# custom plywood laminating 10mm thick!



## frosties (28 Mar 2012)

Hi everyone. I have a pretty epic job to create a laminated block 1100 x 800 x 100. One this is laminated the plan is to cnc mill a very detailed surface on both sides. The question is how would you go about laminating your own ply?
There seems to be no such thing as good quality ply throughout using nice timber apart from gaboon ply or birch ply. Does anyone know of any other types of nice ply I've not found?

If not what dims do you think is save to mill down to for the laminates? I have access to sugar maple/cherry/lime/lacewood or some quite amazing elm.

The milling is a landscape with 70mm and detailed so I am worried about timber movement so stability is the key


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## jasonB (28 Mar 2012)

Why don't you want to use birch ply ?

Failing that go to a decent veneer supplier and look at their structural veneers, these are quite a bit thicker than standard veneer and would save you having to machine up your own. Its then just a case of edge jointing the sheets before laminating alternating layers in a vacuum press.

J


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## frosties (28 Mar 2012)

OOPS, typo in the title its ment to say 100mm


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## frosties (28 Mar 2012)

Birch ply tears out a bit with the cnc mill and its a very typical look. I want a real bespoke piece. I dont mind machining my own constructional veneers but I'm just unsure how thick to go and how wide without there being any cupping. /i was thinking 5mm x 80mm ish. When you do the math thats a lot of waste from saw kerf and drum sanding. I do have access to a very good resaw and digital drum sander though.
Do you think 5mm x 80 would be fine or could I go wider in the hope the glue holds the cupping back? The resaw can cut 5mm x 250 with ease poss 280mm.

Thanks in advance


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## beech1948 (28 Mar 2012)

Your slab is going to be 1100x800x100mm with both faces CNC carved. mmmm.
I would try to find one of the following:-
1) A supplier of premium ply. That is somewhere above common birch ply and at least 25mm thick so you can bond it together. Such does exist but I cant think of a supplier at present.
2) An alternate might be to consider a glue-lam beam. Obviously yours would just be an offcut. I have seen some very interesting patterns in them caused by the shredding of the wood and then the reassembly into a vacuum pressed beam some of them 20mx2mx0.3m.

regards
Al


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## frosties (29 Mar 2012)

Glue lam is a great idea. I'll have a phone around. I seem to remember that the glue used in the lighter glue lams leaves a horrid green stain. perhaps There is another sort? Thanks beech1948


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