Source for thin plywood

[jonluv]

Hi Stooby,
Birch ply is used all over the world for Pyrography and is the chosen " wood" for millions and I have never known anyone burn through the lamination into the glue.
I think someone must have confused MDF and Ply. some people say MDF fumes are cancerous, although there is no hard evidence to back this up.

You will find Birch Ply lightly sanded(250) will give a superb surface to burn ---- no bumps so an even burn

John

 

[martinka]

Is there such a thing as a decent cheap pyrography burner, or whatever they are called? Or is £100 the minimum spend it seems to be from a quick look around? I wouldn't mind having the tools for occasional things, but as I don't have an artistic bone in my body, I won't be needing the top gear.

edit: apologies for the hijack, I ought to have started a new thread.

 

[Stooby]

Looking on the Slec site they sell their birch plywood as that or with BB MR glue in the name. Is there a difference?

 

[jonluv]

Hi Martin
Pyrography burner
You can get a good burn with the very basics I started with a soldering iron £4.99 then bought an Axminster solid tip one for £10 this was good but limited,now have a wire tip Peter Child paid £50 off Ebay including air filter thingie ( never used it)
Wire tip is the way to go if you can.

John

 

[bodgerbaz]

Looking on the Slec site they sell their birch plywood as that or with BB MR glue in the name. Is there a difference?

ordered some ply (not lite ply) and it was of a very high standard and neatly cut. If you are ordering some by post get a load as the shipping is a standard £12 for each order. No idea what 'BB MR glue' is, sorry.

Barry

 

[martinka]

Hi Martin
Pyrography burner
You can get a good burn with the very basics I started with a soldering iron £4.99 then bought an Axminster solid tip one for £10 this was good but limited,now have a wire tip Peter Child paid £50 off Ebay including air filter thingie ( never used it)
Wire tip is the way to go if you can.

John

Cheers, John. I tried with my soldering irons but got nowhere, couldn't even mark the wood. I'd read about the Peter Child one so I'll keep an eye out on ebay.

 

[Roughcut]

Looking on the Slec site they sell their birch plywood as that or with BB MR glue in the name. Is there a difference?

ordered some ply (not lite ply) and it was of a very high standard and neatly cut. If you are ordering some by post get a load as the shipping is a standard £12 for each order. No idea what 'BB MR glue' is, sorry.

Barry

Thanks to seeing SLEC mentioned on here.
I placed a small order yesterday for Birch Ply of 10 off 3mm x 300mm x 300mm and the same in 6mm.
If quality is good I will be ordering more.
ps. postage was £6 for this small quantity, larger orders are £12 I believe and if you spend £50 or more on wood I think you get a discount.

 

[Roughcut]

Looking on the Slec site they sell their birch plywood as that or with BB MR glue in the name. Is there a difference?

ordered some ply (not lite ply) and it was of a very high standard and neatly cut. If you are ordering some by post get a load as the shipping is a standard £12 for each order. No idea what 'BB MR glue' is, sorry.

Barry

I believe BB MR glue might mean Moisture Resistant?
I could be wrong but if plane and boat model makers use that ply perhaps it means it's is suitable for outside use without delaminating?

 

[bodgerbaz]

Ah, that may explain it. Thanks for that.

I'm sure you'll be pleased with the quality.

 

[Stooby]

I've written to Slec and asked about the glue so will let you know their reply.

Do any of you know what the edges of the ply look like? Will it show up as ply on projects when finished and if so what type of things do you use it for?

Is Slec price for mdf also good?

 

[bodgerbaz]

Do any of you know what the edges of the ply look like? Will it show up as ply on projects when finished and if so what type of things do you use it for?

As a sheet of ply is made up of a sandwich of thin layers, yes, any cut through that sandwich will reveal the layers. It doesn't really show on the ornaments and window/Christmas tree hangers I make using 1.5mm ply but will be noticeable on 3mm and very noticeable on 6mm. Whether you find that unattractive is down to personal taste.

If you don't want to see the sandwich edges then you'll need to use a solid softwood or hardwood. Depending upon the size of the pattern will depend how successful you are as thin solid wood is not very wide.

The advantage of sheet material is that its relatively cheap, comes in a variety of sizes and is easily available. Thin solid wood is difficult to find and is usually not very wide so you may have to go for some thicker (and therefore wider) material and prepare it yourself to your chosen thickness. The disadvantage of that is that each pass through the thicknesser leaves shavings (and cash) on the floor.

I guess a lot comes down to the size of the project you want to work on.

This shows the type of edge you'll get although the thinner the ply the less layers you'll get.

 

[bodgerbaz]

UPDATE: I've had a quick trawl around and found that Hobbies http://hobby.uk.com/materials/wood.html and SLEC http://www.slecuk.com/catalogue/Wood.html have thin hardwoods at 3" or 4" wide if that helps?

Barry

 

[jonluv]

Sample of work using edges of ply to create an effect
not yet finished

 

[bodgerbaz]

Yes indeed. Nice looking project John.

 

[jonluv]

Many thanks Bodgerbaz--- if it turns out ok I will try and make a 24inch model of a Mig 15 I cut some templates to get a rough shape

John

 

[Stooby]

The dolphin looks great (I assume that is what it is), what thickness ply was this made from and how big is it?

 

[jonluv]

Hi
It's 22mm Birch Ply x 3 and 11 inches long

John

 

[Stooby]

Hello, here is the reply I received (very quickly) from Slec:

BB means one side is good and the other side will usually have knots on it. MR Glue means it is easier to use for laser cutting. I have been advised that either type would be suitable for the purpose you would like to use it for.

The use was obviously for scroll sawing. Hope this helps.

 

[Roughcut]

Hello, here is the reply I received (very quickly) from Slec:

BB means one side is good and the other side will usually have knots on it. MR Glue means it is easier to use for laser cutting. I have been advised that either type would be suitable for the purpose you would like to use it for.

The use was obviously for scroll sawing. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that Stooby.
I thought MR meant Moisture Resistant.
I received my order from SLEC today and can confirm that the Birch Ply I ordered is of a good quality and neatly cut so I will be ordering more from them in future.

 

[martinka]

This is from Latham's booklet, I hope they won't mind me reproducing this excerpt.

Grade B/BB
Generally, the best grade available for clear finishing.
Good clean appearance, only minor, natural features,
i.e. small pin knots permitted on the ‘B’ Face.
‘B’ grade is normally only available with ‘BB’ Grade
reverse. (See grading information below for BB).

Grades S/BB & S+/BB
S Face is similar to Grade B, but allows more natural
defects and the odd well-made patch – Generally good
enough quality face for clear finishing or painting.
S+/BB has a better face with no plugs. The reverse is a
standard BB Grade.

Grade BB
The main commercial or utility grade - both faces are
Grade BB – which allows patches and other knots/
imperfections. Suitable for all general work including
CNC Machining or where face grade not overly
important – However good quality BB grade boards
may be acceptable for clear finishing and furniture!
Available in Long or Cross grain construction.

LOWER GRADES – (Cores are still solid)

Grade BB/CP and BB/WG
Grade BB face with WG or CP reverse. Standard
commercial grades which are essentially only sound
(Good) one side – Reverse side can have numerous
large knots, open splits/defects and discolouration.

Grade CP
Russian Grade – In between BB and WG used where
face appearance not important, i.e. packing crates,
furniture carcasses.

Grade C
Similar appearance and use as Grade WG – may be
un-sanded with open defects and discolouration.

Grade WG
Large knots / patches / open defects, staining and
discolouration permitted - used for packing crates
and carcass work or where unseen, such as
upholstered furniture.