Plywood Woes!

[Darkplague]

Hi,

I am currently building a 16" truss dob, but am struggling to find a source for good quality hardwood plywood. It seems almost impossible to get unless you import it from the states.

The best I can get is a Hoop plywood, which supposedly is the strongest of the "softwood" plywoods.

Does anyone know of a good source to buy hard plywood from, preferably in Adelaide?

Thanks,

Mark

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

What thickness ply Mark? Would marine or formwork ply be suitable?

[Darkplague]

Formwork ply is no good as it has a plastic coating on 1 side.

Marine ply is made from the same soft ply as normal plywood. The only difference is that it uses a special waterproof glue that is expensive.

The size I need is 5/8" ,16mm or even 19mm, doesnt really matter.

My David Kreige book says to steer clear of these types of plywoods and go for the hardwood plywood, like apple ply or maple/birch plywood.

[rochler]

already tried? Have you rung around, or just gone to the local hardware etc. I would try the 'specialist' timber places like Footersville - if they haven't got it stock they can probably order it in...

[Orion]

I went to Mister Ply&Wood and made mine out of furniture ply I think they called it Ivorywood. It has some viods not many but if you come across them just fill them up with putty.

The telescope is rock solid and as long as the plywood is reasonable quality the outcome will all depend on the design of the telescope.

[Darkplague]

Originally Posted by Orion

I went to Mister Ply&Wood and made mine out of furniture ply I think they called it Ivorywood. It has some viods not many but if you come across them just fill them up with putty.

The telescope is rock solid and as long as the plywood is reasonable quality the outcome will all depend on the design of the telescope.

No mr.plywood in Adelaide.
Ive rang just about eryone in the yellow pages in Adelaide.

I guess I will have to make do with ordinary plywood.
The hardwood comes up looking beautiful as well as being stronger.
This is why I want the hardwood kind. The normal plywood kinda looks cheap and nasty when built imo.

[Orion]

Mark that's alright just get the best ply you can and stain it that is what I did.

It also comes down to design as I said before if need be laminate two or three pieces of ply together for strength.

Good luck.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Mark,

Although they are softwood plys, Hoop Ply and Marine Ply both do an excellent job, what do you intend to do, build a telescope or drive the car on it ? I know Andrew Murrell's 20" Hector is built from Hoop Ply and he is 15 years old and still going strong. When Gary Kopff set up the Argo Navis Pointing Analysis software on it a few months back, the summed pointing errors were less than 20', which aint bad for a 15 year old telescope built from softwood plywood

The main thing is to stay away from home improvement stores/centres and go to a specialist supplier of sheet timbers. Any high grade plywood suitable for exterior use will be good. As Ed says we have Mr Ply & Wood and Plywood Express in NSW which are both specialist suppliers. Any store like this will have a material thats suitable.

CS-John B

[Darkplague]

Originally Posted by Orion

Mark that's alright just get the best ply you can and stain it that is what I did.

It also comes down to design as I said before if need be laminate two or three pieces of ply together for strength.

Good luck.

You wouldnt happen to have some photos of your scope you built, Im interested to see how yours turned out?

[Orion]

No problem here is one...

[acropolite (Phil)]

FWIW Hoop pine is used in homebuilt aircraft due to it's good structural properties.

[Satchmo]

Originally Posted by acropolite

FWIW Hoop pine is used in homebuilt aircraft due to it's good structural properties.

I've always used Hoop pine for my Dobs. Its the most expensive ply available from Mister Plywood. They only charge $20 to cut it up too, with no maximum cuts so long as they can run a peice straight through the saw.

Mark

[rmcpb (Rob)]

I would imagine that the softwood plys we get here are plenty strong enough for a dob. They may not look as nice as the apple ply, etc, available in the States but if that is a concern then a veneer job would be really easy.

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

Also using the hoop ply etc..you can always use a clear enamel or stain to make it look more expensive

I had a look a while ago at plywood, for a new dob, but financial constraints prevented me from going further.

Look forward to hearing more about your progress.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Mark,

Here are a couple of places to try for starters. I did a search on the yellow pages in Adelaide under "Plywoods and Veneers" :-

Brown Wood Panels Pty Ltd
107 Mooringe Ave Camden Park SA 5038
ph: (08) 8294 3877 Plywoods & Veneers

Designer Veneers Ltd
Unit 3-4/ 7 Ween Rd Pooraka SA 5095
ph: (08) 8359 1088 Plywoods & Veneers

Le Messurier Timber Co Pty Ltd
346 Port Rd Port Adelaide SA 5015
ph: (08) 8447 0440 Plywoods & Veneers

Opal Wood Corporation Pty Ltd
19 Wilson St Royal Park SA 5014
ph: (08) 8241 0313 Plywoods & Veneers

Otto & Co Pty Ltd
5 Ann St Stepney SA 5069
ph: (08) 8362 3522 Plywoods & Veneers

I am not sure how these are situated geographically for you or what they carry but give them a call.

FWIW, the Ivorywood Plywood that ED (Orion) used, is in fact a South American hardwood plywood, with a marine grade glue. It would be perfect for the job. Its also reasonably cheap at about $90 for an 8' x 4' sheet of 15mm. Here is some info on it:-

http://www.argentinefinehardwoods.co...ery_medium.htm

and here is a grain picture:-

http://www.argentinefinehardwoods.co...ivory_wood.htm

Plywood Express advised me they could supply all the "fancy" hardwood plywoods with the exotic finishes (whatever hardwood you like actually), except it was extremely expensive, in excess of $350 per 8' x 4' sheet as a base price and it went up from there.

CS-John B

[davidpretorius]

Originally Posted by Orion

No problem here is one...

i have seen this before in photos, but i never stopped getting excited when i see it again,

that is the nicest looking telescope I have seen

[Orion]

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

i have seen this before in photos, but i never stopped getting excited when i see it again,

that is the nicest looking telescope I have seen

Thanks,
It took me 2 years to build (on and off) and actually I'm still going with it the latest is a anti dew system that Warren (Wazza) built for me.

[davidpretorius]

i plan to get to one of the northern camps and have a look in the flesh!

[Orion]

Originally Posted by ausastronomer

.

FWIW, the Ivorywood Plywood that ED (Orion) used, is in fact a South American hardwood plywood, with a marine grade glue. It would be perfect for the job. Its also reasonably cheap at about $90 for an 8' x 4' sheet of 15mm. Here is some info on it:-

http://www.argentinefinehardwoods.co...ery_medium.htm

and here is a grain picture:-

http://www.argentinefinehardwoods.co...ivory_wood.htm



CS-John B

Thanks for the info John I forgot to mention the ply was South American hardwood.

[Orion]

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

i plan to get to one of the northern camps and have a look in the flesh!

Thanks Dave I'll look forward to seeing you.