February 20, 2005 Meeting Presentation
Jack Roberts
Hartville Lumber
Jack Roberts and Hartville Lumber want to be your lumber, plywood, and simple boat hardware resource. For starters, Jack stocks ½” and ¾” Douglas Fir marine plywood in 4' X 8' sheets. This is not exterior grade plywood but true marine grade. There is a difference. The laminates are glued with phenolic glue, there are very few or no interior voids in the plies and it is pressure tested for its delaminating resistance. Jack can order ¼” for you and get it in a few days with no shipping charges. They also stock MDO plywood.
Hartville Lumber carries a wide range of local hardwoods. Species on hand include white and red oak, quarter-sawn oak, ash, cherry, walnut, maple, hickory and a very large inventory of poplar. Recently, they made an investment in two mist humidifiers to keep the yard at a humidity level at 20 – 25% to insure stable, straight sticks and panels.
Jack went over the common plywood grading abbreviations and what they mean. APA means American Plywood Association, the national organization setting standards for the industry. The plywood grade will typically have two or three letters. If the grade ends in X it means exterior use. The first letter designates the quality of the primary face. The second letter denotes the quality of the flip side of the panel. An A means prime veneer and no patches. A face with an elliptically shaped patch commonly called a football may be a B grade. The difference between B, and C is primarily the number of patches. D grade means the veneer imperfections are not patched. So a panel graded as CDX will be manufactured for exterior use and have one face with a number of football patches or other repairs and a second face with open, unpatched imperfections.
Jack introduced a plywood called UltraPly. It is made with exterior grade, phenolic glue, and guaranteed to have no voids. It is stocked as underlayment and used to insure that a woman's spiked heel or chair leg will not penetrate through a floorcovering and into an unsupported void area. UltraPly has been used in boatbuilding applications.
Jack discussed the changes taking place in the formulation of pressure treated wood. Arsenic has been taken out of the formula and replaced with higher concentrations of copper. The result is much greater galvanic action carried by the moisture in the wood. Fasteners, including brackets and holders, corrode much faster and should be either stainless steel, triple galvanized, or silicon bronze to stand up to the attack. But do not mix them; stick with one metal throughout the project. For example, stainless steel nails used on a galvanized bracket can actually cause the zinc of the galvanizing to corrode even faster.
Jack noted he is stocking Ipe, an extremely dense, heavy wood from South America that is rot resistant and is used for deck construction. It's two to three times harder than oak, heavy enough to sink in water and requires no surface treatment. The wood is also known as ironwood and Brazilian walnut. Jack did not state whether the wood is supplied by a mill certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international, independent, non-profit organization governed by a balanced membership of economic, environmental, and social interests. Before buying any wood coming from South America be absolutely sure it's being cut by an organization that practices responsible forestry.
Jack's enthusiasm for his work and the range of wood products and hardware items available at his store makes a trip to Hartville very enticing.
Hartville Lumber is located at 940 W. Maple, (Rt. 619) in Hartville
Phone: (330) 877-3631.
CABBS members in good standing can receive a 10% discount on lumber orders.
Cleveland Amateur Boatbuilding and Boating Society