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Post by danrhodes on Jun 1, 2016 18:55:41 GMT -8
I think the pieces in the plies are getting smaller and smaller, which might contribute to the splintering… more voids too! It's just plain garbage. Just like way back when I was a kid, you didn't want to go to Tijuana to get your upholstery done because they used what ever horse dung or any other trash they could find to stuff your seats. I think the Chinese are putting all their garbage and trash through a shredder and mixing it in with the core material. The last stuff I cut had strings coming out of the cuts. If you pulled on the string it just tore out more of the core and got bigger and did more damage. Amazing. I bought two sweatshirts and found later the hems were filled with shop floor sweepings, including long black hairs. So gross.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jun 1, 2016 19:29:33 GMT -8
The birch I had made last year in SC cut like a dream. No splintering. But it was over $40 a sheet and I had to buy 20 sheets sight-unseen.
Reading through this thread makes me wonder how this junk available today will hold up to the vibrations and bouncing on the open road. Not to mention the shrinking and expanding from changing seasons. It seems like we're babying it just to get the panels installed. Has anybody actually installed Chinese/Indonesian panels then taken a long road trip?
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jun 1, 2016 19:40:58 GMT -8
The birch I had made last year in SC cut like a dream. No splintering. But it was over $40 a sheet and I had to buy 20 sheets sight-unseen. Reading through this thread makes me wonder how this junk available today will hold up to the vibrations and bouncing on the open road. Not to mention the shrinking and expanding from changing seasons. It seems like we're babying it just to get the panels installed. Has anybody actually installed Chinese/Indonesian panels then taken a long road trip? I was doing that 54 Aljo the first time I came across the chinese birch. That's when I brought this whole thing up. I guess I was one of the first people to buy the crap and talk about it. If there were any issues with the Aljo I would have heard about it. And if there ever are any I will hear about it I assure you lol... When I don't hear from the owners it's a good thing I guess.
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Post by vikx on Jun 1, 2016 20:46:59 GMT -8
Even the $40 bendy board from Windsor Plywood was junk. So disappointing. Took a break today from plywood and continued cleaning up the framing.
This is one of the most difficult trailers I've worked on with her TANK LIKE qualities. Taking things apart is impossible. Every nail removed does more damage than leaving it. Not enough ROT...
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Lola53
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Post by Lola53 on Jun 1, 2016 22:49:21 GMT -8
Here'S a nice link: www.bobvila.com/articles/cutting-plywood/#.V0_UqZ9lDqAMy table saw advie. Get a blade designed for plywood - sharp teeth and lots of them. Raise the blade. Cut with good side up (table saw specific). Go slow. Fully support the sheet. Zero clearance guide if available.
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mtpalms
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Post by mtpalms on Jun 2, 2016 6:43:39 GMT -8
We will be making our first cuts today. Our tablesaw is better than Scott's, so we will be hauling the sheets back and forth (3 miles) from the trailer to the saw.
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Post by vikx on Jun 3, 2016 20:39:54 GMT -8
Well, I've been cutting...
The best for cross cuts has proved to be masking tape and a NEW plywood 100 teeth circular steel blade. These are cheap but it's doing well so far. I make one cut which is cleaner than two. You have to be careful pulling the tape so as to not pull veneer. Top side cuts, underside splinters.
For with the grain straight cuts, the circualar saw ply blade is fine without tape.
I'm using my jigsaw with a "splinter free" NEW blade to make cuts that are slightly curved. It is pretty toothy, gator-like, but works. Top side, no tape. There is a tiny bit of jaggedness, but edges will be trimmed anyway.
I hope this helps someone. It's not easy working with thin (and no doubt inferior) plywood. Not only is it hard to cut, but cracks if you're not careful.
Note: all cuts are made on shellacked ply with 2 coats, top side. I'll touch up any areas with the 3rd coat later.
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mtpalms
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Post by mtpalms on Jun 3, 2016 21:15:06 GMT -8
Well, the table saw didn't work out so well. The ply was so bendy we could not keep it flat enough and it jumped off the blade. We were able to save the panel, but decided to abandon power tools, and for the first long cuts, used a Japanese handsaw called a Ryoba. www.traditionalwoodworker.com/Ryoba-Saws/products/573/ In the time it would take to set the table saw, and prep the panel, my boyfriend cut through the thin stuff in about a minute. A nice clean cut, no tear out at all. For finish trimming we used a laminate Trimmer, which looks like a small router. So the first wall is finally installed! Yes, there are faces in the wood grain. We like it. We also discovered that two sheets we bought bookend, so we are going to do the curbside wall with them. Kinda wish the trailer was a little bigger. A lot of the patterns will be hidden by cabinets and the sleeping platform.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jun 3, 2016 21:22:27 GMT -8
Lot of that going around lately...
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Post by vikx on Jun 3, 2016 21:29:07 GMT -8
I LIKE that Japanese saw!
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jun 4, 2016 4:50:31 GMT -8
mtpalms, What size is that saw? It looks 12". A traditional double edge or is one side a fine tooth?
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Post by danrhodes on Jun 4, 2016 6:35:16 GMT -8
I sense a Renaissance in hand tool use in the future. The crappier the materials get, the more low tech we get until we just have a wooden tool box with a saw and hammer.
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mtpalms
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Post by mtpalms on Jun 4, 2016 6:54:16 GMT -8
mtpalms, What size is that saw? It looks 12". A traditional double edge or is one side a fine tooth? It is this one: www.rockler.com/takuma-240mm-ryoba-saw The Ryoba Saw blades are made of high-quality tempered steel. The ripping side features an 8", 8 tpi edge. The crosscut edge is 9", 16 tpi. Replacement blades are sold separately.
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