im a uk Glowforge user. I have only recently just got my machine from Hobbycraft, I was under the understanding I could order proofgrade material online but the glowforge website doesn’t ship to the uk and the Hobbycraft website doesn’t have any of the wood that I wanted in stock. I have tried various different online companies for other birch plywood but haven’t been totally happy with the quality hence wanting to stick to glowforge material for now but can’t get hold of that either, so looking for recommendations on where to get good quality 3mm birch plywood from? or if there’s anything else I should consider using at all? thanks so much
There are literally dozens of existing discussions on sourcing materials outside the US, you can find them using the search function. I am in the US and rarely use Proofgrade materials, and have not bought any for years - I just have a stack from the credits we got as “founders” back in 2015. I buy my most frequently-used materials from The Home Depot and Lowes - think B&Q or similar. - or Amazon.
The war has made it difficult for many things. Baltic Birch has strong rules about how it can be made as it is often used for aircraft, so it is pretty standard in behavior. There is also many providers for the furniture industry, though thin pieces are a very small part of what they have.
Baltic birch has pretty much disappeared from any UK source. None of my half dozen big suppliers have any now. Certainly not at the thinner thicknesses. I can find no 3mm birch any more.
Poplar is a nice looking alternative and cuts very well, though it doesn’t have the strength of weight of baltic.
For myself, I am now looking at re-doing all my designs to use 4mm veneered MDF - which in the long run might be a good move as it allows me more flexibility in finish.
For 6mm work I think I’m going to go with Poplar. However, I’ve got some products I make - like bird houses - for which poplar is just not a suitable wood, nor is MDF. Not sure what I’m going to do about those yet.
Even if the war and sanctions all ended tomorrow it’s going to be a while before birch is back in stock anywhere.
B&Q and Wickes do a 3.6mm “hardwood plywood” which is B/BB graded. However I have no idea how laser safe it is for glues, nor what it is like for glue pockets. Might be inconsistent in finish too.