Bad news for speaker builders i guess...

Picked up a news item a couple days ago from a Canadian construction contractors association. Lumber price increases have simply gone crazy when compared from pre-Covid to now, so in about a year.

They indicated that on average wood price has gone up by 125%! Citing lockdowns, curfews, Covid restrictions, as the explanation, making forest workers and lumber mills work at a imited pace. This while demand is very high both in Canada and USA for housing projects, Canada also exporting lots of lumber to the US.

Two specific price increase examples were given in the article. First, 4X8' sheet of 1/2" plywood which sold for $21.CA now goes for $40.CA . Second, a piece of 2X4"X8' previously selling for $2.89 CA now sells for $6.49 CA !

They added this ain't over since lumber shortages are in sight not too far away. They are talking about importing lumber from Europe. Well, that won't be a deal either, my bank is asking $1.60 CA for one Euro, a 60% exchange rate, then add shipping costs for all that lumber from Europe to Canada... Maybe to the US also.

Since the pandemic is around for a while according to experts, it seems speaker builders will have to put the hand deeper and deeper in their pocket, i.e. PAY much more to play.

My preferred for larger boxes (never use particle board) is 7-ply British Columbia Fir plywood (one of the hardest "soft wood"). End of March 2019 Depot was selling a sheet for $62. CA (kept a note of that), though thickness stamped on it was initially 19 mm, went down to 18.7, at last look was 18.3 mm, so i figure 18 mm or less next time?

Haven't checked price on it recently, but in the above pandemic context not sure i even want to know...

Richard