delaminated plywood - help!

[tlt]

I decided to try out the borg "maple" ply to make a pair of matching bookcases. I assembled the carcases for both a month back, and haven't been able to work on them since. Yesterday I was out in the garage, and noticed that one of the bookcases was "bubbling" on the both sides, in about the same position. (see attached pics).

Is there anything that can be done to fix/salvage this? So far the only thing I can come up with is trying some sort of inlay on the side with an interesting pattern...at this point I'm not even all that concerned about having the two bookcases match. They are pretty much assembled except for the face frame and attaching the top. The face frame/edge banding is done in purple heart. Thanks for any suggestions...

--tlt

PS -- I saw the thread about "borg plywood - YUCK" and thought about posting this there

[cabinetman]

If you can squirt, push, shove, stick or inject some Titebond II or III, into the void, clamp a caul (use a flat piece of 3/4 ply) on both sides and reglue the "bubble". I've had some luck by turning the area to accept the glue up, and letting it drain down into the crevice, and then clamping. Clean up what oozes out.
.

[Duff]

I would suggest squirting in ALOT of your favorite wood glue, put a layer of waxpaper on both sides, and clamp maybe 2x4s on it like cauls and leave it for 12-24 hours.

[jonmulzer]

Fill a syringe (if you can find one, might have to try TSC for agricultural ones) with glue and squirt it in with that then cauls and clamps like was suggested above. A 2x4 might be better though for the caul, use your own judgment. Since the carcass is already together you may have to clamp the 2x4 pieces at the front of the carcass to the individual sides and then clamp both cauls to each other at the back if you do not have anything to get a bite on. If that is the case then dimensional lumber may work better.

[182much]

You can find all kinds of syringes with needles on e-bay.
I know I needed some for the same reason

[cgallery]

Put glue into the void, then use your air compressor to blast it all the way in. Then, clamp.

Of course, this assumes the void carries all the way to the back edge.

[tlt]

wow, i hadn't thought of salvaging those areas...these are some great suggestions.

of course my next question was going to be, where to pick of syringes, but i see that's been answered as well. off to ebay i go...

thanks again guys....

--tlt

[pelligrini]

I used some syringes the my brother in law got with a turkey spice injection kit. He used the kits getting them ready for deep frying. Pretty large syringe and long needle. Careful with them, those can flow a lot of glue quickly.

[ironhat]

Another syringe source is Farm and Tractor Supply.

[Slik Geek]

My experience with borg's plywood was even worse. That's why I'll never buy any plywood there again, no matter how inexpensive it seems or in how in need I am. It just isn't worth the aggravation. I now carefully check the country of origin for plywood that I purchase.

You may be able to use a shop-vacuum to draw glue into the fold as well. Be sure to report back on the results of your efforts.

[tlt]

update - results

i got a chance to try out some of the suggestions these weekend, and pulled off the clamps a couple of minutes ago. the results far exceeded my expectations -- both sides are now flat without bubbles. as you can see, one side is pretty much good as new. the other side has a small split, but that should clean up nicely with some light sanding.

I found a "flavor injector" needle at target (syringe missing from the pic) for $2 in the cooking gadgets section. Stuffed as much glue as would fit in the bubble, lightly coaxing it with some low-psi bursts from the air compressor. Then clamped some cauls around the carcase, along with some wax paper, and hoped for the best.

like i said, the results are much better than i could've hoped for. thanks for all the helpful suggestions -- hopefully the next pics i post will be in the finished projects section...

--tlt

[BobSch]

Looks like that did the trick.

Remember: Friends don't let friends buy plywood at the Borg.

[cabinetman]

i got a chance to try out some of the suggestions these weekend, and pulled off the clamps a couple of minutes ago. the results far exceeded my expectations -- both sides are now flat without bubbles. as you can see, one side is pretty much good as new. the other side has a small split, but that should clean up nicely with some light sanding.

I found a "flavor injector" needle at target (syringe missing from the pic) for $2 in the cooking gadgets section. Stuffed as much glue as would fit in the bubble, lightly coaxing it with some low-psi bursts from the air compressor. Then clamped some cauls around the carcase, along with some wax paper, and hoped for the best.

like i said, the results are much better than i could've hoped for. thanks for all the helpful suggestions -- hopefully the next pics i post will be in the finished projects section...

--tlt

You gotta be careful sanding that area now that it's repaired. Any high spots may have the tendency to sand through the veneer. If you still have a raised area, a trick you may try is get the ridge hot with a dry iron, or a heat gun, and apply more direct clamping pressure directly on the ridge. It needs to be done with a deep "C" clamp or equivalent. Use a strip of 3/4" ply as a caul, and wide enough to cover the ridge and wind up on the old flat surface. Slightly ease the long edges of the caul so it won't leave marks on the surface. Leave on long enough for the area to cool.
.

[steve-norrell]

To second C'man's comments, my experience with Borg and Lowe's plywood is that the veneer is really, really thin. Worse, the bonding between the veneer and the second ply always seems to be with some kind of red glue.

When I use it, it is almost always for cabinets carcuses that are going to be painted or for surfaces that will not be visible from the outside.

Good luck, Steve