Whats the differnce between Red oak ply and no ply.

[jpedersm]

Hey guys,

I was kinda curious on what the difference would be if I get a 12 X 12 section of Red oak play from Ocooch Hardwoods - Supplier of Wood for Scroll Sawing, Carving Stock, Intarsia wood, Plywood for scroll sawing, and more. then getting a 8" X 24 slab this is solid not ply. I could save some money and get more wood by going with the ply route, but would it be really worth it?

[NC Scroller]

The 8" x 24" is solid wood likely cut using a band saw. If you own a bandsaw you can do yourself in a technique called resawing. Watch the video below. The issue with the thin stock is it subject to warp and crack a lot more then plywood.


Band Saw Resawing - YouTube

[jpedersm]

So your saying if I can pay $3.00 for a 12" X 12" slab of Red oak ply do it instead of getting a 8" X 24" slap of non ply red oak that is over 2X the ply price (each is a quater inch thinck)? Also is there any finishing differnces and cutting differences?

[handibunny]

The surfaces of both should finish the same, since they're both oak, but the plywood will have the plies showing on the edges. That's OK for certain projects, but not others. For example, puzzles can have plies showing on the sides, but you wouldn't want the plies showing on the sides of a box lid, unless you're trying for a special effect.

Plywood is always more stable than solid wood. Thin wood is more likely to warp, but if you get it from a reputable dealer, it should be totally flat. All wood should be stored flat, preferably with spacers between the pieces. If you store it on edge, you're asking for trouble--it will certainly start to warp over time.

[Keith Fenton]

The plywood is nice because it generally more stable and has less chance of warping but in my opinion, the edges look bad on many projects where the edge is exposed. I don't use ply for anything except portraits myself.

[Bill Wilson]

The site you linked says that their oak plywood has an MDF core. This isn't necessarily a problem, but as others have mentioned, appearance will be affected. Also, on some soild core plywoods, I've seen where the core has a tendency to chip out in some of the more delicate and fragile parts of fretwork.

Another consideration when using a veneered plywood is that the veneer is extrememly thin. You must use great caution when sanding or you risk cutting through the veneer. This kind of damage is very difficult to nearly impossible to repair.

Personally, I prefer solid woods myself. I know cost is a big consideration, but I try and pick the material that is best suited to the project and the appearance I desire, rather than let cost dictate. We scrollers put a lot of time & effort into our projects. It's worth it to make sure the appropriate material is used to get the best results for all that hard work.

[millwab]

I was kinda curious on what the difference would be if I get a 12 X 12 section of Red oak play ... then getting a 8" X 24 slab this is solid not ply.

You never mentioned what kind of project your making. As Bill said, try and pick the material that is best suited to the project and the appearance you desire. Is your question being asked in general, or do you have a specific project in mind?

[jpedersm]

Theres a couple of project I am doing for christmas so I am probally just go with ply. I was looking at trying to build an inventory in the upcoming furuture and the cheepeist way to do it. If I would go with the ply route would people still buy the items at craft shows?

[Bill Wilson]

I don't sell, so I'm no authority, but seems to me, what craft show customers want/prefer is kind of moving target. There are a lot of variables in play, such as geographic location, regional economy, nature and quality of the other vendors wares, selling prices, etc.

If I were trying to sell something, I would still go back to the theory of what is appropriate for the piece. Plywood has it's place and many types of projects are best made from plywood. In other cases, not so much, IMHO. If you are using plywood, simply becuase it's cheap, does that make your finished goods look cheap? I can't answer that and don't want to imply anything. It's just that it isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all situation. Only you can make the determination as to whether or not the finished product reflects the image you want to project to your customers. If plywood serves the purpose, by all means use it. If it helps you be more profitable, even better.