# Sanding out Oak Plywood



## CarpentersCorner (Nov 28, 2011)

Hey guys really quick, in the corner here and i started to sand down my milled pieces and as i started on the oak plywood i noticed that there is alot of gashes so to speak in the grains and was worried about them. Do i just continue to sand untill they are gone or is there a sealer of some sort i need to apply before my final finish. Its 3/4 inch red oak plywood


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Oak tends to have wide grain, and you can't sand on plywood forever, you will burn it. Depending on the Finish you aer planning on using, and it's not clashing with it, I'd use a sanding sealer of some sort.


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## CarpentersCorner (Nov 28, 2011)

awsome ty very much for the help. thats wht i was looking for a sealer of some sort also if i may. Can u plane down plywood. I was thinking of taking the scrap of red oak i have and planeing the un finshed side down to 1/4" to use as a bottom piece.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Oak (and most other species) plywood has VERY THIN veneers so you want to keep the sanding to a minimum. It's usually sanded to 150 at the mill. Trying to salvage a sand-thru is usually an exercise in futility.

Filling your grain can be problematic since the filler may not work well with whatever you're using for your stain/finish. I usually wait until I've stained before using a filler that most closely matches my stain. Sometimes, I have to mix colors to get the best match. When the filler has dried, I give it a light sanding with 220 or a sanding sponge and apply my finish.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Eh, it can be planed down, but it is not advised. You never know what they left inbetween those plyes…
The first time in how many every years I've been doing this, I found a razor blade inside a piece of plywood while cutting it up for some cabinets…. So it just might not be safe


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

FWIW - -

As Sawkerf said, the veneer on most plywood is quite thin and sanding through it is very easy to do.

I will advise you that there are high quality plywoods with thicker veneers. THey are not cheep and you cannot find them at big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.).

I have purchased some excellent quarter sawn white oak plywood from a hardwood retailer for $119/sheet. The veneer is thicker than the typical (cheaper) plywood but I don't even have a scrap left so I cannot quantify just how much thicker it is. As an FYI - I am told that this plywood has no voids (it is devoid of voids).

I've had some projects where plywood like this was the best option.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I agree with Sawkerf ,a good filler will help your finished product,you just have to make sure you use a good filler that will take stain.


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## CarpentersCorner (Nov 28, 2011)

@ tcc: ok ty how about simply taking 6" wide pieces and simply using a chissle to remove layers. Im being cheap here just hate to go and buy another piece of 1/4' ply for the bottom. Jim, Rich ty for the help guys. I will definite look into a filler as well as a better supply for my ply next project


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

ok, how wide is the bottom of the box is my next question. IF it's just he 6", you can turn it end over end on your tablesaw and slice away teh 15/32 or whatever to get your quarter inch. You can use the planer, I just don't advice it, it's loud and can be tough on some blades. Not to mention if it's a chinese product you never know what you're gonna find in there….

One of the main reasons I love Lacquer is it's forgiving nature. It can fill in wide grain very easily, you just use proper sand papers, not steel wool, and unless you get wooddust in the project while sanding, you just recoat, the lacquer remelts filling in the voids. It's a beautiful thing really. And I know alot of hobbyists tell you to wipe it down with mineral spirits and tack cloths and do all kinds of silly things, but honestly I just sit back and shake my head when I see that.
Now with virtually every other form of finish, you'd best wipe it down, blow it off tack cloth it, jump up and down 3 times while touching your nose and so on…


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## CarpentersCorner (Nov 28, 2011)

ok the box is like around 19×20" or so dont have the exact size right now on me. but the table saw bit is a good idea. All thou the last time i ripped a board in that manner all the fire alarms went crazy. theres a detector over my table saw. haha wifes going to love this one. And as for the laquer thats exactly what i will be useing. Im building a table top easil for my mothers xmas gift. Im useing mahogony for trim and red oak ply for the main canvas lean to. This is the first time i have used hard woods for any project. I allways use pine as i learn but this time i felt comfortable to go with some better quality wood. And i am learning alot on this project. One lesson is going to be upgrading my table saw for sure. My cheap ryobi isnt going to cut it for hardwoods by no means.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

It may not be the saw so much as the blade. Stock ryobi blades are't very good. And most of the 30 dollar blades aren't much better. Im my home shop I use Avanti blades, the Shiny mirror polished ones, not the dull luster with blue paint ones, ON my tablesaw I havea 50t combination, and mitre saw I have an 80 tooth ultra fine cross cut.

At my shop I am using a CMT 10080 crosscut blade for just about every application, I've even resawed boards with it that well, looked planed after cut.

Point is these blades cost about 65-70 dollars but they stay sharp and do a good job of cutting. I've cut stainles with my avanti 80t, though I was going to have to replace it afterwords, but it didn't even hurt it.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Timbermate grain filler is really good stuff: inexpensive, very easy to apply, sands quickly, stains well, and is matched to the wood you're using. I get mine at Woodcraft.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

I use woodpatch made by PL, it is available in natural and oak from Lowes in the larger cans, but there are alot more woods available. Just make sure to sand away all residue, as it will show up.

Also store the cans upside down, and flip just before use, this will remix it as it's a 2 part putty. I use woodpatch because under normal conditions it will set in approximatly 15 minutes, and will fill virtually anything. It won't always take all stains, but it really depends on what you're using.


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## Imgoodwithmywood (Dec 20, 2011)

I believe they sell 1/4 inch oak sheets.


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