OK, so I'm looking at this luan plywood, thinking, "my, now that IS thin!" But, I'm pretty much on-board with the thinking that it's just the good-looking center of a composite construction, the part that gives the boat beauty and form, with the strength being imparted by the layer of fg cloth and epoxy on both sides. . .
Or, as it has been said,
I went to pick up some building supplies, and a sheet of PT plywood to fix up an old utility trailer, and the local store had luan! I seem to recall a newspaper ad that mentioned they had some 1/4" luan, but that didn't interest me. But the stuff I saw there was labeled "5.1 mm." It didn't look that thick to me, comparing it to what I remember the 3 mm sheets I just bought, but it had a beautiful grain pattern that I knew my wife would love. And it was only $8 a sheet, against the $12 a sheet I'd just paid for the 3 mm stuff! :shock:
I bought a sheet, thinking that maybe I'd use it just for the bottom panel. Now that she's seen it, I have to go back and get another 3 (or 4) sheets because she really loved the way it looked, more so than the sheets I'd already bought.
So, here's what's bothering me: The 3 mm material cost $12 a sheet, the 5.1 mm stuff that I measured to be more like 4 mm cost LESS. And as far as I can see, the difference in thickness is in the thickness of the outer veneers. The core looks to be the same thickness.
The thicker stuff doesn't feel as "whispy" or as flimsy as the thinner material, and it is a little heavier, but nowhere near as thick or heavy as the 1/4" CDX that my Pirogue is made of.
Does that sound right? The thinner, lighter plywood cost more than the thicker, heavier stuff? (Both are being sold as "luan," but in different stores.)
My measurements are not all that accurate, just used an old, cloth tape measure. I wonder if I when I go back to get more of the thicker, $8 sheets, if they'll let me remove a caliper from the "tools" section and take it over to the plywood stack to measure it? (Home Depot.)
In another thread, Mick gave this warning:
This, and the fact that my wife simply likes the looks of the grain on this thicker ply, is why I'm hesitant to use it for the bottom panel, and the thinner ply for the rest of the boat. I'm not so sure it applies here, as he was talking about two different species of wood, and a different hull design. (Freedom vs Swampgirl.) But I'll probably just get the additonal sheets of the thicker, 4mm (I think,) or 5.1 mm (they say,) just to keep her happy.
I don't handle confusion very well. Even though it is my natural state.
Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL
Or, as it has been said,
I went to pick up some building supplies, and a sheet of PT plywood to fix up an old utility trailer, and the local store had luan! I seem to recall a newspaper ad that mentioned they had some 1/4" luan, but that didn't interest me. But the stuff I saw there was labeled "5.1 mm." It didn't look that thick to me, comparing it to what I remember the 3 mm sheets I just bought, but it had a beautiful grain pattern that I knew my wife would love. And it was only $8 a sheet, against the $12 a sheet I'd just paid for the 3 mm stuff! :shock:
I bought a sheet, thinking that maybe I'd use it just for the bottom panel. Now that she's seen it, I have to go back and get another 3 (or 4) sheets because she really loved the way it looked, more so than the sheets I'd already bought.
So, here's what's bothering me: The 3 mm material cost $12 a sheet, the 5.1 mm stuff that I measured to be more like 4 mm cost LESS. And as far as I can see, the difference in thickness is in the thickness of the outer veneers. The core looks to be the same thickness.
The thicker stuff doesn't feel as "whispy" or as flimsy as the thinner material, and it is a little heavier, but nowhere near as thick or heavy as the 1/4" CDX that my Pirogue is made of.
Does that sound right? The thinner, lighter plywood cost more than the thicker, heavier stuff? (Both are being sold as "luan," but in different stores.)
My measurements are not all that accurate, just used an old, cloth tape measure. I wonder if I when I go back to get more of the thicker, $8 sheets, if they'll let me remove a caliper from the "tools" section and take it over to the plywood stack to measure it? (Home Depot.)
In another thread, Mick gave this warning:
This, and the fact that my wife simply likes the looks of the grain on this thicker ply, is why I'm hesitant to use it for the bottom panel, and the thinner ply for the rest of the boat. I'm not so sure it applies here, as he was talking about two different species of wood, and a different hull design. (Freedom vs Swampgirl.) But I'll probably just get the additonal sheets of the thicker, 4mm (I think,) or 5.1 mm (they say,) just to keep her happy.
I don't handle confusion very well. Even though it is my natural state.
Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL