Plywood for portrait cuts

[WolfmoonCT]

Where do you all get your plywood from?   Last time I did anything using 1/8" ply I got Revell brand from Michaels.  Cut nice.  But Micheals won't ship it, and the closest store that has it now is 40 miles from me..  So I ordered some off /sigh..  Amazon.  I'm halfway through the simple cut, and when looking at the back, the birch veneer is coming off the middle.  Then on a piece I was cutting, a piece of the top veneer came off, so I'll have to start over again.  Even with Olson 2/0R blades, the amount of tearout on the back is horrible...

I'm cutting for 8 1/2" x 11 frame.

[Rolf]

Take a picture of the edge. But that is real crappy wood. But I would suggest stacking at least 3 layers. On the Olson 2/0 reverse the gap between the tooth direction change really tares at the wood. I buy my baltic birch from a local wholesale supplier in full sheets.

[FrankEV]

I've mentioned this in a few replies already.  Like a lot of others you can buy the Baltic Birch ply from various sources you can find on E-bay.  They are the 12" x 24" panels in 1/8 and 1/4 thicknecess by the box load.   It is OK  and I do ues it but I actually prefer to use Columbia Forest Products 5/32 in. or 1/4 in. x 1 ft. x 1 ft. 7 in. PureBond Plywood Project Panel (10-Pack) available from Home Depot with free delivery to your home.  They are available in various wood (Cherry, Oak, Mahogney, Maple and Walnut)at  a cost about $30 per box of 10 depending on the wood.   I typically use Maple and Walnut for the contrast.   The Walnut works good when stained with a Walnut stain to get a nice darck rich backer for those portaits like eagles and other anamals.    

These panels cut well and finish nicely.   I always sand my panels with 600 grit paper before applying a shelf liner material that the pattern is then afixed to with spray adheasive. This prevents any material lifitng when the liner material is removed.  The liner also keep the top layer from being picked up by the blade.  

Hope this info was a help.

Edited September 27, 2020 by FrankEV

[WolfmoonCT]

I use painters tape, and it usually works awesome. This is the worse plywood I have ever cut..   I'll have to look at that Columbia link.  Thanks Frank.

[Bill WIlson]

I get my BB ply from a local lumberyard that deals in hardwoods, plywood and millwork.  Never had that problem, but I feel your pain.

[Ctutor]

I get my baltic from  https://ocoochhardwoods.com/plywood/    good stuff and fast shipping

[ike]

I use Russian Bultic Berch 1/8 &1/4 sheetsI stack 3 and have never had any chipped wood  a 5X5 sheet runs about $22 That's cheeper than any I have seen. I useally useOlsone  #3 and 5 match blades.

IKE

[new2woodwrk]

According to my spreadsheet (which I try to keep current), https://ocoochhardwoods.com/plywood/ is the least expensive

I used to get mine from ebay, but the price has gone way up for that one

However with shipping, they're both pretty much the same price

Edited September 27, 2020 by new2woodwrk

[WolfmoonCT]

I'm going to bookmark that Ocooch one too.   I rarely use plywood. I don't usually do portrait or stuff like that. I usually do 1/4 or 3/8 inch stuff and I glue up for larger stuff.  I buy rough, and resaw it, glue it, then plane it down to thickness.  Like this is from some like 2 year old curly maple..  I prefer to cut from maple, red or white oak, and ash is my favorite.. but it's harder to find because of the ash bore.. But I've used some quartersawn sycamore too.

Edited September 27, 2020 by WolfmoonCT

[Gonzo]

I'm with new2woodwrk, Ochooch is very good place to get wood. 

[kmmcrafts]

I buy my BB ply from a local lumber supply shop.. 5ft x 5ft x1/8 piece is $13 and the 1/4 is $16.. They cut it in 1/3's for me so I end up with approx. 3 pieces of 20 x 60 inches.. no charge on the cuts unless it take them more than 5 minutes.. They usually can cut 5 sheets at a time on the 1/8" so I typically buy 10 sheets at a time.. keeps them just under the 5 min. LOL

[WolfmoonCT]

So far, the closest place that carries sheets of BB for me is 37 miles away..  For now, I did order one of the packs of columbia stuff frank mentioned, but I have bookmarked Ochooch for the future..  The other local place I may visit after I replace my truck..  I'm just not a fan of taking it very far. It's in need of replacing, and I had to wait till the divorce was final to do it.

[munzieb]

I have been buying my 1/8" BBPW from Wood-n-shops https://www.woodnshop.net//baltic-birch-plywood/ and am happy with their quality. When I am near my local Woodcraft shop I will buy from them also. Depending on where you live, shipping price can be an issue but I always buy enough to last me a while. I noticed that you used a reverse tooth blade on your project. I am not a fan of reverse tooth blades on thinner PW like 1/8". On the down stroke of a regular skip tooth blade, the blade pushes down on the surface of the table and is supported and does not pull up on the unsupported top. Even if you do stack cuts to back up the middle pattern, the top panel will be affected by the reverse tooth blade. I always lightly sand both surface sides with a 80 or 120 grit orbital sander to remove any loose fibers and better adhesion of the pattern. A light  spray coat of shellac on both sides may seal and add stability to the wood. I have done a multitude of plaques using 1/8" BBPW and never have an issue with the grain of the PW lifting. For fine details I will either use a 3/0 (31 teeth per ") puzzle blade or a #2 skip tooth blade.

