Prices, sigh!

[barb.j.enders]

So in 2020 I purchased some 1/8" & 1/4" bb birch ply. I still have lots of the 1/8" but needed to get some more 1/4". In 2020 I paid $29.99 for a 5x5 sheet. Today, I paid $69.99 per sheet. I bought 2. One sheet is great looking on both sides. This is the back side of the other sheet. I didn't want to pull most of them out so after looking at 3 I grabbed this one. I will have to plan the projects accordingly.

[OCtoolguy]

49 minutes ago, barb.j.enders said:

So in 2020 I purchased some 1/8" & 1/4" bb birch ply. I still have lots of the 1/8" but needed to get some more 1/4". In 2020 I paid $29.99 for a 5x5 sheet. Today, I paid $69.99 per sheet. I bought 2. One sheet is great looking on both sides. This is the back side of the other sheet. I didn't want to pull most of them out so after looking at 3 I grabbed this one. I will have to plan the projects accordingly.

I think that one may have been in the wrong pile.

 

[kmmcrafts]

I paid $38 a sheet about 3-4 weeks ago.. BUT.. I saved $5 a sheet because I bought quantity for a discount.. The 3 sheets I originally wanted would have been close to the same total price of the 10 sheets I ended up with, LOL.. Was really tempting to save $10 a sheet and buy 20 or more sheets.. Since I mostly stopped doing portrait work and wall clocks I only go through about 3 - 4 sheets a year just doing ornaments.. I should be good for a while since I still had 3 sheets on hand before buying some.. I just got word that prices were going up and also availability might get very scarce because it comes from Russia, LOL

Edit: I wasn't trying to be a hoarder but the prices made me that way.. 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by kmmcrafts

[OCtoolguy]

Is Finnish birch anywhere close to BB? Just wondering if that might be an option.

 

[barb.j.enders]

23 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I paid $38 a sheet about 3-4 weeks ago.. BUT.. I saved $5 a sheet because I bought quantity for a discount.. The 3 sheets I originally wanted would have been close to the same total price of the 10 sheets I ended up with, LOL.. Was really tempting to save $10 a sheet and buy 20 or more sheets.. Since I mostly stopped doing portrait work and wall clocks I only go through about 3 - 4 sheets a year just doing ornaments.. I should be good for a while since I still had 3 sheets on hand before buying some.. I just got word that prices were going up and also availability might get very scarce because it comes from Russia, LOL

Edit: I wasn't trying to be a hoarder but the prices made me that way.. 

 

I have family in Southern Ontario that will be coming out this summer.  One member driving for sure!  Care to share!!

[NC Scroller]

On 4/4/2022 at 5:02 PM, OCtoolguy said:

Is Finnish birch anywhere close to BB? Just wondering if that might be an option.

 

Yes it is virtually the same thing but the rules of supply and demand will not make it any cheaper.

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, NC Scroller said:

Yes it is virtually the same thing but the rules of supply and demand will not make it any cheaper.

If we are going to cut trade with Russia, won't the Finnish birch still be available? That's my point. I know it's going to cost more. What doesn't these days.

 

[crupiea]

I am just sitting on mine for now.  The prices are crazy so when that happens, it can just sit right there on the shelf for all I care because I wont pay it. 

Switched to working on my artistic painting skills for now.  much cheaper and still satisfying.  Once the world stabilizes and gets back to some sense of normalcy, I will hit the saw again. 

[Bill WIlson]

15 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

If we are going to cut trade with Russia, won't the Finnish birch still be available? That's my point. I know it's going to cost more. What doesn't these days.

 

Maybe not.  I read someplace that the whole region has suffered from some historically bad weather the past few years.  Something about too much rain and harvesting and planting was impossible because the ground was too soft or some such thing.  Apparently it was enough of a problem that supplies and prices were expected to be impacted for a long time.  This all started before Russia invaded Ukraine.  That development only makes things worse.  And of course mills were shut down during the pandemic and of course labor problems aren't unique to the USA and of course shipping problems compound everything.  Talk about a perfect storm.  I'm starting to wonder if I will ever see BB ply again in my lifetime.  

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

Maybe not.  I read someplace that the whole region has suffered from some historically bad weather the past few years.  Something about too much rain and harvesting and planting was impossible because the ground was too soft or some such thing.  Apparently it was enough of a problem that supplies and prices were expected to be impacted for a long time.  This all started before Russia invaded Ukraine.  That development only makes things worse.  And of course mills were shut down during the pandemic and of course labor problems aren't unique to the USA and of course shipping problems compound everything.  Talk about a perfect storm.  I'm starting to wonder if I will ever see BB ply again in my lifetime.  

I'm glad I don't use much of it.

[OCtoolguy]

If the wood that I prefer to use keeps going up in price, I may have to go back to wood carving. I have a box full of bass wood blocks that still have no shape.

 

[NC Scroller]

Let's do some basic math.  I use roughly 3 sheets of balitc birch plywood a year.  I would say that 1/3 to 1/2 of my baltic birch plywood is used for ornaments.  I get at least 144 ornaments from a 5 x 5 sheet but often times over 200.  So, using 144,  at $20 a sheet , my old price, each ornament cost me 14 cents in material.  I sell my cheapest ornaments for $5 each.   So even if the price doubles or triples I can live with it.