500 lb. koolaid man

This is a really weird question[8D]. Lets say that I find some 3-ply 3/8" plywood in a local dumpster for example. Is it possible to get 3 1/8" pieces of wood? Has anyone ever attempted this before, and if so, how did it go?

Thanks.

cutaway

Sounds like a lot of work. I usually grab old pallet boards and scrap lumber and run it through by table saw and planar to clean it up if I'm looking for dimensional pine/spruce.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Is it possible? Yes... but it would require a LOT of work.

PLUS... The center piece would be virtually unusable because it is usually really crap wood

Now it would be easier to destroy the middle layer (since it's crap anyway) and keep the two outer layers, but then you'd still have to sand off the inner layer scraps that are still stuck to it.

When you are all done, you'll be left with two pretty mediocre pieces of 1/8" wood which weighs a lot and has no strength (It's the fact that the wood grain is running in different directions in the plys that gives plywood its strength)

So... possible? Yes.

Feasible? No.

It would be sort of like saying, "If I washed a paper plate to get all of the grease out of it and pressed it in a mold to keep its shape while it dried, I can use it again"

It's just not worth the effort

500 lb. koolaid man

I now agree that trying to split plywood would be a waste of time, but maybe I will try what cutaway said about using saws and cutting "other" wood like pallets or something.

Thanks for all the help.

DaveB

If I understand your question correctly, I would say "no". As I see it, 3 ply 3/8" plywood consists of three (3) 1/8" pieces glued together to form the 3/8"ply. If separated into 1/8" pieces, it would not be plywood anymore.

DaveB

bbbair

Everybody is correct here BUT the big answer has still been missed!

The Aircraft / Model grade of plywood that we use is specially made for the modelling industry.

There are NO knots or holes in this wood. [X(]

It is made to very exacting stadards from birch under great pressure and special glues are used (hence the expense) [:'(].

Regular plywood has knots, holes and gaps, and is made from softwoods - in bulk for the building industry who's standards are totally different from ours.

Trying to save a dollar for a firewall in a $500.00 AC is not cost effective.

Proceed at your oun peril! []

nimitz

Hi,All.. If you have access to a cabinet shop,They usually throw away enough scrap birch plywood in 2 ply and 3 ply thicknesses.This is a good grade of baltic birch.Also planed scrap oak,birch,cedar,hickory,pine,and poplar small scrap pieces. Free as they have to pay for getting rid of it. and they have a lot of it..

regards,nimitz

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

I found some 1/4 inch ply on the bottom of a pallet once or twice. I kept it in the shop for years and used it up over time. It was great wood and never had a problem. I didn't use parts that were bad. I wish I could find some more, but wood on pallets these days is crap.

I wouldn't split it. Use it as is or don't take it. If you can't modify the design for a little thicker firewall or what ever, then use what you need. I have thousands of dollars of wood and ply in my shop, but would add the usable part of that to the collection any time if I felt I could use it at some point.