plywood storage

Re: plywood storage

JohnV

How small to keep is a philosophical discussion that could go on forever. Some of us keep pieces as small as 4" x 4" depending on how nice the ply is, anticipated future usage and space available. This is highly subjective. When I had lots of storage space I saved everything. After I downsized I save 12" x 12" or bigger. I'm sure I still save way too much. If you're 30 not 75 your answer would be different.. The older you are you need to consider when you need to downsize what you will discard and what you will move. And how much work you heirs will need to discard. Lots of discussion on this topic in the past on this forum. When I moved a year ago I brought with me about 1,OOO lbs of mostly turning wood, but I gave away probably 1,200 BF of nice wood. No simple answer to this question.

Re: plywood storage

TomD

You just have to figure it out while erring on the side of throwing more stuff out than you might want to, probably. But it depends a lot on what kinds of work you do with plywood, and what kinds of plywood you get. Some plywood, though an excellent material, incorporating hundreds of square feet of veneer in a sheet costing say 20 bucks, is not expensive enough to worry over. You normally don't want to burn it, so you have to trash it. But I use a lot of very precious plywood of the boat and aircraft type, it is not only expensive, but a remarkable products that deserves to be treated with respect. The aircraft ply can, for instance, be made of perfect sheets of veneer three balanced layers in one sheet of 1/64" thickness. And in the work I do, I would have a lot of use for say a piece maybe 6 inches wide and 5-10 feet long, depending on the material's original size. But that might be a standard cut-off and trash for someone making counter tops or cases.

If you regularly need to throw out large amounts you can't use, you might consider contacting recyclers, or selling it on craigslist.

Re: plywood storage

Yonak

John and Tom are right .. there is no single, universal answer. Here's how I store my sheet cut-offs :

Re: plywood storage

Don Evans

I don't have a formula for what to save so my answer would be all that you have room for.

Be sure to stand it up on edge bottom as close to the wall as you can and it stand up. I have great success with this but my shop and storage room is also heated and air conditioned which helps a lot especially with humidity.

You may still have one piece that takes on some warping but it should be rare.

Don