: For folks in the Ithaca and Elmira, NY area check out Chapel lumber in
: Elmira. They stock lauan in 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, and 3/4". I picked up the
: 1/8" for $6.80 a sheet. Salesman told me they had 500 sheets in
: stock. No exotic marine plys though. The lauan has a clear unplugged face
: and a face with some cosmetic blemishes. Unfortunately, the faces with the
: cosmetic blemishes have the most attractive grain patterns and color. At
: least, I think so.

It seams that most lumber yards can get that stuff. At about that price 6-10 dollars a sheet. I built a boat out of some that I had to hand pick, and it came out very nicely, it's no where near as nice as real okoume though. the color is much nicer in the okoume, but it's about 8 times as expensinve, so hey whudya gonna do? :P~~

for the price I'd jump on it if they are stocking that much. just look thorugh it and make sure it's good IE. no major surface iregularitys, or gaps in the center ply. also you might want to see how thick the center ply is, if the outer plys are too thin, sanding becomes impossible.

just a few thoughts.