Hey yguy, It depends on what size wood you have on hand. If you are using 1/8" Baltic birch plywood, you can go three or four layers. If your using 1/4" hardwood you can go two or three layers, but don't go any thicker than 3/4". As for blades I would go with 2/0R or 2R or FD-UR 1. As for what kind of wood, Well I like to use all kinds, Red Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Maple, and my favorite, Mahogany.