Russian Birch Plywood

Russian Birch plywood is not very well known here in the USA yet, however it is rapidly making a very good name for itself.  It is becoming desirable because it has multiple plies of birch veneer that gives superior strength and a very low void count.  Because the product is so tight, you can actually expose the edges and for certain shop items it is an appealing look.  One of the beauties of the Russian birch lines is that all the layers are actually birch, whereas typical plywood can have layers of pine or other woods mixed in. 
Because of this, the material has some excellent machining properties and does particularly well on CNC machines.

Originally the wood was only available in 5 x 5 sheets which was an odd dimension.  Now the plywood can be had in the standard 4 x 8 sheet stock as well as other sizes.  Don�t think you can walk into Lowes or Home Depot to buy the product, only specialty wood sources will have it for now.  Cabinet makers are flocking to the imported plywood because of its excellent properties and soon it will be a common place material.

If you are into woodworking and love to make projects, you might want to keep an eye out for this wood in the near future.  There are a lot of plans for jigs and other shop tools that utilize the use of plywood.  All the time you see very attractive plywood with a raw edge use on these projects.  I personally could never find the materials at my local supply houses and always ended settling for what I could find.
 When you sand and stain this product it really lends itself to an attractive finish.  Making case goods such as cabinets, wardrobes and shelving units will really showcase your talents. 

As with most imported plywood, price can still be a factor in your decision making.  Depending on the source you can pay almost twice as much for Russian Birch plywood.  If you buy it in bulk you may get the price to come down.  For most hobbyists, this is not an option.  Items for sale that are made of this product should peak your curiosity, since the makers or manufacturers sought out the wood in the first place, then quality must be an important factor.
 
 

This woodworking article is for information only, we are not a supplier of Russian Birch Plywood.