Replies

1. 
   nigelUsa | Jan 02, 2003 07:16am | #1

   It all depends on what your making. I just made a custom shower curtain rail and planed the wood down to 3/32 thick x 1 1/8" so it would follow the curve i needed. for the curved riser on the first step. I have used oak plywood and cut slots in the back to within 1/16" of the finished face. this is then glued to two plywood forms for the top and bottom. The easier the wood bends, the less spring back you get and the truer the curve to the form.

1. 
   DustyTom | Jan 02, 2003 09:05pm | #2

   I am also curious about thickness. I was looking at David Marks' plans for a demilune table on the DIY web page where he laminated (7) boards to a total thickness of 3/4" (7/64ths) which is a bit over the 3/32" I hear so often. I'm using his plans to make that table and found the thinner (1/8") laminations worked better.

   I have a follow up question to ask. What, if any, prep is required between the laminates? Even though I take my time with the cut and hold the wood very steady through the bandsaw I am left with the usual saw marks. Is it OK to leave the marks or should I remove them? On a sample piece I tried removing them with my portable planner and watched the first several inches shatter!

1. 
   Elcoholic | Jan 02, 2003 11:09pm | #3

   I usually go for .100 to .125" thickness.  I think surfaced laminates result in a better lamination than those right off the bandsaw.  They slip past each other into the form better and the thinner, more consistent glue line is less visible and probably stronger.  When I'm doing 50 or less plys on my planer I use a 3/4" sled and faceplate tape.  Only about 10% blow-up with this method.  If I'm doing hundreds I schedule time on my buddy's Performax ShopPro 25.  I've found it next to impossible to hit the exact final thickness of the lamination measuring individual laminates even with a dial caliper that goes to .001".  Instead I sneak up on it measuring the stack of plys.  This is where the Performax really shines.  BTW I have used poly, epoxy and plastic resin glues and various rollers and spreaders.  I think plastic resin glue and the Virutex (SP?) textured contact cement rollers are the best combo.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

1. 
   DustyTom | Jan 03, 2003 04:22pm | #6

   Thanks for the info. I can now speak from experience (I glued up a test piece yesterday). I didn't surface the laminations before glue up and the glue line was really visible. A good lesson learned. When I do the real glue up this weekend I will surface the laminations to get that good fit!

2. 
   OLDWING | Jan 03, 2003 07:26am | #4

   A very experienced friend once told me that the key to a successful laminating job is to use a minimum of 6 laminations.  I've tried lesser numbers and there always seems to be some springback, but when I've used six or more, it has worked very well, with very little or no springback, even when the laminations are as thick as 1/2".  I'd bet the 6 lam minimum would work with other thicknesses too.

   Bruce

3. 
   cr8zycarver | Jan 03, 2003 07:51am | #5

   It depends on what kind of wood and how tight of a curve you are trying to make.  I have laminated boardw as thick as 1-1/4" for forming beams of a radius of about 20' and down to 1/8" for a table leg.  The faces should be surfaced smooth like any other glue surface.  You can experiment if you have the wood and the time by bending thicker pieces, if it does not break then it is thin enough.  Keep in mind that there is some spring back even with laminating.