Super-thin plywood, small radius…help.
forestgirl
| Posted in General Discussion on
I’m trying to figure out what to look for — ask for — to get plywood for an oval box such as the one shown in the picture below. I used calipers to measure it, and it is about .082″ (~1/12″) or ~2.1 mm thick. Nobody I’ve contacted so far carries actual “bending plywood” in such a thin stock. Edensaw has Okoume plywood in 1.5mm thickness.
Any advice on this process? Will the 1.5mm ply work? Would it bend OK, or would I need to wet it?? Radius is about 1-3/4″ maybe 2″. TIA!
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Edited 8/11/2005 12:44 am ET by forestgirl
Replies
I suggest using actual layers of wood veneer. We get poplar that's about 1/16" thick, and put 1/40th or 1/32nd thick wood veneer on either side. I've made similar thin parts using just the solid wood veneer, at least three layers.
Have you looked into using veneers?
FG,
Woodwork Magazine had a complete how-to article about making those Scandinavian(sp?) boxes about 6 months ago. I'm guessing on the time line but I've just gone through 8 issues and I'm missing Feb. and, therefore, conclude that is the issue your looking for. Anyhow they are veneers cut on the bandsaw...not dissimilar from shaker boxes except for the shape and locking devices.
I thought they were Shaker boxes?Mark
Visit my woodworking blog Dust Maker
MarkRD,
There are all kinds of variations in the design, however when i saw the end posts in FG's pic I thought Norway, Sweden, etc.
http://www.rubylane.com/ni/shops/sweetpeacottage/iteml/ATB-07134-0119#pic1
BG's right (good eye, BG) -- my understanding is it's a "Swedish lunchbox". The one in my picture is simpler in design than the Norwegian one at that web site, and it's destined to be painted, not finished.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 8/13/2005 12:52 pm ET by forestgirl
Try National Balsa. They have several thicknesses in thin plywood.
I am the person who made the "lunch box" in the picture shown at Ruby Lane. I have made many of them over the years. They are constructed of maple, cherry, ash, birch, or white oak. In each case I resaw rough stock down to 1/16 inch and then run it through a drum sander several times to smooth the surface. Prior to bending, I soak the strips in water for about 30 minutes. Then I pour boiling water over the wood and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I repeat the boiling water process one more time. When the wood is just barely cool enough to handle, it is now ready to bend. In order to be successful, it must be bent while still quite hot. Some people add glycerine or detergent to the water. I have tried both, but the results do not seem to differ from when nothing is added to the water. Cherry bends the easiest and most reliably.
By the way, these boxes are Norwegian, although Swedes did make them on occasion. They are called tine (tin-ay) or laup.
Good luck.
Thanks KadMan -- your boxes are beautiful! This will be my first "bending" experience, so I appreciate the details.
Welcome to Knots!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
gee ya told forest how to and not us???AND no picture!
Cherry bends the easiest and most reliably.
Try some QS Ash with 'rays' whatever ya' call it..Beautiful and ash will bend to almost anything without to much hassle'EDIT:: YES I love Ash wood... AND Hickory! It bends pretty well also and not that hard to work as some would think... Although I never tried that tight of a radius...Edited 8/14/2005 12:03 pm ET by WillGeorge
Edited 8/14/2005 12:05 pm ET by WillGeorge
http://www.aitwood.com/ carries vey thin three-ply birch plywood, for instance .4, .8, 1.2, and 1.5 mm thick.
Very cool site! FG, check out the musical drum shells, they might be close to what you need.
BINGGGGGGO!! Thanks!!! As fun as it would be to make my own, I'll need to make several of these boxes quickly. Making my own ply isn't an option. Buxton, I can't thank you enough, as I spent a couple hours searching the other night and came up with very little.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi FG,
When I make oval Shaker-style boxes I resaw all of the components from solid stock, unless I plan to use ply for the tops or bottoms (in which case, I veneer them).
However, you can buy ALL of the supplies from John Wilson:
http://www.ShakerOvalBox.com
He's the only source I've been able to find for the small copper nails used to clinch the fingers. He also sells steaming trays (yes, you have to soak the sides in hot water before bending them), and a video that covers the entire process.
If you want, I'll see if I can dig up some snapshots from my bending & laminating class.
Have fun,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Edited 8/11/2005 1:14 pm ET by jazzdogg
Thanks, JD. I'm sending an email.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I may be too late to help for this need, but for possible future use...
In the model airplane world you can find aircraft-grade birch plywood in thicknesses such as 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, etc. I know they are available in sizes from 6" by 12" up to at least 12" by 48" (I never looked for anything larger). Also available is "liteply" - made from poplar rather than birch - but not in as many thicknesses. Any well-stocked hobby shop catering to model airplane builders should have this kind of plywood (also online hobby shops such as http://www.towerhobbies.com).
Good luck,
Richard Baker
Hi Richard, thanks! Nope, not too late. Actually, my first searches led me to the model airplane world. I haven't compared and contrasted yet, and definitely didn't find towerhobbies in my search, so I'll check it out!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32736&cat=1,250,43217
used some a few years ago for a cigar holder I made.
Worked great.
The older I get, the better I was....
Thanks papa, strange I didn't even think of Lee Valley (they're my favorite tool place). The fact that they sell smaller pieces means I can experiment.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forest!
Get the thinnest you can get and run it through the planner and then veneer it...
Sorry I had to...
EDIT:: Sort of funnin' ya but I have made some curved tops for 'Treasure chests' for kids...
I usually use ash because it bends nice.. Slice as think (thin?) as I can safely on the TS.. Run through the planer... Laminate at will.. If you make a form of some sort and have have ALOT of clamps or just rope and weights. you can make any size circle of almost any thickness.. Just get a little messy gluing it all!
Edited 8/12/2005 12:08 pm ET by WillGeorge
Edited 8/12/2005 12:09 pm ET by WillGeorge
Forestgirl, 1.5mm should work in most species, however, with a drum sander and a flat piece of plywood as a carrier beneath it you should be able to sand even thinner than 1.5 for a real easy bend. What you have looks like the shape of greenwood or bark boxes. I do a lot of bent lam in a vacuum bag and I like 3/32 for easy working or about 1mm. Additionally, soaking in hot water with glycerine added makes your material more flexible. Fabric softener works too. aloha, mike
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