Lite ply

[Keith Evans 3]

I know how to use it and why ,but what is it actually made from ? Is it a ply of balsa and obeche. I'm just being curious. Is there more than one sort? Does it's construction change with thickness? Or should I worry more about world events?

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

No keith its veneers of something or other, pine maybe...better quality stuff is Birch.

John

[cymaz]

Does this help in anyway??

[kevin b]

There is often argument that Lite ply is no lighter in weight than normal Birch ply. I personaly buy mine from wood merchants, such as Hanson. You can buy most thicknesses in 4ft sq sheets. Usually you can get to check which sheets you want (don't turn up at tea break) and it works out a lot cheaper than retail outlets. They are happy to sell just one sheet, but if you buy a few (get together with a few mates) you can get it cheaper.

I can never figure out why, when we are members of clubs, that we never seem to use collective buying power. Particularly when these days the costs of raw materials seem to increase daily.

kevinb. Born & bred in Yorkshire.

[Mowerman]

kevinb

in order to buy in bulk you need several fellow builders, If our (Yorkshire) club is typical there are only three out of thirty who actually build rather than buy ARTF so getting together a big enough order to buy in bulk would be difficult.

To answer th orriginal question I think lite ply is made from cheaper soft woods like pine rather than hard woods like the Birch ply which is much harder and tougher. Then we have the marine ply which is,as far as I know is resin bonded to make it water resistant.

Edited By Mowerman on 03/07/2014 09:38:35

[kc]

Lite ply is lighter than birch ply ( of the same thickness) and it cuts easily with a Stanley knife - you cannot really do that with birch. However cheap ply from the DIY stores is almost as light as liteply but it's not proper Finnish Birch Ply and it is much harder to cut with a knife.

Birch ply has all the layers the same thickness unlike cheaper stuff which often has a hard surface with thicker inner wood.

Two different materials with different uses in aeromodelling. Cheapest place for liteply may be at the shows.

[Vecchio Austriaco]

The light ply you get in model shops is normally made from poplar. It is true that this is not super strong (see cymaz's link) and not to compare with birch, but it is a very easy to machine material and I like using it for all kind of jobs, not only for models. In comparison to cheap hard-wood ply you find on our island the poplar ply is normally glued properly, so it will not split into it's layers. For some reason this material is overpriced here in the UK. when I was living in Italy poplar ply was (and is) the standard ply you get and it is a lot cheaper. So- if you decide to go to the continent and to Bella Italia by car - you can always smuggle a few sheets into the bottom of your (hopefully flat) car boot. When I say smuggle - there is nothing wrong in buying a few sheets of ply abroad - but your better half may have different ideas about things to bring home from a holiday

VA, still stocking some 4 and 6mm Italian poplar ply

[kevin b]

Hi Roy.

Yes, marine ply is considerably heavier due to the adhesive.

Re bulk buying. I usually get a reduction for buying just 5 sheets (various thickness). That helps offset the fuel costs in collecting, which are similar to going to the LMS from home and fractionally more than postage costs for delivery. Mind you, I do enjoy building and have room to store "stock".

I am new to my local club so must check out and see how many more members are builders.

By the way I get my ply from Halifax ! They are very helpful people. They sell quite a lot of very thin ply (down to .6mm) and keep a good range in stock, or so I have found.

kevinb.

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

Liteply is Poplar, and as such as mentioned above is not very strong on its own and has a very low crush resistance, but it is light, easily machined/lasered (although lasering tends to scorch and the stress relief when cut causes all sorts of warping, but it is easily pulled back into a flat state and glued without stressing the joints), can be cut easily by hand, well with a suitably sharp knife anyway

Birch ply in comparison is a lot heavier than liteply, but is also way stronger, resists warps better and is just as easily machine or lasered without scorching (if done correctly) and warping.

I tend to agree with the comment in Cymaz's link, if it can be built with liteply it can be built with balsa and with better results.

[kc]

Whilst we are talking about ply does anyone know a cheap source for 1/64th ( 0.4mm ) birch ply? it's got extremely expensive..........5.45pounds sq ft which is nearly twice the price of 1/32. Half the material for twice the price! But it's such great stuff with many uses.