Source for thin wood

[Tim Neal]

Anyone know of a good supplier for thin (1/8" or 3/32") wood. I know LaserBits has thin sheets of Alder, but I'm looking to get it more cost effectively than what I can get from them. Thanks.

[Keith Outten]

Tim,

Thin Wood
Try Laserarts they are highly recommended here.

A lot of people here purchase thin wood from George Perzel at Laserarts. You can find the contact information in the FOTC Directory
.

[Terry Swift]

Michael Kowalcyk on this forum also sells thin 1/8" baltic birch. You can PM him on this site.

[rich shepard]

I use Balsa USA for my micro ply they have birch and poplar lite ply from 1/64th to 3/16th inch .
rich

[Kevin Groenke]

We used to order all of our scale lumber, thin sheets and thin ply(~$5000/yr) from National Balsa but a couple of years ago we discovered Bud Nosen Models BNM is a little odd to deal with and they really don't have a web storefront. They don't like to compete with their dealers, so they require you to jump through some hoops to set up an account. Once you get an account set up though, ordering via phone is quick and easy. They're about ~15% cheaper than National which was the next cheapest place I could nail down. BNM is also closer so shipping is more reasonable and I get my orders in 1-2 days. If you looking at quantity orders, it might be worth giving Bud a call.

Aircraft Spruce also has reasonable prices on thin plywoods.

-kg

[Keith Outten]

Terry,

Thanks for reminding me about Michael Kowalcyk, he is also listed in the FOTC directory.
.

[Todd Koessl]

When I lived in St. Louis, I used a place called Wood & Shop. They carry an unreal inventory of wood down to 1/8". Their website is www.woodnshop.com

[Mike Null]

Todd

You are right about Wood'n'Shop. Their selection is the best I've ever seen.

They are no longer in St. Louis though--they moved to Troy,MO. No matter, as their business is internet based.

[Shawn Handley]

Not to hijack this thread but does anyone know of any good Canadian thin wood suppliers, preferably with a web store front.

[Dave Gates]

you can always try http://www.coloradoheirloom.com/

[Rodne Gold]

I struggled to get thin wood in South Africa - eventually we hit on a solution , I use 1.5-3mm (1/16th to 1/8th) Low/medium density fibreboard (MDF) and veneer it either single or double sided - I can get any wood I want and just about any size this way - and it's quite cheap. Laser engraves and cuts awesomely.
The only issue I have is bigger sheets bowing , so we store the sheets flat with a lot of weight atop. (chipped marble bases damaged in transit from china)

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Rodne;
Believe it or not we have a tough time finding 1/8" LDF or MDF in the USA and have never seen 1/16" but would love to get my hands on some. Your solution is great as I've found thin MDF stays flatter than solid wood or ply and veneer is available in abundance.
Anyone know where to find 1/8" or 1/16" MDF in the States??
Best regards;
George
LaserArts

[Kevin Groenke]

We just ordered 20 sheets of 1/8" mdf from our local full-service lumber yard (Industrial Lumber and Plywood) $7.83/4x8sht!! Cuts like butta. I had inquired about 1/8" mdf in the past but they never stocked it, must have just started recently. Nothing thinner at this time, I don't know how 1/16" would be transported.

-kg

[Terry Swift]

If you have a Michael's Hobby / Craft Store, they carry many sizes and thickness of Baltic birch. They can order large quantities as well. I think after their pricing and taxes, Michael K. may be as cheap as they come or it equals out. I found another guy that will cut to size and offers different thicknesses up in MO or IL, but I can't currently find his info to pass on; but he had very good prices considering he would do squares, rectangles, or even circles. I'll have to look up his info to pass on.

[Lee DeRaud]

We just ordered 20 sheets of 1/8" mdf from our local full-service lumber yard (Industrial Lumber and Plywood) $7.83/4x8sht!! Cuts like butta. I had inquired about 1/8" mdf in the past but they never stocked it, must have just started recently. Nothing thinner at this time, I don't know how 1/16" would be transported.

What he said.

1/8" MDF is thick on the ground out here, but I've never seen 1/16". But I have seen 1/8" panels (e.g. at Rockler) made from two veneer skins with an MDF core not much thicker than 1/16", so such stuff apparently exists.