3/4 birch plywood problem

[Stephanie Fitzgerald]

I'm new to woodworking! I have just completed a raised dog food bowl stand where I used 3/4 birch plywood. Love the outcome, except for the problem with the top layer of the wood peeling when I cut the holes with my jigsaw. Can anyone suggest how to prevent this from happening in the future?

[Evan Siefke]

Stephanie,

All of the previous points are great. The other thing to consider is that not all birch plywood is created equal. I have had similar problems with imported birch plywood. You may pay a bit more for domestic but the veneer is usually better quality and it won't peel as easily. I've noticed the imported ply has gaps in the plys after cutting. A mdf hybrid core is an option because the ply will resist warping. Good job on your project.

[Tony Peters]

Hi....another direction for your consideration as most of the solutions have already been given.  Since all my projects are constructed of birch ply being able to get 2 very good sides and more stable (additional plies).  If you can, try to acquire real Russian Baltic Birch plywood 5 x 5 as it has a much thicker finishing layer than standard 4 x 8.  We call this stuff Quebec Baltic Birch and avoid it unless being painted.  The thicker venier stays in place and you can actually sand it

[Brian Johnson]

My router proved to make very smooth edges on the circular sections of a birch plywood project I was building. So much better than the straight cuts I made with a circular saw, with plywood blade, that I decided to even use the router to make the remaining straight cuts. I clamped a straight edge to the board as a guide...

From now on, the router is what I'll use the cut birch.