Don't You Just Hate Broken Wood!

[troy_curtis]

I was working on one of my Christmas Ornaments (not the one for my exchange) and it was looking pretty good. Had it all cut and was peeling the pattern off when one part of it snapped in half.  I sure hate when projects break, but I guess that is one way to keep me humble. I did have a good day in the shop and my other 3 projects turned out super.  Sigh, there is always tomorrow.

I am trying to glue the piece back and hoping it holds good....if so I can finish it and it will be painted. Amazing how much of a mistake paint can cover.

[countryscroller]

I use Baltic Birch a lot on projects. I always find what I call "worm holes" in the wood where there is a section of it that has no wood, so when you cut on it and look on the side of the grain there is a big gaping hole. I guess it is just there from when the wood making factory presses the boards there must have been a knot or something.

[BilltheDiver]

I had the same problem today.  I am making a set of "12 days of Christmas" ornaments for a friend, and working on the last one.  I used cherry for the last one and it also split as I was removing the tape.  I finally just made another out of 1/4 sawn maple.  That one won't break!

[dgman]

Hey Troy, I have cut a couple hundred ornaments so far this year and have broken about five. All but one were repairable with glue. Once glued, the repairs don't show. The one I tossed, the repair did show, thats why I tossed it.

@ Dustin, If you have voids in your plywood, it's not Baltic birch! One of the features of genuine BB is it is voidless. If you are getting it at any of the bigbox stores, it is not BB. The best place to get genuine BB is from a woodworking store or online sources. I buy mine from either Woodcraft or www.sloanswoodshop.com

[Billy in Va]

Somewhere ( maybe here)  I read that Baltic Birch comes in sheets that are 5' X5'.  I have a box that I put all of my real scrap wood in to burn. Sometimes the kids in the park will come by and rummage through the box to see what they can find. I usually try to put pieces like broken ornaments in without any more damage. They think they found something "GOOD"

[countryscroller]

I get mine from Lowes just because it the most convenient for me and cheap. Once I get my license I will be able to go to different stores and get a better quality. Or online.

[tvman44]

Never saw Baltic Birch at Lowes or Home Depot.

[Billy in Va]

The Lowes here sometimes has birch plywood, 1/4 in.  It is not Baltic Birch. Last time i checked, the had an similar ply labeled as "Blondwood" No one there could tell me what it was. But like the other sheet goods there I am sure it has voids.

[troy_curtis]

Hey Troy, I have cut a couple hundred ornaments so far this year and have broken about five. All but one were repairable with glue. Once glued, the repairs don't show. The one I tossed, the repair did show, thats why I tossed it.

@ Dustin, If you have voids in your plywood, it's not Baltic birch! One of the features of genuine BB is it is voidless. If you are getting it at any of the bigbox stores, it is not BB. The best place to get genuine BB is from a woodworking store or online sources. I buy mine from either Woodcraft or www.sloanswoodshop.com

Thanks for the info on BB, the wood I am using is from Lowes, but so far other than that one break it is doing ok. I did glue it and was pretty amazed that it didn't even show the slightest bit. It was sturdy enough to sand on the belt sander and then paint.

You said you made a couple hundred ornaments...do you stack cut them? I am a bit timid to try stack cutting and so far I make one or two ornaments a day at most.

[troy_curtis]

The Lowes here sometimes has birch plywood, 1/4 in.  It is not Baltic Birch. Last time i checked, the had an similar ply labeled as "Blondwood" No one there could tell me what it was. But like the other sheet goods there I am sure it has voids.

There is that word, "voids" again. Does that mean a crack in the wood? Not sure what you mean by that. My other guess would be holes (void) in the wood where all the layers are not solid. If that is the case the wood I am using has nothing like that in it.

[Billy in Va]

Let me try to describe a void....

On my desk right now I have a piece of oak veneer ply from Lowes. It is about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide.  Looking at the 6 inch end about 1 inch from the top  ( or bottom )  there is a hole.  The veneer covers both sides of the board but there is nothing in between. The "void" is about 3/16 and goes all the way through the 8 inch length.  You can look in one end and see out the other. The only thing holding the board together is the veneer on either side.  Voids like that create havoc with fine frets.  Hope that explains it.

[dgman]

Hey Troy, Yes I stack cut. Four layers of 1/8", Three layers of 3/16" and two layers of 1/4". There are many ways to make up the stack, and you will get many replies of how it's done. For ornaments I make up the stack with a hot glue gun. I clamp up the stack with clamps, then apply the hot glue on the edges of the stack. The hot glue cools in a matter of seconds. Remove the clamps and go to work! If you are using 1/8" material, you will find it is easier to cut in a stack because you have better control of the wood. I never cut anything thinner than 1/4". If I need thinner, I stack cut it even if I only need one. It is easier!

[countryscroller]

Ok so I am just using Birch Ply, I didn't know the difference. Thanks for clearing that up.