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Cherry Plywood has dings!

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  PurpLev 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I went to pick up two sheets of A1 cherry from my local lumberyard this morning and when I got home I found that both had a couple of dings on the good side.

My question is primarily for those of you who use a lot of cabinet grade plywood, are dings something to be expected or are they enough for it to be acceptable to not want/return the sheets?

More details:

This is my first try working with Cherry, so first of all I had a bit of sticker shock when the sheets were upwards of $100 each, and I could not pick and choose since the lumberyard where I bought them from had to special order them as they did not have any on hand. This place has a good reputation for customer service and the couple of times I've visited, they have been great and patient with me (as an amateur woodworker).

The dings themselves are more like a small scratches. One sheet has one which is about 2 inches in length, but located right smack in the middle of the sheet; it also has a couple of dings on the bad side. The other board has a smaller ding about an inch long about a third of the way down the sheet. I guess I should have looked them over more in detail when I was there but they have odd hours and so I had to run to pick them up while trying to not be late for work. I could work around them and size my pieces as best as I can (they're too deep to steam out) but my question for the experts here is, is it acceptable (in a similar situation as mine) to be choosy when picking up special ordered plywood, or will I just be pissing off the guys at the lumberyard and be giving the small time woodworkers a bad name. thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
If you piss them off - so what? If you don't, you'll be pissed through the entire build. Then if the ding ends up in the project your customer will be pissed off. At that price if these sheets won't work for you, return them. I would also suggest that you look for a cabinet supply house such as Meyer Laminate, A & M Supply or such where they actually stock cherry ply and you can pick and choose sheets.
 
#3 ·
If I am paying a premium price for quality lumber, I expect it to be in good condition and free from dents, scratches, etc. Ideally, you should check it before you pay for/pick up the material. That way the damage is on them and they can't say you caused it. Even if it was a prepaid special order, I would not accept damaged lumber and would have them re-order for you. They may not be happy about it, but a good business will see to it that the customer is satisfied. If they are not willing to work with you, just take your business elsewhere. To me, customer service is as important what they sell.
 
#5 ·
Although I have not worked extensively with this type of plywood, my regular supplier has a large warehouse with a huge variety of different types of hardwood plywoods. He has them marked at two prices. The cheaper price is for take the sheets from the top of the stack and the more expensive price is for picking through the stack. Every time I've looked at the sheets on the top of the stack I've seen small defects. The veneer on that plywood is just so thin that it damages so easy and plywood is so big and heavy that it is very difficult to move and transport without dinging it up. I'm sure the first thing the guy at the yard is going to ask is if you dinged up while taking it home and off loading it.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice, I ended up returning it for an exchange. The lumberyard looked at it and agreed: "yeap its damaged we'll replace it". I also learned my lesson (at the expense of hauling sheets back and forth) to make sure I inspect more closely when picking up. equally important, this place will continue to have my business…
 
#7 ·
good to hear they took it back. some places could argue that you damaged them in your shop/unloading them.

and yes - lesson is to inspect sheets at lumberyard before you start hauling those mammoths around.

on another note - depending on the type of 'ding' some could be ironed out (with a drop of water and an iron), scratches could be scraped clean (again depending on size and depth). not all 'dings' are created equally depending on how determined you are to return vs. work around them - just saying there are alternatives out there depending on the amount of damage.
 
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