Anybody ever attempt to make (press) their own "plywood" for soundboard material? I have been bringing home slipsheet material from work that is used to protect Baltic ply and other sheetstock originating from overseas. This mystery veneer has been pressed into a single sheet itself and about 1/16" and has some real character to it.. I've got around 200lb or so in solid construction block for my makeshift press. I figured that making it 3-ply might do the trick for a top.
I'd probably be better off just using a piece of hollow core door skin and laminating a single ply to that but I'm a glutton for punishment.
This may turn out really cool or I'm embarking on an epic fools errand. Wish me luck! ;)
RC
Replies
That's luan. Same stuff as used for skinning hollow core doors. I'm with the others - if all it's gonna cost you is some time and glue, I too say go for it.
About 20 years ago, a buddy of mine back in Georgia laminated some sheets of a similar material to yours together using his car as a press. He laid a piece of plywood on the garage floor, covered that with plastic wrap, put his lamination on that, more plastic wrap on top of the lamination, then laid a big piece of 1/4" steel plate on top of that, then pulled his car onto the steel plate. (He put the driver's side front tire right in the middle of the plate.) Next morning he backed the car off the plate, and boom - plywood.
The one my be but still not sure about the other,What is out there for Lauan today is so much different than when I was first in the industry.
I like the car press idea ;)
RC.
They're both luan (AKA Philippine Mahogany.) The grain patterns just depend on what part of the tree they slice the veneer from - i.e.sap wood vs.heart wood. The piece on the right in your picture looks to be from the sap wood. In the cabinet business, I cut more sheets of luan plywood than I can count (we used it for nailers and bracing where it wouldn't be seen,) and I saw all kinds of grain patterns and colors, and that's what it looks like to me. I mean, I could very well be wrong (you're absolutely right about what's out there now being different from even 10 years ago,) but in this case I don't think I am.
An easy way to tell is to cut them both on the table saw and just let your nose tell you. Luan has a very distinct odor when cut - kind of like manure. Yep - manure. Take a whiff while it's running through the saw - you'll know if it's luan or not.
Still, they'll make great sound boards, no matter what they are.
Philippine Mahogany does cover several species but I'm thinking your right. I looked through a stack of 1/4" Lauan underlayment at work today. Maybe not as much character but a lot of it looked like the one I thought looked like ash. Back in the day, most any Lauan underlayment or door skins that I came across were a much uniform darker red. All that sfuff was probably color selected, for the door veneers anyway.w
I'll put it to the stink test and let you know :)
RC
This stuff is @ 1/16". I'm going to give it a go with a 2-ply layup, Ron. it's going to be a resonator of sorts so not much top left to brace but I'll give it a shot.
Here are some quick (poor quality unfortunately) pics of some of the material I'm using. I'm not veneering as such but doing a "poormans" plywood layup. I think the left may be Ash or Butternut but am stumped on the other.
There's some great info on the veneer process here. You can get the equipment for a relatively economical price.
Joe Woodworker - Veneering
I might try and find some of that slipsheet myself.
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