BB ply

[RPM]

Hi all


Can someone point me in the right direction here?
I see "BB ply" come up a lot. I have googled it and can only get "Blockboard".

Is that right?

I am looking to find some wood ( it would be a start ) to get on with some scrolling.

Thanks

[CanadianScroller]

Baltic Birch ply has more laminations and less voids than regular play. That is the main reason we us it for scrolling.

[Marsha]

Hi RPM,
BB ply is Baltic Birch Plywood. It comes in many thicknesses from 2mm up to 20mm ( 1/8" to 3/4" ). It comes in approximately 1.55 meters x 1.55 meters (5' x 5') sheet and is manufactured in Europe. Alot of big box stores carry it, in a 4' x 8' sheet, however it is not true BB ply, usually the big box stores refer to it as European ply.
The reason why it is so popular is because it has very few voids in the plys.
I'm sure there will be other more elaborate responses to your querie, but in the mean time I hope this helps.

BTW: Welcome to the forum
Marsha

[RPM]

Thanks for the swift replies guys.

I have been using the saw on a bit of old stock I had lying around.
I will look into the BB ply now.

Thanks again.

[Gill]

Now you know what it is, try to forget about using it yourself. It's as rare as hen's teeth on this side of the pond .

Actually, you can get it from Hobbies and other model making shops, but at a price .

When I started, I used interior grade 4mm plywood from B&Q which is much cheaper and gives a fairly decent finish if you sand it before cutting. Then, one fine day, I discovered the joys of MDF. It isn't everbody's cup of tea but I like using it.

Gill

[RPM]

Thanks Gill,

What do you think I should use instead?

Sorry....I am a real newbie

I have lots of builders supplies near to where I live.They even do a cutting service, quite cheap too.

I just need to know what to ask for.



P.S The beatles! Fantastic work....thanks for sharing it with me.


Take care.

[Gill]

There's absolutely no need to apologise for asking 'newbie questions' - you don't learn if you don't ask and we've all been newbies ourselves at some point . Moreover, it can make those of us who are more experienced take stock and see if we're just doing it one way because that's the way we've always done it. Keep the questions coming!

As I said, I think your best bet is to try some interior grade plywood from a DIY 'shed'. Get the thinnest stuff you can, preferably 4mm but 6mm is probably easier to find. You could try thin MDF but the problem is that MDF dulls the blades much more quickly than ply.

Gill

[RPM]

Thanks.

I will be off to the DIY places soon to make some dust.

As for questions! well.....I have many


RPM

[PeteB]

I believe Lowe's carries Baltic birch. You may want to check with lumber distributors in your area, the people who normally sell not only to stores but to cabinet shops, etc. The real thing comes in 5' X 5' sheets.

To add to the confusion, Baltic birch is graded with a system of 'B's, with B/B meaning clear on both sides (B front/B back) and without patches. BB/BBB is a very common grade, meaning pretty good on one side, not so hot on the back. The best I've seen sold is B/BB. So, if you're on the phone with a store clerk and he tells you they have "Triple B", it could be just about anything, better take a look.

Pete

[SharonW0111]

I don't know what side of the pond you are on but when I started I used interior ply-- I had a lot of trouble with it - if you can order through e bay then they have excelent choices and fairly reasonable prices there. The wood I got is excelent grade- altho I haven't cut any yet ( still to shaky to mess it up) I am eager to give it a try. You may want to try to use just plain 2x4 s also and if you can get any thinner that would be great.. I have glued the sides together to make the size I wanted and it does cut good.
but I buy my BBP from home depot for $30 a 3/4x4x8 sheet which last me a long time - the thinner the cheaper.

Hope this helps
I use MDF for my backer boar

Sharon

[minowevie]

Rpm.. I too, don't know where you live. I am in southern Calif. upper dessert. and I can't get good BB/ply wood here. at least haven't fownd it yet. mine here is so full of voids. that meens little holes inside the plywood. Ha, I bet you knew that. but what i use is red oak 1/4 inch plywood. in my home depot. that is better than the bbply. but even then that is junk too. so i go to my wood store closes to me. which is Peterman Lumber, Inc. also. Rockler. it only cost me $19.00 a 4'x8' sheet. and it works great for me. you can also get in 1/8 " thick sheets. thats just in my area. its out there. just hang around and youll find more places. it would help . if we knew what side of the globe you lived in. also. you can go to your locale cabnet shops. and they will sell you, or most likely give you their left overs to pratise on. and it is not only plywood. but hard woods. Evie

[Gill]

I've just found another source for BBP . It's German, not British, but it also retails to the US. (Yup - RPM is another scroller from the eastern side of the pond .)

Why do I mention the US? I think scrollers both across the pond and here in blighty will be very interested in some of the patterns that are available, especially as Christmas approaches .

I've never ordered from this site myself, nor do I have any association with them.

http://www.designwood.de/englisch/openstore.htm

Gill

[Gill]

Isn't it typical? After saying that BBP isn't available in the UK, I've just found it detailed on the Arnold Laver stock list.



Obviously, I've never bought any myself, nor do I know the price, the quality (Lavers is a builders merchant after all) or details of making such a special order. So if you decide to investigate further, RPM, I'd be very interested in hearing how you get on.

Gill

[RPM]

Hi Gill,

I managed to get some ply today.
I got 4mm interior ply. I wanted some blanks to do some practice on.
I asked the guy in the store and he said he would cut it for me.
So...I got 50, 300x200 (A4ish) blanks They cost around 6p each, £8 in all

I was going to post a picture but figured a blank will not be that intresting, or would it?


Take care.

[Gill]

I think we've all got a pretty good idea of what blank wood looks like . Don't forget to give it a good sanding down before you start cutting - it'll be too fiddly and fragile afterwards.

50 pieces the size of A4 for £8 is very good value, but according to my maths, 50 blanks at 6p each should have cost £3 altogther. Perhaps the '1' on your keyboard let you down! Nevertheless, it's definitely a bargain.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you make of your stash.

Gill