Wood 5mm

[Amber R. King-Southern]

Does anyone have any pointer working with 5mm luan wood? Thank you 😊

[dgman]

Make a stack! Use a scrap piece of 1/4" plywood. Using blue painters tape, tape the edges of the two boards together. The thicker stack will give you better control of your work piece. You can use two or three layers of the same ply, you can make more than one piece at a time. If you don't need multiple copies, than just use scrap ply, then toss it when you are done.

I never cut anything thinner than 1/4". If I need thinner, I always make a stack.

[Amber R. King-Southern]

Awesome. I never thought of that. Thank you.

[amazingkevin]

Does anyone have any pointer working with 5mm luan wood? Thank you

Use a blade that has at least 4 teeth in contact with the wood at anytime,more is better.And placing a playing card over the hole on the saw table where the blade goes thru helps keep fragile thin cuts close to each other from tearing out.

[Fish]

Good point Kevin. I never thought if using an old card for that.

[David Lehner]

I almost always "stack cut" ... I figure if I am going to the process of making something, I might as well make extra for stock to sell or display later. However for me I will  stack 3 pieces of 1/4 inch and up to 5 pieces of 1/8 inch. 

If doing wildlife scenes etc in 1/8 for example I will frame 1 or two (one to show and one to go) and keep the rest for later.

if doing clocks, I assemble all 3 at the same time & store the extra without clock mechanisms until needed.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

May I ask why you are choosing to use tht wood???  I have found that wood to splinter alot and be very chippy. Plus it is a dull looking wood to me. Just my opinion.

[David Lehner]

I agree with the luan wood ....tried that many years ago when I started but found the same problems ... the little I have left over I use for backing pictures.

[Scrappile]

It does chip badly.  May get by using it to cut "non-fragile" pieces but you will probably be disappointed it you try to cut a delicate piece in it.  I have some a neighbor gave me,  I only is it for sacrificial bottom piece while scrolling something.  However, that has been my experience and I have only used what my neighbor gave me, don't know if all Luan is the same.

[heppnerguy]

When I first started out, I would buy the lessor expensive woods just because I did not want to wrap a lot of money into something that I was learning on. It does not take long to discover that the wood really is not that expensive and when you are making something for someone, you quickly find that the nicer the piece is, the sooner you will get requests for something they want to purchase. Baltic Birch really is not that much more but the difference is worth it.

1/4 inch thick ply is also easier to cut than 1/8 th inch, so why make things difficult for yourself? Good luck. Scrolling is a continual learning experience

 

 

Dick

heppnerguy