Home made plywood

[jaxs]

So yea,I plan to buy a log peeler and,,,,,, not really but I can buy used 1/8" plywood 50 sheets for $50 and endless availability. Have you glued up multiple layers to make thicker sheets (I'm thinking 4 to 6 layers) and how did it work out? I'm thinking of sand bags for clamping. If no previous experinece,does it sound like a worthwhile porject? i would mostly use it on shelves,pallet rack and interior wall covering for storage buildings.

 

[4570Man]

Osb is back down considerably. It’s not worth messing with IMO.

 

[jyoutz]

I think after the first few sheets you will be done with that project.

 

[bcp]

I've heard of making small pieces, like one sq ft, using a screw press or lots of clamps for pressure. Usually exotic wood for the outer layer(s) or more.

Bruce

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

My Dad made some arched beams, with thin laminations and resorcinol glue back in the late fifties. And, that is about the only type of thing which would convince me to attempt gluing up anything even remotely similar to plywood. By the time up value your time at anything, it will always be less expensive to buy wha tyou need unless your gong for soemthing that has to be custom made any how. That is basically, arched, or compound arched beams. Jut about anything else will be available as a market comedity. Even if you wanted a veneered piece of a very exotic, surface wood, you would start with a good plywood as the base.

 

[Wolfy]

Well I certainly give you credit, I have never heard this idea before...so you would have to cut half of the sheets as plywood has alternating grain. You also would need a truckload of glue, and a huge hydraulic press to assemble them. The biggest problem will be keeping the center perfectly tight until the glue cures.

 

[Rustyiron]

Yeah, I think you'd be ahead running the cash register at the local gas/convenience store for 4 - 5 hours a night and buying a sheet the next morning. But I do appreciate your idea.

 

[Egon]

There are boat hulls made of glued up strips of wood. I believe it’s called cold moulding.

 

[DaBear3428]

So yea,I plan to buy a log peeler and,,,,,, not really but I can buy used 1/8" plywood 50 sheets for $50 and endless availability. Have you glued up multiple layers to make thicker sheets (I'm thinking 4 to 6 layers) and how did it work out? I'm thinking of sand bags for clamping. If no previous experinece,does it sound like a worthwhile porject? i would mostly use it on shelves,pallet rack and interior wall covering for storage buildings.

or! toothpicks are even cheaper, glue some of those together,
sorry i could not help myself lol

 

[orezok]

Howard Hughes used a laminated plywood called Duramold to build the Spruce Goose.

 

[orezok]

Actually, he used Birch, but Birch Goose didn’t sound right

 

[jaxs]

Howard Hughes used a laminated plywood called Duramold to build the Spruce Goose.

Maybe I could build a glider and name it The Wood Duck. Anyone like to volunteer as test pilot?

 

[orezok]

Maybe I could build a glider and name it The Wood Duck. Anyone like to volunteer as test pilot?

I have a glider rating. I could do it. Just ship it out to me and up we go

 

[JasperFrank]

has any one thought of making plywood out of leaves?

 

[/pine]

1/8"??...is it single ply?
Sounds like luan...!

 

[jaxs]

I have a glider rating. I could do it. Just ship it out to me and up we go

I'll bet there's some interesting currents in that area. Is it common catching up draft and gaining altitude or is that too dangerous? As near as I ever came to soloing was jumping off the barn holding a tractor umbrella and I would have done better jumping without the brella.

 

[orezok]

Once you master flying a glider, you realize that you never knew how to fly a power plane. The engine compensates for actually controlling the aircraft. You actually become one with the glider and can feel every updraft or downdraft.

My most fun episode was when I was doing my biennial flight review for single engine. I was with an instructor did I did not know. We went out and did all the mandatory stuff without issue. When we came back to the airport, I reverted to my glider training and was too high on final. You always do this in a glider as there is no engine to get you to the threshold if you're too low.

I imagined that the instructor was thinking, "well he blew this landing". Just about that time I threw it into a slip. A slip is when you cross control the airplane by elevator one direction and rudder opposite. This turns the airplane to about a 45 degree offset to the direction you are actually traveling. The increased drag and loss of lift causes the airplane to lose altitude at a very rapid rate. As i'm approaching the runway with the plane going sideways, out of the corner of my eye i see the instructor slowly starting the reach for the yoke. At about 10' i snapped it straight and put it on the numbers.

Yeah he passed me.

 

[BnRidge]

I used 1/8" ply for the walls, ceiling and cabinets, when I made our scratch build camper. Only needed 15 sheets though.

 

[/pine]

Once you master flying a glider, you realize that you never knew how to fly a power plane. The engine compensates for actually controlling the aircraft. You actually become one with the glider and can feel every updraft or downdraft.

My most fun episode was when I was doing my biennial flight review for single engine. I was with an instructor did I did not know. We went out and did all the mandatory stuff without issue. When we came back to the airport, I reverted to my glider training and was too high on final. You always do this in a glider as there is no engine to get you to the threshold if you're too low.

I imagined that the instructor was thinking, "well he blew this landing". Just about that time I threw it into a slip. A slip is when you cross control the airplane by elevator one direction and rudder opposite. This turns the airplane to about a 45 degree offset to the direction you are actually traveling. The increased drag and loss of lift causes the airplane to lose altitude at a very rapid rate. As i'm approaching the runway with the plane going sideways, out of the corner of my eye i see the instructor slowly starting the reach for the yoke. At about 10' i snapped it straight and put it on the numbers.

Yeah he passed me.

Two thumbs up...!
One of the air disaster cable shows has an episode where the pilot has limited controls but is able to execute that very maneuver (as described) to save the plane...said he relied on his glider experience...!

 

[IndyIan]

So yea,I plan to buy a log peeler and,,,,,, not really but I can buy used 1/8" plywood 50 sheets for $50 and endless availability. Have you glued up multiple layers to make thicker sheets (I'm thinking 4 to 6 layers) and how did it work out? I'm thinking of sand bags for clamping. If no previous experinece,does it sound like a worthwhile porject? i would mostly use it on shelves,pallet rack and interior wall covering for storage buildings.

Do some math I guess, is it $1 for 32 sqft of 1/8 ply? So 25 cents per board foot of plywood(8 layers to make an inch think)... hmmm... Spruce sheathing plywood is about $3/ bdft...
Do you have some workshop space to devote to it?
What species is the 1/8" ply? exterior grade glue?
A 20l pail of good glue is $100+ but if you made a jig to cut sheets in half well, and another jig to slap the sheets into to keep them aligned as you glue them with a roller brush, and can do a foot or two thick of plywood in one go...
Then you need a ton or 2 of sand bags to toss on top.
I think the glue is the expensive part as you might get 2 layers of glue, 64 sqft per liter. So if you are making 3/8" ply the glue is $5 per sheet. For thicker sheets the glue costs more per sheet, and to make 1" ply the glue would be $17.50 per sheet, or 55 cents per board foot.
So your up to $0.80 per board foot in materials.
What does rough sawn lumber go for in your area? Maybe not much more than that? Planed 4 sides might not be that much more again.
1/4" OSB is $2 per board foot at $16 a sheet, or $.50 per square foot at 1/4" coverage.
It seems like if you can get good glue for cheap and this 1/8 ply is nice and smooth and strong, making a 1/4" wall covering nicer than OSB would cost $4.50 a sheet or $0.14 per square foot, plus your time of course.