Warning: I never knew 3/4 inch plywood could shrink that much

I was building some kitchen cabinets last month and noticed the face frames weren't lining up like they should. Measured everything three times before cutting and it was dead on. But after a week in the shop the panels were about a 16th of an inch short. Turns out plywood can actually shrink as the glue cures and the veneer dries out. I found this out from an old forum post from some guy in Oregon who built a whole library of shelves that warped after a month. Nobody warned me about this in any of the training I had. Has anyone else run into this with Baltic birch or is it just the cheap stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_shah29d ago

Wait, plywood can shrink?" That is wild.

faithb7429d ago

Did your friend leave it in a damp garage for a week? I watched my buddy's brand new plywood shelf warp into a potato chip after a single rainy weekend. He measured it twice and cut it once, but nature had other plans.