[WolfmoonCT]

I'll have to look into some non R blades.  I pretty much only have R's.  I pretty much use Olson.. but I do have a bunch of FD I bought YEARS ago..  I will have to go through and see if I have any 3/0 there... I think I did see some...  I know I have like 3 packs of different sizes of spirals.  I tried them, but could not keep a good line with spirals.

[WolfmoonCT]

I want to thank Frank for the Columbia products suggestion.  I cut it with the Olson 2/0R blades I have, and it cut perfect.  Ply stayed perfectly flat..  I want to thank TD for the portrait too. They are going to be very happy with this I'm pretty sure.  I should have made the grain go vertical.. oh well...

Edited October 9, 2020 by WolfmoonCT

[Rockytime]

Looks great and the grain is fine!

[FrankEV]

17 hours ago, WolfmoonCT said:

I noted in your previous post, that you were cutting to fit a 8X10 frame.  From this pic I can't tell how large the pattern is or what the panel size is, but if you used a whole sheet for an 8X10 frame you wasted a lot of valuble wood.  I always try to pre plan what size I want the panel (8X10,11X14 or custom) and then trim my pattern (and possibly resizing as needed), to fit a pre cut panel.  That way I can usually get as much excess wood to use for another poject.    For examp0le you can cut two 8X10 panels fron one 12X19 1/2 panel.

BTW, very nice cut on that sad faced pooch...looks like he wants a scratch behind his ear. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by FrankEV

[WolfmoonCT]

11 minutes ago, FrankEV said:

I noted in your previous post, that you were cutting to fit a 8X10 frame.  From this pic I can't tell how large the pattern is or what the panel size is, but if you used a whole sheet for an 8X10 frame you wasted a lot of valuble wood.  I always try to pre plan what size I want the panel (8X10,11X14 or custom) and then trim my pattern (and possibly resizing as needed), to fit a pre cut panel.  That way I can usually get as much excess wood to use for another poject.    For examp0le you can cut two 8X10 panels fron one 12X19 1/2 panel.

BTW, very nice cut on that sad faced pooch...looks like he wants a scratch behind his ear. 

I'm cutting for 8 1/2 x 11 frame.  I cut the sheet in half so I got two pieces out of each sheet. That's why the grain is going sideways..  I would have preferred it going vertical, but that would have wasted a lot of wood is right.  I cut it at 8 1/2 wide first,  then I cut about an inch off the top edge.  I think It wasted about an inch across the top and an inch on the side of the second cut.  I hate wasting wood. That's why for all my solid wood stuff, I will buy rough cut, get a single flat face, and resaw it in half, then skim pass it through the planer to get two pieces to glue up into one panel, then I can run that through the panel to get it down to final thickness of usually 3/8" or just under it, depending on the cut.  I won't buy 3/4" stuff at big box and plane away from 3/4 down to 3/8.

[OzarkSawdust]

I'm in the Ocooch Hardwoods camp also. Good wood and fast delivery. I order ply and hardwoods also.

[amazingkevin]

On 9/27/2020 at 5:13 PM, FrankEV said:

I've mentioned this in a few replies already.  Like a lot of others you can buy the Baltic Birch ply from various sources you can find on E-bay.  They are the 12" x 24" panels in 1/8 and 1/4 thicknecess by the box load.   It is OK  and I do ues it but I actually prefer to use Columbia Forest Products 5/32 in. or 1/4 in. x 1 ft. x 1 ft. 7 in. PureBond Plywood Project Panel (10-Pack) available from Home Depot with free delivery to your home.  They are available in various wood (Cherry, Oak, Mahogney, Maple and Walnut)at  a cost about $30 per box of 10 depending on the wood.   I typically use Maple and Walnut for the contrast.   The Walnut works good when stained with a Walnut stain to get a nice darck rich backer for those portaits like eagles and other anamals.    

These panels cut well and finish nicely.   I always sand my panels with 600 grit paper before applying a shelf liner material that the pattern is then afixed to with spray adheasive. This prevents any material lifitng when the liner material is removed.  The liner also keep the top layer from being picked up by the blade.  

Hope this info was a help.

Just yesterday I was going to cut ornaments and was thinking of sanding the wood first but had no idea what grit. You saved the day again! Your right sanding with fine sandpaper will not lift the fragile slivers of wood in patterns,!!! Thanks Frank!!!

[kmmcrafts]

When I sand my BB ply or any solid timber I start sanding with 80 grit.. I sand it both sides and work my way up to 320 grit.. That 80 grit removes any loose fibers all together and gets me down to a good solid foundation.. But of course you can't sand normal plywood like that because the laminate layer is way too thin.. but I've never had a issue with the normal plywood either.. as it's already quite smooth etc.. but BB ply is almost never super smooth.. especially after it has sat around for a while.. I buy in bulk to save money.. typically 20 5ft x 5ft sheets at a time. Try to buy enough to last me a full year.. however that never usually works out like that for me and I end up making another trip to pick up a couple more sheets.. The place I buy runs a huge sale every year. I try to buy all my stuff at that sale to last me through the next year..