Where do you get not-crappy plywood?

[fishscale]

I'm not the handiest person and I don't have much experience with carpentry, so I don't know where to get wood other than home depot, which has home depot pine, also known as "the most warped crappiest wood in the world." I finally have some time this weekend, so I'd like to work on a canopy for my 55g. I don't need redwood or maple or anything, just something that will stay straight. I only know of one lumber yard around here, any thoughts?

EDIT: just realized this was the wrong forum, should be in the "local" forum

[dwstonebraker]

I would look for an actual lumber store in the area. I like menards myself, but do not know if you have one that far north. Good lumber is hard to find, especially plywood.

[dmbProducts]

Two years ago I built a "framed" top for my 125g and purchased the wood from Home Depot it turned out well.
Home Depot and other stores sell lumber in grades so be careful when you select yours, ask the floor rep for a better grade wood, less knots better grain.

Wood and moister don't work well together, and the moister in new wood needs to climitize to your surroundings. Once the wood settles in (72 hours) you should be able to begin your project. However, before ever placing RAW wood above an aquarium IT MUST BE SEALED, so paint/stain then seal and seal again.

The key points are GRADE, Climitization, and Sealing. Do those and you should be fine.

[jinx©]

Lowe's usually always had better lumber in my opinion, and better staff.

Not sure what building plans you have, but have you considered using tongue and groove boards for your canopy?

[susankat]

Tell them you want cabinet grade lumber. It's mainly birch but not as expensive. I know I use to work at HD

[jinx©]

[Edit] Just wanted to clarify that when I said Lowe's staff was better than Home Depots...I meant better than all of Home Depots staff except for that one gal that used to work at the Tulsa, Ok Home Depot...lol

susankat has a good point though. The birch veneer plywood is reasonable and is furniture grade if you pick your piece carefully. Takes stain really well.

[htn86]

What's wrong with pine? I use pine to build all my diy stands and they turn out fine. Pine degrades faster than other woods, but with a nice coat of polyurethane and you'll be all set.

[jinx©]

I dont think anyone was really knocking pine htn...I think its more along the lines that its difficult at times to find a good sheet of pine plywood IMO.

The cabinet grade birch veener is usually adhered to a pine or spruce plywood anyways

I'm assuming that he's most likely going to use pine for the framing of his canopy.

[susankat]

Oh I know how the employees are at HD, Why do you think most of the customers got mad when I walked out.

[jinx©]

lol...I believe ya...I used to joke that they needed "Please Tackle An Orange Vest For Assistance" signs

(Ok sorry...back to your regularly scheduled program)

[fishscale]

Do I need to seal it? I realize that moisture is an issue, but I've never really worked with wood apart from rigging some really ghetto science projects. Is it difficult to do it correctly? (I figure it's just like painting, but to have it look ok is pretty difficult too).

[steve worcester]

Any wood should be sealed.

If you are using plywood, even marine grade plywood should be sealed. The problem with plywood is there are alot of different grades, from what the beauty and species is on the top to what wood, how many plys and what glue is used to put it together.

Look for "real" lumber stores in your area and call them to see if they carry Baltic burch or apple ply. They have many more layers and are far more dimensionally stable. Be warned that plywood isn't the same thickness it used to be. Depending on country of origin, it may be metric or at least undersized. Additionally, Baltic birch is usually 5'x5' for a full sheet, not the US standard of 4'x8'.