0.11 without the masking (I just measured it) The first stuff I got I thought was mislabeled as it looked the same. As the middle is one layer of poplar (I think) it is almost indistinguishable from medium except that it does not get thicker and harder to cut over time and does not dissolve if wet, or break when the force matches the grain as all has happened to me.
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I just measured today after seeing your post and was surprised that it’s .12”. It looks like wood core vs MDF, so you’ll see the layers on the edge.
I’ve never heard of MDF core plywood splitting on the grain, the main point is that MDF has no grain. Do you Mears hardwood?
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Yup. Most wood is stronger in one direction and weaker in the other. MDF is just weaker in any direction. Grain adds strength if only in one direction but as you note MDF doesn’t have any.
The point of plywood is to have grain in many directions and thus be a lot stronger and why that is needed in the grabber.
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I really need to make me one of those grabbers. I have a purchased one down in the shop somewhere, but that doesn’t help me when I’m upstairs in the kitchen and need to get something out of the top of my pantry. Yes, I have a stool to step on, but that means I have to take my antique crock off of it, move it over across the room and into the hall (we used a closet as a pantry, not for food but mainly for baking bowls, etc.), climb on it, carry it back to where it belongs, put the crock back on it… have I mentioned how lazy I am? 
So yeah, I need to make one. I have some underlayment I bought at HD, will that work? I’m not sure what type of material underlayment even is, except that it was in the lumber section and I’d seen others had used it!
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A lot of people don’t want to use MDF. Case in point:
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Regular paper will work as long as it is lifting nothing heavier than a small bit of nose tissue. Where if you use 4 layers of quarter inch Baltic Birch it will lift more than you can.
Even such a cheap and relatively weak material as Revolution Ply would be a lot stronger than glued woodchips much less glued sawdust.
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Is that what underlayment is - glued sawdust? I’ve never looked too closely at it, as I bought it mainly to use to junk stuff, drafts and stuff.
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It depends on what you buy, there’s no one type. I used a bit of Lauan early on, but it’s about the cheapest underlayment plywood you can buy (all wood, no MDF) for good reason. It’s just meant to provide a flat base for tile and such. It is NOT a good choice for the laser.
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Good to know. We did go to one place (we were checking out various wood outlets, hoping to find some thin wood veneer scraps) and one of the guys tried very hard to talk me into buying Lauan. I didn’t. And now I know not to. Thanks!
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It is full of voids that are filled with the glue that is used to laminate the sheets of wood, which does not cut. Also the surface may be smooth, but it is covered in defects - it’s not meant to be seen when installed.
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Ya see! I bought a lot of Lauan when I bought that Birch and had very good luck with it…
It won’t engrave worth a damn but the design on the top of the box is a score.
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