Looking for material advice

So far, I have been using my Glowforge a lot to cut draftboard to make things for the mentally ill adults I work with to paint and make into other things.

Draftboard is cheap, takes paint well, and works OK for my purposes. It is, however, dirty to work with.

I have seen folks talking about Baltic Birch, and am wondering if that would work as well. I don’t know whether I should look for Baltic Birch plywood or straight Baltic Birch wood and would appreciate any input from other users on this. My husband has agreed to cut larger stock down to Glowforge size if I need him to, so I would not be restricted to the size of the crumb tray.

Thank you for any suggestions!

It would help if we knew more about the end items but what about a thick chipboard?

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Fair enough…currently I’ve been cutting a 4ish inch rounded edge square and a frame to fit atop that, and using reproduction old mats to make coasters. The other project is a little (2 inch or so) bird with a stand that fits inside a hanging plastic globe terrarium.

The coaster is just cut out, the frame top part painted, then modpodged together with the map paper. The little birds have engraved eye and wing details, they get painted, the little stand gets painted, we put glitter inside the back of the globe and then tuck the birds in. They are cuter than they sound…I’d send pics, but my samples are all at work.

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Chipboard might work OK for the birds, it would be a little iffy for coasters, I think.

With the further information I think 1/8 Baltic birch would be great

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By far I think the least expensive thing you could use is what is called “Revolution” Plywood. You can cut it down to 25 - 9"x19 " sheets for around $15 or $0.60 each. It has a pretty grain on one side and is not great for carving though if painted might work out fine. There is very little fill and what there is is not laser-proof as so much is.

Alternatively, Oak plywood is about twice that but much stronger to make things out of. In whole wood, Poplar is about as cheap as it gets, and all are available usually at most big box stores like Lowes.

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Great, thank you!

I had not heard of the Revolution plywood, but we’ll check it out…thank you also for mentioning the oak and the poplar, I think we’ll be taking a field trip to Lowe’s/Home Depot tomorrow or Saturday!

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1/8" Baltic birch plywood, if you can get it, has my vote. It’s inexpensive and very consistent, which is key for avoiding lost time and effort.

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One thing to be careful of is to get a good quality plywood where there are not a lot of voids and plugs, both of which will not cut through well if at all. I would buy a small amount and test it first to see if it is fit for your use. I’ve had good luck with Baltic Birch plywood from Woodpeckers on Amazon, but even that is not completely free of flaws.

You can get an idea of the location of voids and plugs by shining a really bright light through the plywood and noting the shadows within.

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Previously, illustrated:

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I have found “Revolution” Plywood to be very good on that account. Occasionally where 2 pieces go together there is filler but it only makes a slight issue and is a millimeter or so wide and in a straight line.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/RevolutionPly-5mm-Poplar-Plywood-Application-as-4-X-8/50121135

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If you’re looking for a third line with cheap inputs:

Sharpies are not UV safe so you’ll want to finish them with something that is. Or use paint. There are examples of that as well.

And they can be set in frames of just put on a stand, all easily made with your glowforge.

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Thank you, this is a good idea too…I’ve seen some of the tiles people have etched and been impressed with how they come out…I’d thought of trying them, but hadn’t made the leap to having the patients paint/color them…that might lend itself well to seasonal images. (I have to do the Glowforge work ahead of time rather than being able to do personalized designs on the fly.)

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I am a huge fan of Baltic Birch Plywood. Make sure it’s Baltic Birch and not just birch. I use it for just about everything I do. I like that I can still get a wood grain if I want, but can lightly sand and paint and get a smooth finish.

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Thank you…that is a good thought, about getting the grain…some of the patients prefer staining to painting wood, and this would give that option…I appreciate your input…and everyone’s!

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I use a generic birch plywood for structural items and filler, as it cuts very consistently. It doesn’t take stain very well. I’ve seen true Baltic Birch that takes stain quite well. Just be aware when buying plywoods.

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Going to throw my hat in here for Baltic Birch as well. Amazon has several good dealers and you can get sheets for good prices.

Although the revolution stuff looks really good - I’ll give that a shot soon too to see how well it plays.

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Thank you for this advice…I think I will be buying small amounts of several things, and experimenting before I go whole hog on any one wood/product…I’m very grateful for the experience shared here.

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This is a smart choice. They all cut and finish differently!

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