Vector cutting plywood

[Todd Schwartz]

Have been successfully vector cutting 1/8" and 1/4" baltic birch plywood. Bought a new batch from a different supplier and had nothing but problems with the 1/4". Ran into thick pockets of glue - I could vector cut through most of the project and then run into a spot where even with excessive amount of power (50watt) and reduction of speed could not get through it. When I would break open that spot, found a pocket of glue. I know regular plywood is know for this, but have never ran into this in baltic birch.

My question - are there different qualities of baltic birch? Did I buy a lower quality version or did I just hit a bad batch?

On a side note - tried vector cutting Finnish birch that was given to me to experiment with (thanks Rick) and could not get through it with any amount of power. I understand there is silica in the adhesive and looks like there is enough of it to keep from being able to be vector cut.

Todd

[Frank Corker]

Hi Todd, I think there must be. I have had quite a few different types of plywood, some went through like butter and other even thinner was a mess, burning the top layer. It's actually a very frustrating material to work with sometimes but I really think it's the glue they use.

[Nancy Laird]

On a side note - tried vector cutting Finnish birch that was given to me to experiment with (thanks Rick) and could not get through it with any amount of power. I understand there is silica in the adhesive and looks like there is enough of it to keep from being able to be vector cut.

Todd

Todd, we routinely cut Finnish birch (1/32") on both of our lasers - we use 100% power and 7% speed to cut business cards and bookmarks from it. Very seldom do we have a spot that doesn't cut all the way through. It cuts like a dream for us--on either machine.

Nancy (93 days)

[Richard Rumancik]

Definitely there are different levels of quality in baltic birch. From what I understand, the Finnish birch is the best quality. The Russian Baltic birch is of lower quality but has several grades to it. Usually you will see patches on one side and for lower grades on both sides. With true Finnish birch the inner cores are not supposed to have any voids. But the cheaper baltic birch grades can have voids and the inner layers might not even be birch. It is sometimes difficult to determine what you are getting. Some will have a grade stamp in one corner. I would look for grade B/BB or better. Look around and see if you can find an alternate source. Maybe try a cabinet shop and get recommendations as to what they use.

I just cut some parts from customer-supplied material and there were knots and voids inside which do not cut through properly. So the laser time and material is wasted as the parts cannot be separated from the sheet without damage. Buying better quality sometimes saves in the long run.

Here's a bit of info. Search on "baltic birch" and "grades" for more.

http://www.woodworkersart.com/faqDtl...lag=2&CatId=30

[Joe Pelonio]

I've never had trouble cutting birch either, Baltic, Finnish, or even the 1/4" 3 ply birch from H.D. Maybe you just got some from a bad batch.

[Bill Cunningham]

The 1/4" birch ply from H.D. works well for me too.. Looked at the 1/8" baltic birch price at Michaels the other day. I guess they haven't heard that the Canadian Dollar is now at par with the U.S. Buck.. They want $9.00 for a 12 x 24 piece.. Their gonna have it in stock for a long time before they can sell it at that price now!!

[Nancy Laird]

Bill, that's an outrageous price for 1/8" BB ply. We just got hit with a price increase on 5x5' sheets - $10.40 per. But we gotta pay it--we go through 100 or more sheets a year with our laser business.

Nancy (92 days)

[Bill Cunningham]

Yup It sure is!! Today, the Canadian Dollar was actually worth more than the U.S. dollar for the first time since the mid 70's and we are 'still' paying an average of 23% 'more' for stuff than it sells for in the states.. The 'real' suppliers (not Michael's their just for the 'crafty folk') are going to be facing a uprising pretty soon if the prices don't start dropping. If I can buy it for 23%-25% less on the web, I will be doing a lot more importing..Now, we just have to make it clear to U.P.S that walking across the import customs hall for a routine rubberstamping in a free trade country is NOT worth $35.00 when the post office clears it for $5.00


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