I red tagged this a few days ago, but it looks like we have been out of the 1/4inch Birch for some time. It’s not a huge issue especially as Tarkin is not working right now, but it is problematic and that I tried to buy quarter inch birch from the fine lumber near our maker space, and it was slightly different than what we have been using (we use closer to a 3/8 inch birch plywood, whereas I bought closer to a quarter inch Baltic birch, much harder and heavier, and not ideal for what I’ve been making). Can anyone tell me what the exact type of wood we’ve been using has been? And also if we can order more just to have it on hand in case we need?
Thanks for asking. Our 1/4” stock is actually the “black plywood” from Dakota Hardwoods, which is birch. The 1/8” is Baltic birch from fine lumber
We do normally keep a backstock on hand. Right now it’s been harder than usual to stay on top of, between the woodshop move, the upcoming summer camps, and some personal matters on my end. Sorting out which stock is ours and getting it cut down hasn’t happened as quickly as I’d like, but I expect it to be squared away within the next 72 hours or so.
This task, along with most others in the space, is handled by volunteers. If you’d ever like to lend a hand with this kind of thing, we’d genuinely welcome the help. It’s exactly the sort of task that goes faster with another set of hands.
Thanks for your patience.
4 Likes
Hey Nick, is the plywood in the woodshop marked in an obvious way that I’d be able to find it and cut it down? I can’t necessarily commit to cutting it down every time it’s low, but I’m in the woodshop a lot and I’d be able to cut that down if it’s clear what I’m cutting.
1 Like
If it’s a matter of simply picking up the wood, I’d be happy to oblige as long as they can cut it down so it fits in my SUV. I live pretty close to Dakota so would be happy to help. I believe the cuts are usually 2’x 6’ and 4’ x 6’ right? In any case I know I can fit 4’ x 8’, it’s just a little tight. I also could pay for it up front, I would just need an ASMBLY liaison to confirm with me the exact order and clear instructions for how to get paid back.
Thanks for offering to pitch in!
Anjelica, the plywood is there but it’s not marked in an obvious way right now. The label that was on it has fallen off, so the main task is sorting our stock out from the other plywood staged in that area before anything gets cut down. Once it’s clearly identified, cutting it when you’re already in the woodshop would be a big help. I can walk you through which is ours so you know what you’re looking at as well as the cut plan and percentages
James, thank you, but a couple of things make the pickup route tricky. Asmbly has largely moved away from reimbursements. Each shop lead manages a budget within their own space and can approve or make purchases against it, and anything outside of that goes through the facilities team as a purchase request, as paying up front and getting reimbursed was proving incredibly cumbersome. On top of that, Dakota won’t cut panels down for customers, so the sheets would come full size regardless, unfortunately
If either of you wants to coordinate on this more, I’m happy to do that over Slack. James, if you don’t have Slack access yet, you can get it by attending a volunteer orientation!
Thanks again to you both!
@NickE Let me see how I can designate a slot in the sheet goods storage rack specifically for Asmbly materials if will help–tags falling off is a bigger problem that I’m trying to find a solution for.
Regarding breaking down the sheets when they arrive, if we coordinate with each other we can get them cut down quickly. We can discuss the details in Slack if this is helpful.
1 Like