Lauan Plywood Availability?

[pnolan48]

 :facepalm:OK, nowadays I look in on-line business directories, which are worthless. I make a lot of calls these days, rather than the few of the past, because the entries are 80% worthless. But actually talking to people--worth a lot. Even folks who don't supply a specific item can often point me in the right direction. I should add custom paint mixers to my list, and odd steel shapes (good for weights and alignment when building).

I'm not adverse to cruising around industrial parks looking for machinist shops which might have some scrap for sale (or give-away), or fabricators of all sorts of material. I do have a gift of gab (or blarney), so I don't mind walking up to a strange shop and introducing myself. I've found an awful lot of cheap stuff that way, and made some unexpected friends.

[Ian MacMillan]

No-go on "door skin".  Home Depot (.com) even cross-references "luan", "luaun" and "door skin" to 1/8" tempered hardboard. They simply no longer carry it. I will have to ask (again) at the local Lowe's about what happened to it. I'm not going crazy, I have some floating around the shop, bought maybe a year ago at Home Depot

At HD we had it up until two months ago in NH. I put out a bundle and then once it ran out the SKU was replaced by a 1/8 sanded birch ply.  I believe a 4x8 sheet is around $17. I can get you the SKU tonight if you need it as any store can order any SKU that the system has in any quanity.

Stores have it plano'd in the plywood aisle just below the 3/4 MDF on the bottom rack.

I noticed that more and more of our lumber and flooring is coming in mm measurements.

[Scottl]

Lauan plywood is (or was) made with tropical wood, probably now subject to all sorts of issues linked to deforestation.  As I was reading this, I was wondering what use you intend for it?  Hardboard is cheaper than plywood, finishes very well and is widely available.

[Ian MacMillan]

For me I used it as a base for my foam. Built the benchwork then put on the lauan and then glued foam on top. Gave me something to mount to on the underside for switch machines and what not.

Checked my lumber aisle. Our 1/8 sanded birch ply, which replaced the lauan, has been replaced again with a 5.5mm (7/32) sanded hardwood 4x8 $14.99 SKU 431178

[jagged ben]

Checked my lumber aisle. Our 1/8 sanded birch ply, which replaced the lauan, has been replaced again with a 5.5mm (7/32) sanded hardwood 4x8 $14.99 SKU 431178

I used to have no issue getting both 1/8" luan and 1/4" luan (realizing that, like all sheet goods, they are actually a 1/32" thinner).     So that's definitely replacing 1/8" with 1/4". 

[C855B]

Yeah, I specifically asked at the contractor desk at Lowe's today. No more lauan, they now have a 5mm ply for $14.95, probably like Ian's new 5.5mm. It was up high in the plywood racks, so it didn't catch my attention without asking. It's about $3 more than the old lauan sheet, but I'm OK with it considering that lauan would splinter to heck when you cut it.

[jagged ben]

... but I'm OK with it considering that lauan would splinter to heck when you cut it.

Well, that depends a lot on how you cut it.  If you rip it it doesn't splinter very much.  If you crosscut it then yeah it splinters.  If you cut on the diagonal you can keep one side from splintering by cutting away from it.  You can also pay attention to the front and back depending on the saw you're using, and keep the splintering on the back.

Works with a lot of plywood, not just luan.