Judging Panels

It’s pointless to complain how “they don’t make ’em like they used to.” I’ve pointed out that that’s not always true: They still make ’em, but it will cost you more. And unless you’re lucky, you’ll probably have to drive a bit to get whatever it is.

But stuff that’s generally available close-by that won’t cost an arm and a leg, well, it’s often not very good at all. Big Box lumber is a particular sore spot.

If you have the time and inclination (and if your local store has been recently restocked), you can rummage around the racks and cherry-pick some decent wood. Most times, though, you’ll just have to make do with whatever they have — or grab your checkbook and start driving.

But every once in a while they really outdo themselves with badness, as you can see in the above photo. I needed a single 2’x4’ sheet of 1/4″ oak plywood, and simply didn’t have the time to drive to my good supplier nearly an hour away. The rack at the store had more than a dozen panels, but it was terrible. What you see on the right side of the above photo was the best piece they had in the rack.

There used to be a time when you could get decent-looking hardwood ply fairly easily. The oak plywood panels in the doors on the left side of the photo are from a cabinet I made several years ago. I got that ply at a local Big Box with little effort, but what a difference a decade or two makes.

Rotary-peel plywood is the name of the game at Big Box stores, but this is the worst I’ve seen. The grain looks more like the pattern you’d see on a sonar screen. And although I didn’t need it, on a whim I checked the 1/2″ oak ply just out of curiosity. Looked pretty much the same.

Needless to say, I slid that sheet back into the rack. I grabbed a few supplies I needed and left, gassing up on the way home for the long drive I was already planning for the next day.