Tank stand question

[Murica]

is hardwood plywood better to use for a stand or is pine okay? This is for structural integrity not for finish. It’ll be 3/4 inch

 

[Dbichler]

Yes hardwood is better but yes pine works

 

[Straasha]

Most "hardwood" plywood only has true hardwood as the veneer. The inside tends to be pine.

 

[Murica]

Thank you for your responses, it’s a very large tank so I’m just trying to make it as durable as i can, but everywhere around me is out of hardwood

 

[RocketEngineer]

Look at the edge of a sheet. If there are few layers and voids, it’s cheap junk. If there are a number of uniform, clear plys then it’s likely a higher quality. Personally, I would try to find an actual lumber yard and avoid the box stores if I was searching for cabinet grade plywood.

 

[txrdnk]

Look at the edge of a sheet. If there are few layers and voids, it’s cheap junk. If there are a number of uniform, clear plys then it’s likely a higher quality. Personally, I would try to find an actual lumber yard and avoid the box stores if I was searching for cabinet grade plywood.

 

[txrdnk]

look for Baltic Birch. comes in different # of layers depending on use and pocket book. very high quality sheet goods, used for making cabinet drawers

 

[sharpimage]

If you are going to have the exposed plywood as your finish, with paint or stain, get hardwood. Less prep to finish and will look much better

 

[George81]

The multiple plys are deceiving. chinese and Russian manufactures are producing Baltic birch look alike and the quality is crap. For authentic Baltic birch, all the inner ply is made of solid birch. no voids, and Has a noticeably thicker veneer face. russian and Chinese birch, which are also referred to by retailers as Baltic birch (kind of like Kleenex and facial tissue) the veneer will bubble and lift in spots when finish is applied to it. has overlapped plys, which can shadow into your finish.
When shopping for plywood your going to come across grading systems a1-4 and b1-4 all the way down to c...c is rejects, b your going to get bigger knots and some boat patches, a is the highest quality with tiny pin hole knots, generally a is what you want for cabinets if your applying a clear coat on the wood finish.
you can get pre finished birch for a decent price, but stick to veneer core and choose your grade according to your finish.
the 13 ply 3/4” your only going to find in the Baltic birch, all other plywoods will have 7-8 cores laminated cores Which doesn’t necessarily make them lower quality. Top quality maple or oak plywood has 7or 8 cores.
it depends on what you want and what finish your going to do...if your just going to paint it, there is no need to spend 100$ on a sheet of plywood. I faced my stand with mdf. I used to be a plywood only guy and I still only use plywood for kitchen cabinet carcass. But for paint finish nothing beats platinum grade mdf....i use ranger platinum mdf, big box store mdf is pure garbage, mill run junk that’s good for trim work in a pinch