Finishing BB Plywood?

[mowerman1193]

What sort of finish do you all use on BB Ply for portrait projects?? I like the stuff but I don't car too much for the color/grain ect. I bought a big 5'x5' peice of the stuff last year and just have not used it because I don't care for the look..I have found I really like the look of using just plain old hardwoods..Mostly Red Oak for my portrait stuff..

Is there a good hardwood plywood in 1/8" that would be good for scroll sawing? Maybe I need to use something like that instead as sometimes finding a piece of Red Oak big enough for a portrait is hard to do even though I have a couple good lumber supply store nearby..Then if I leave it sit here too long it gets warped so bad that its hard to cut..

Really like the BB ply but don't care for the look of it..

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas..
Kevin

[Marsha]

[Mick Walker]

mowerman, I don't care to use red oak for a portrait as it has way too much grain. I prefer to use Finnish birch plywood. There is some grain to it and I try to work the grain into the portrait. I like to use Minwax water based Polycrylic, clear semi-gloss spray. You have to give it a light sanding after the first coat as it will raise the grain.3 coats about 30 minutes apart usually does a fine job. Scroll Saw Patterns, Plans, Scrollsaw Blades, Clock Parts, Woodworking Supplies and Scroll Saw Patterns Plans Books & Blades for your projects - On Sale at Scroller Ltd. both have 1/4" red oak plywood that I have used for scenic cuttings. Heritage Building Specialities Home Page - Hardwood Headquarters has large pieces of solid wood for scrolling.

[B Smith]

Mowerman. Try this site for 1/8 oak plywood.Scroll Saw Patterns-Jeff Zaffino

[YodaScrollMaster]

Mowerman. Try this site for 1/8 oak plywood.Scroll Saw Patterns-Jeff Zaffino

I don't think Jeff is selling wood on his site at the moment.

[Tom J.]

I haven't tried it yet but what about veneer of your choise over the BB. The BB would give the stability.

Tom

[mowerman1193]

Tom I never thought about veneer..That's a cool idea to try..However it would cost more and take more time to get ready for cutting..

Thanks for the ideas,
Kevin

[popsshop]

Two things come to mind here - stability and veneer thickness.

Most "hardwood" plywoods that I find have a filler in the middle and missing pieces inside that you don't know are there until you hit one.

Veneer thickness on most of the stuff I find is verrrrrrrrry thin - 1/64" - extremely difficult to control and splits out.

Hmmmmmmmmm, putting my own veneer on BB ? ? ? ? gotta try that one.

my 2% of a buck

[mowerman1193]

I am planning to go to my local supply ( hopefully ) this next week..I never priced veneer but I am going to look into it and maybe give this a try..Any suggestions on what to use to bond the veneer?..

Thanks,
Kevin

[Indiana saw man]

try checking to see if there is any veneer mills around you . I was in the veneer work for about 35 yrs. they burn a lot of there wast

[bluelucky]

I usually use a wood conditioner on BB if needed. I take a piece from the cutout and stain it with wnd without conditioner and choose best look. And I use a sanding sealer first before I sand then put finish coats on. That's my 2 cents.
Michael...Indy.......