Plywood

[Makingtoothpicks]

Baltic birch plywood or some other hard plywood will this V-carve very well. If the answer is yes
do you have a screen shot of this as a v-carve. I am thinking of making something in 3/4 " ply.
If it will work I will get a 4X8 sheet.I will be painting the V part so you should not see the layers.
I may fill with color epoxy. The v-carve will go about 1/2 deep in some spots.

Thank You
Don

[martin54]

Any hardwood ply should vcarve OK Don, not got any pictures just now but have Jigs that I use for repeat jobs made from far eastern ply (external grade). I have carved the jig names into them so I know what they are for

As for your project, if I were to be using a resin infill then I wouldn't carve to full depth, I would set a max depth so I didn't carve to deeply, saves on the amount of material you use for the infill

Will see if I can get some pictures.

[ger21]

In the US, "Hardwood Plywood" would be hardwood veneers over softwood cores. Very different from Baltic Birch, which is hardwood layers all the way through.

[martin54]

In the US, "Hardwood Plywood" would be hardwood veneers over softwood cores. Very different from Baltic Birch, which is hardwood layers all the way through.

It's probably the same in the UK ger21, I don't use or cut a lot of plywood, I do know that one supplier I have bought from has a huge range all made from different wood types. Just checked their website & it looks like far eastern (what I use for external work) has a poplar core
Baltic Birch is something that I haven't used mainly due to the fact that it's not available locally I have to place a special order for it where I live which makes it very expensive. Have wanted to try it for a couple of different projects so will get round to machining it at some point in the future

The far eastern machined OK, just vcarved text in it but don't see any reason why a graphic would carve any differently. I would still use a max depth for the carve to save on infill material though, but if painting then I would probably carve full depth,

[Makingtoothpicks]

Thank you for the replies. Martin good thinking on the filling. Paint full cut and filling flat depth to save material.

Ger21 thank you I did not think about what the layers are made of. I did ask about
plywood at my local wood store. They told me that some hard
wood had mdf core.

Thank You
Don

[dealguy11]

It can come with a variety of cores. MDF core is sometimes a little less expensive and it tends not to warp as much as regular plywood. That's what we use for slab panel cabinet doors. As long as you're ok with the look of MDF, then it will carve well.

It can also come veneer core, and the veneers can be either a softwood, poplar, or lauan. The nicer stuff I buy generally has poplar cores and fewer voids and would carve nicely. My concern with non-cabinet-grade plywood is that it almost always has lots of voids in the internal veneers that would show up in a v-carve. Baltic or russian birch is usually pretty solid all the way through and, as mentioned above, the plies are all hardwood

There is also composite core stuff that has a veneer core, with an MDF layer under the outside veneer so the top veneer lays very smooth. This also would carve nicely unless you go through the MDF - the center plies are not always that clear.

[Makingtoothpicks]

I think I could use the MDF core. I plan on painting or filling the V-carve work.
If I do that you will not see what the cores are. If I leave the wood and maybe
stain then I would do some test on scrap.

Thank You
Don

[FixitMike]

Whenever I VCarve plywood for paint fill, I always put a couple of coats of finish on first. Makes it a lot easier to sand off the excess paint, and adds strength to the surface wood fibers. If the plywood surface is an open grain wood, such as oak, I use filler first and sand smooth. After carving, I add another coat of finish or sealer to prevent paint bleed.

On the other hand, if the surface veneer is quite thin (as it usually is), the letters large, and the next layer contrasts in color, I may just use the material contrast rather than paint fill to show the letters.

Small letters (1/4" or smaller) VCarved on regular plywood haven't worked well for me, because they can have a lot of chipout.

3/4" high letters VCarved in 3/4" AC fir plywood with no fill.

[Daniel S]

I use Baltic birch ply for many things and find that it carves OK. But it has its limitations, I have found it may split on small letters so must limit the depth of cut depending on letter size. I use it for utility use as in slant boards I made for my son-in-law's physical therapy business. I will attach a picture of how I used them, only the spelling was my downfall of these items. Still all said and done nothing beats cherry, maple, or walnut for getting great results every time.
Dan

[Makingtoothpicks]

Looking at the pictures I think what I want to do should work.
I am not doing text. It will be Celtic designs. The replies have
been a big help. Here is an example of what I have in mind.
This looks a little cluttered but I will be making these as single
12x12 tile pieces.

Thank You