Does anybody have a good source for bass or even ply doorskin in 4’x10’ in around 3/16" thick? I know they make komatex sheets in that length if I get desperate.
Thanks
I have some sources, big problem is getting it milled. Red Luan plywood is available 10’ sheets – What is your location?
Uhmm- question:
If you’re looking for a stick of wood, say 3/16 to 1/4" thick, 10’ long and ( call it) 6" wide, why go with 4’x10’ sheets of a ply-type stuff? Why not hit a lumberyard or someplace similar for piece of wood instead?
For instance: http://www.lsvlumber.com/LSVindex.htm - lots more, just do a search for ‘basswood lumber boards’ and pick one near you. Likewise, custom cabinet shops often can get hardwoods or softwoods and can rip and plane it to the dimensions you want.
Now, if I had a buddy with a wood shop set up like mine is, I’d get a piece of red cedar ( easily obtainable, it gets used for exterior trim a lot ) , clear grained, maybe 6" wide and 3/4" thick. Send it through the bandsaw to rip it into two 6" x 3/8" pieces, then through a surface planer to make it smooth both sides and 3/16 to 1/4" thick. Most high school shops have similar stuff, as do tech schools and lots of other places.
hope that’s of use
doc…
1/4" Redwood bender board in the garden department of home depot. You can get 8’, 12’ & 14’ lengths, 4" wide. Glue-up side by side. Cut your rocker line and plane to thickness. -mv
Doc has provided the correct answer.
I don’t have those tools, however I go to the nearest lumber shop, get the thinest, widest, straightest piece of spruce I can get with nice grain. For longboard I’ve left it the thickness the plank was(3/8"), for shorter boards I’ve planed down the thickness with a ‘regular planer’. A stationary thickness planer would be better, no doubt, but a regular planer does the job well IMHO with a little practice. I actuall used it as a learning stage for using the planer as a shaping tool, if I could get the stringer smooth that was a good sign. If it’s not wide enough for the rocker, I glue on pieces at the tail and nose. The glue line is much much longer then the stringer is thick in that place anyway so my guess it that the glue joint is just as stong if not stronger than the wood(I think 1/8 length to thickness joint with epoxy was stronger than wood).
regards,
Håvard
Shine, I’m in Southern California. I guess you and I have the same problem.
I also saw a post in some wood trade supply place by a guy in San Clemente who wanted 20 4’x 10’-12’ thick boards a week. Seems like he has a similar plight, but on a larger scale. http://www.woodplanet.com/main/selling/woodwanted_more.cfm?cat=57&rfqid=41919
Thanks everybody.
In So. Cal.— Frost lumber, or J&W Redwood. Both have large dimensional stock.
Why not make a scarf joint? A properly made scarf joint is as strong if not stronger than the wood… well maybe! That is to say… provided the wood in use is grade A, the grains run straight, the glue is …say some 2 component epoxy, the scarfs (surfaces) are clean and properly mated. Should work. Aircraft (wood) builders use them regularly and it works! OK… at first the concept of scarfing sounds labour intensive but once you get the hang of it… Its surprisingly easy!!! Basicly you need : Good hand plane (can be electric or non, as long as its sharp and you know how to use it), sandpaper+block, straight edge/rule, square, very sharp pencil, a straight table, some clamps… hmm what else? oh yes and abit of patience. ( maybe a band saw or japanese (kataba or ryoba) pull saw will speed things up a bit, not much though) I think thats all…
The ratio of the scarf with experimental aircraft builders is somewhere between 1:12- 1:15 depending on the application. I’ve watched some amateur boatbuilders use a ratio of as little as 1:5 … none have reported failurs yet (not that they would do so voluntarily).
What I mean by the ratio say example; 1: 10 means… say you have a strip of 5 mm thick, thats the “1” in “1:10” then you have to make a straight and level diagonal cut “ten times the thickness of the piece to be joined” ie. 50mm lenthwise of the piece to be joined… I know this may sound confusing but heres a link to a picture that hopefully will clear the mystery.
http://www.dlc.fi/~jmpaaso/Surf/6_4_retro/pages/P1062193_JPG.htm
Properly doen… I think They should be strong enough to act as center stringers for surf boards… especially when located near the center.
Also have used same technique for bows (archery again) as have many others. I locate the scarf at the handle or the center of the bow… bows draw weights exceeds 50+ lbs. all have stayed intact so far… SO I’m thinking it should work for boards as well.
So far for my measly 6’4" I’ve pretty much had to scarf every single bit of plywood and some jatoba strips… there have been quite a few.
Jouhou
You could also go to Austin Hardwood (its where the 5 & 55 freeways meet). I bought 4x10 1/4" mdf so I know that they carry oversized sheet lumber. I bet you could get ply there. This is where Clark foam gots there stringer material
General Veneer Manufacturing Co.
8652 Otis Street
P.O. Box 1607
South Gate, California, U.S.A.
90280
- 564-2661
DanB, you are a hero! That is exactly what I am looking for.