No not new. I don't consider myself all that picky. But man I must have got the extremes. I had to sand off a ton just to get it into a 5.5mm. Then the next panel raddled they were so loose.
Yeah its crazy. Now when searching some websites they are in categories. 1/4" category can have like 5 different thicknesses pretty close to 1/4"-ish. Imagine if car parts were like that. Yeah I need some valve springs that are around 1".
Can't help you with the ply dillema… I bite the bullet, put on my Trend full head shield and work with MDF (6mm in this case)... at least the MDF has a better standard deviation distribution.
You think you have problems with ply… just wait till you try the same comparison with shop vacs and their respective hoses and dust ports.
Even in "the good old days" when things were more consistent, I always got all the required plywood from the same batch and then sized my grooves appropriately. Royal PITA, but not much else that can be done. Alternatively, a small rabbet can be cut on the back side (router table) such that the portion that slips into the groove is of consistent thickness.
Each method either requires a lot of pre-planning or wastes a lot of time and opens up other avenues of aggravation 8^)
For tooling, I've also given up on getting the proper fit with one pass and instead size my cutters a tad under the minimum thickness needed (then make two passes).
My guess for the whole situation is as follows:
Ply manufactures make 3/4" (0.75") plywood.
Router bit cabal makes 0.750" dado bits.
Ply mfg, makes undersized by 1/32"
Router bit cabal makes 1/32" undersized cutters
Ply mfd. laughs and makes random thickness sheets.
Router bit cabal makes variable diameter bit with bright anodizing and calls it a "system" for only $200
Ply Mfg. make thickness vary over entire sheet.
Even in "the good old days" when things were more consistent, I always got all the required plywood from the same batch and then sized my grooves appropriately. Royal PITA, but not much else that can be done. Alternatively, a small rabbet can be cut on the back side (router table) such that the portion that slips into the groove is of consistent thickness.
Each method either requires a lot of pre-planning or wastes a lot of time and opens up other avenues of aggravation 8^)
For tooling, I ve also given up on getting the proper fit with one pass and instead size my cutters a tad under the minimum thickness needed (then make two passes).
My guess for the whole situation is as follows:
Ply manufactures make 3/4" (0.75") plywood.
Router bit cabal makes 0.750" dado bits.
Ply mfg, makes undersized by 1/32"
Router bit cabal makes 1/32" undersized cutters
Ply mfd. laughs and makes random thickness sheets.
Router bit cabal makes variable diameter bit with bright anodizing and calls it a "system" for only $200
Ply Mfg. make thickness vary over entire sheet.
I normally don't use plywood or MDF on any project. But, I just finished making two shed doors for a customer. He wanted 1 1/2"x 5 1/2" rails and stiles with 3/8" plywood for center panels with center trim pieces to stiffen up the plywood in the doors. I usually figure 1/32 to 1/64 inch narrower dados for the plywood to eliminate slop. Turned out the plywood was actually 3/8" thick. Good thing I didn't make the dado cuts before the plywood was delivered to me. Would of had to recut the dado slots.
If i wanted to make millions I would in invent a system of channels. Say for panels or drawer bottoms. You route a 1/4 groove, and insert my channel that is sized to accept one of the 100 or so thicknesses near 1/4"
CW just 2 words for you and your dilemma. SPACE BALLS. Set them into a groove wide enough to take the panel. They take care of the rattles, and the fit will always be like it was custom made.
The rest of you guys. Thanks for the chuckles, it was a fun read.
This has been a pet peeve of mine for years, if they can make MDF and Particle board true to size there no reason for plywood not to be true size, it is a manufactured product, they can make any size they want. So why not simple logical sizes? 5.2 mm is 0.2047244" , so convenient.
I have a wood block, 6" x 10" prox. 3/4" thick. Over a period of time I have cut grooves with various router bits and marked the groove with the bit size. Standard bits like 1/4" then some "plywood bits" etc.
Now when making a groove for a panel I use the block with the ply to see which one is close or get lucky and find the one that fits right.
I don't know about MDF. I often buy it and it sometimes its exactly 3mm thick, but then at other times it 6mm thick and even 9mm thick… I gave up when it go to 12mm… I just couldn't handle the inconsistency in sizes.
... if they can make MDF and Particle board true to size there no reason…
- bondogaposis
I don t know about MDF. I often buy it and it sometimes its exactly 3mm thick, but then at other times it 6mm thick and even 9mm thick… I gave up when it go to 12mm… I just couldn t handle the inconsistency in sizes.
Definitely not! Got a quote and it cost too bloody much to move the shower down to the workshop… Furthermore, if i did that, I'd have to go downstairs for my monthly wash.
No no no! You buy SMP's world famous MDF expander fluid. Only $29.99 per quart plus shipping and handling of $50.
- SMP
You probably got it wet. A little moisture and it swells up to 2 or 3 times its original size.
- SMP
So I stand to save a fortune… if I need 9mm, buy 3mm and just jump in the shower with it… and only step half way in if I want 6mm…
- LittleBlackDuck
Don t make a video of this…..
- woodbutcherbynight
Definitely not! Got a quote and it cost too bloody much to move the shower down to the workshop… Furthermore, if i did that, I d have to go downstairs for my monthly shower.
No no no! You buy SMP's world famous MDF expander fluid. Only $29.99 per quart plus shipping and handling of $50.
- SMP
Hope it s better than Acks wax… I wanna see the ingredients…
The main ingredient in my secret formula is Dihydrogen Monoxide. You can read about the dangers of it here. You definitely want to use all precautions before using so best read the full warnings on the DHMO website. http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html
The main ingredient in my secret formula is Dihydrogen Monoxide. You can read about the dangers of it here. You definitely want to use all precautions before using so best read the full warnings on the DHMO website. http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html
- SMP
As long as it only contains less than 40% of that DM... I can afford a 40% drop in my sex life nowadays… the ticker needs a rest occasionally.
I'll keep it under lock and key, away from the viagra... Hell, just realised, Yin and Yang... whoo no pee!
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