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View Full Version : Eighth inch cherry plywood with hardwood core??



Victor Ebersole
07-16-2011, 5:34 PM
I am doing a delicate project that requires 1) easy of cutting 2) good engraving contrast and 3) strength.

I began by using eight inch alder which looks very nice but breaks too easily. I then tried eighth inch baltic birch plywood which is very strong but the contrast is terrible. I tried a cherry veneer plywood but it is the cheap luan core which is too brittle.

An ideal solution would be a cherry veneer on a baltic birch or other hardwood core. Does anyone know if/where I can get such a product???

Mike Null
07-17-2011, 6:13 AM
Both George Perzel and Ray Mighells, SMC members and Friends of the Creek, sell woods that work very well for this and many other laser engraver projects. You can look on the FOTC roster or PM them for details.

Victor Ebersole
08-04-2011, 10:55 PM
Just for the record, I ended up applying a self-adhesive alder veneer to eighth inch baltic birch and have been happy with the results!

Tom Sieczkarek
08-05-2011, 8:24 AM
Just for the record, I ended up applying a self-adhesive alder veneer to eighth inch baltic birch and have been happy with the results!
Make sure you apply a backer sheet to the plywood, as adding a veneer to one side will cause the piece to warp.

Craig Matheny
08-05-2011, 1:50 PM
Why not just stain the Baltic birch many great colors and the finished products looks fine.

Victor Ebersole
08-05-2011, 6:41 PM
I'm engraving a saying with the background dark and the letters light... staining is too uniform. It doesn't give me the contrast and has a tendency to bleed into the letters...but maybe I tried to dark of a stain.

Craig Matheny
08-06-2011, 1:49 PM
Stain prior to cutting and engraving