Craft quality plywood

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Craft quality plywood

Postby twehr » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:07 pm

Only slightly off topic here (sources for things to cut rather than to build things to cut with).

I was cutting some 1/8" craft plywood over the weekend and reminded myself of how much I enjoy working with that material. But quality (white glue instead of dark) craft-grade birch plywood is a bit pricey most places. Today, I found a source that may be of interest to others.

This [ http://www.enasco.com/action/ProductDetail?sku=9729590 ] is for 1/8" 12" x 24" bundles of 6 for $21. That makes them about half the cost of the same thing at Hobby Lobby (where it is $7/sheet). And hopefully this source will provide stock with less twists and warps than you get in retail hobby stores. Buying several bundles at a time keeps the shipping costs down as well.

I ordered some today and will report back on my experience with the company and the product.

tim
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby cpdude » Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:49 pm

Hey Tim,

What exactly is "craft" plywood? I didn't see any specs on their website. Is it birch, poplar or something else? Also, how many plys?

I look forward to hearing more.


Thanks!
Brian
2.x laser ( Mach3 | SmoothStepper | FSE RetinaEngrave)| DIY CNC Router (EMC2) | Prusa I3 3d printer | Building a Wolfstock deta printer | Rhino v5
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby macona » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:45 am

Baltic Birch plywood. Real nice stuff. Made from many layers of thin veneer. It is strong, durable, and works very nice. A patternmaker friend I have uses it for everything. Makes home depot plywood look like cardboard.
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First reactions

Postby twehr » Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:54 pm

The package arrived Wed. My initial observations are:
    1. General quality looks good.
    2. Not as smooth as what I get from Hobby Lobby, but 30 seconds of sanding will take care of that. (For the price difference, I won't complain.)
    3. Some pieces have minor twisting/warping. For a natural product that thin, it is hard to eliminate it 100%. Most of my uses for this material are in smaller parts, so don't expect it to affect the final products. The one issue with anything that is not flat is how to hold it flat while cutting. Double face tape would do it, but cutting through the tape can also cause cleanup issues afterwards. If anyone has recommendations, I am listening.

After I do some cutting and finishing, I will report back again. For now, I am satisfied with the buy.
tim
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby twehr » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:39 pm

After taking some time off to build the new laser, I finally got around to working with the plywood I ordered. I am super happy with the results. It cuts very nicely.

Like all plywood that thin, there is a bit of bowing in a full piece (12 x 24), but that really has not affected me much, though I would like to find a way to hold it flat on the honeycomb without increasing the my workload by taping/untaping, etc.

Note: while it is advertised and sold as 1/8", it is actually .120 - so if you are doing slots for assembly, keep that in mind.

I have some projects in mind that will be using quite a bit of this, so I will definitely reorder - the price is good and the quality is as well.
tim
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby willyinaus » Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:57 am

I used plywood a lot and keep it between two 18mm MDF Boards with about 200kg rolled onto via a 44gallon drum full of water kept it straight for my CNC Router 6,9,12mm it also helps if you keep it in a warm place as well sandwiched like above in QLD Australia that isn't a problem for me but if I just leave it lying on the floor flat it bows in a matter of days.

Can I ask what thickness you are cutting with your CO2 Lasers and watts,passes etc.
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby twehr » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:21 pm

willyinaus wrote:I used plywood a lot and keep it between two 18mm MDF Boards with about 200kg rolled onto via a 44gallon drum full of water kept it straight for my CNC Router 6,9,12mm it also helps if you keep it in a warm place as well sandwiched like above in QLD Australia that isn't a problem for me but if I just leave it lying on the floor flat it bows in a matter of days.

Can I ask what thickness you are cutting with your CO2 Lasers and watts,passes etc.


3mm, 40 watt, 85%, 4mm/sec, 1 pass.

Whenever possible, I pre finish the plywood. That way, any smoke or tar residue just wipes off with a damp cloth.

I am doing some this morning. I will post a pic or two later today.
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Re: Craft quality plywood

Postby twehr » Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:39 pm

Here is a photo of the plywood with several of my finishes.

[photo]
CraftPlywood.png


Here is another thread that shows making a laser-cut tissue box holder.

http://www.buildlog.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=480
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