I’ve really been getting into foiling fins from plywood, and now I’ve started making hand planes from the stuff too. But I can never seem to find the proper type of wood. I’ve used 1/2" and 3/8" craft plywood (from Michael’s or AC Moore) for fins, and generally 1/2" Birch ‘handy panels’ from Home Depot (which is filled with oh so many voids).
I have been after the elusive ‘black glue lines’ for quite some time because of it’s strikingly beautiful contrast, and it seems whenever I see those fins of planes, it says ‘marine ply.’
Problem solved, I thought. Went to the local lumber yard and paid 85 freaking dollars for AB Douglas Fir marine ply. Took the stuff home and starting making some hand-planes for my local shop (I prefer solid wood, anyway) and I noticed the wood had a lot of voids and whatnot in it, and when foiled, although it gave me my pretty black glue, I noticed that the foil came out lumpy, that is, the grain of the wood prevented it from sanding comepletely even. I’m no stranger to foiling, and that was the first time it happened. Needless to say, for $85, I expected more. I made my money back on it in sales, but that’s besdies the point.
My question is: What IS the type of wood that’s used for fins and planes that has black (or at least a more contrasting color) glue, such as the Mandala photo I posted. I wanna stop wasting money on sub-par wood.
Ahmmm- speaking as a boat carpenter/boatbuilder- my original trade, before I got mixed up with this lot- the Doug Fir ‘marine plywood’ is horrible stuff, used in exterior stuff on houses, storm panels and hurricane shutters and the like. I wouldn’t use it on a boat, or at least not on my boat.
Now, what I’d do is look for some Meranti or similar, high end imported marine ply. And when I just need a wee bit of the stuff, I go to somebody that uses a lot of it ( your friendly neighborhood boatyard) with some good beer and beg for scraps.
Make sure it’s good beer, better yet really good ale. Boatbuilders don’t drink lite.
Ply comes in different grades PE , usually you get what your prepared to pay for…its cheap and very practical…however if you wanna go a step beyond plywood ., laminate thin sheets of wood into a panel , and keep the grain all running in the same direction…much better to shape , and a better quality end product…plus a lot more work !
Uhm- not cheap, depends on what woods, what thickness and then how big a sheet - the stuff comes quite long, enough to build half a boat out of, and I’m not talking a small boat here. But the really good stuff starts at around $100-120 a 4 x 8 sheet and it goes up from there. .
Which is why boat guys are reluctant to throw out small, fin-sized pieces. I’d bring the good beer, offer to pay for the small bits anyways. After all, chances are you’ll want to go back for more, or buy a sheet sometime.
Good ply is expensive…
Kayu’s method seems like a good one I had been thinking of laying up a fin panel with layers of veneer and tinted glass. Probably not practical for a big sheet though.
…its basically the same traditional process as making a multi-coloured poly panel…half a dozen layers of clear 60z in the middle,will give you a nice naturally foiled halo ,and some nice wood, to laminate out to the thickness you want…probably cheaper than all glass actually…
I was actually thinking of doing this, and staining each ply a different color, so then it would be a sort of ‘rainbow fin’ after i was done with it. It either has the potential to be really cool or really crappy. The plys I was looking at were $10 a peice though. That would be one expensive fin.
You ever peruse certainlywood.com? There’s no end of options on there.
Sometimes they have stuff beyond the typical 1/40" thickness, as well. If you were considering laying up your own ply as Kayu suggested, this would be the first place I would look. If you do the math, you may find it’s a better deal per square foot of fin stock than you think. Just a thought.
I bought a full 4’x8’ sheet of Canadian 5-ply maple. 3/8" thick. Same stuff some skateboard companies use, only thinner. Makes nice glass-on fins and Single fins with more glass on the sides.Still trying to use it all up. Barry
