic is marine grade and uses phenolic glue wish isnt laser friendly, so avoid) Domestic birch (and most other plywoods ) use paper thin veneer and cheap soft core materials. You cant compare baltic to anytning else. 2. All thin wood, be it plywood or hardwoods, are likely to warp to some extent. How they were stored, how they will be strored, acclimation to humidity and temps of your shop. 3. There is no comparison vs purchases through local wood suppliers. 5x5 sheets of baltic birch are 22-30/sheet. B/BB grade. To finish, most cheap wood online is cost prohibitive as shipping makes the price per sq/ft 2-3x higher. If you're gonna find stuff online, look for MDF core as it's flatter and cuts better, no voids. The soft core like poplar isnt great. If you cant tell im pretty passionate about this lol, and have some exotic plywood testing being done with the help of a local manufacturer to bring some new variety to the crafting world as 3mm ply is the least common. There are also a few other online suppliers like G2S who offer pre-finished baltic birch for good prices and often run sales on it.