Is it ok to route plywood? Or should it strictly be used be for real wood?
2007-07-29 21:06:45 · 8 answers · asked by Mister Sarcastic 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Yes you can HOWEVER:
Theres always a however isnt there :P
Firstly you need to adjust your router speed as high as you can make it. This causes the router to cut smaller sections with each rotation. You will however still get tearout or splintering, This can be rectified with sarafical piece of timber.
Also the glue used in making playwood is quite hard and tends to blunten router bits quite quickly.
Also the structure of plywood is cross grained, regardless of where you start.
Good luck and if you need more routing advice feel free to contact me.
2007-07-29 23:57:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the answers are good, except the "No" of course you can route plywood. I have a large wood-working shop in my basement, after retiring from the construction/ carpentry business I still love the work with wood.
I made my own router table, it works great and, I've hooked up the shop vac for the dust supply.
Tape the lines your going to route and do it from the bottom, keep the finish side clear, don't work from this side. Plywood does splinter, like one said so, keep a sharp bit. Treated plywood is th worst to work with. Let it dry good, maybe a few days on a flat surface.
If you have to work on the finish side, use a sharp bit and try and tape the lines like I said, it helps.
2007-07-30 06:11:52 · answer #2 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
<>Yes, you can rout plywood...it is real wood (lol) being a composite of layered wood. However, you may be disappointed with the results if you are planning to shape the EDGES of the material. There are often gaps and aberrances in the wood that will not look quite right when you are done, even with sanding. A router will do fine on plywood if you are, say, engraving lettering for a sign. If you are doing edge work, I suggest attaching a piece of finish-able wood to the edge(s) of the plywood. Glue/dowel/nail/screw (sink the nails or screws!) on a strip of pine, birch or other wood which can be routed smoothly to the desired shape.
2007-07-30 04:14:16 · answer #3 · answered by druid 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's perfectly fine to use on plywood. I've done it many times myself. It works great. The people have given you good answers. The thicker the plywood is, the easier it is to router. I normally router 3/4" plywood. Thinner than that and you'll have to use the methods some of the others mentioned.
2007-07-30 07:17:13 · answer #4 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi mista, you can use a router on plywood. I have to tell you, I'm impressed with you. I received a router, bits, and a router table as a gift, two years ago but haven't used them. I'm deathly afraid of it,and I don't know why. They are top of the line tools, and quite expensive,but if I even look at it I think I might faint and get all shakey like it's going to kill me or something. Stupid huh. So, you really impress me, and go ahead and use your router on the plywood. Bye
2007-07-30 18:02:47 · answer #5 · answered by Sandyspacecase 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it dosent really matter the ony thing is that plywood might splinter up
2007-07-30 04:18:01 · answer #6 · answered by kmanpsp 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tape all area that you want to cut by mastic tape , drown your cutting line then use the router machine to clean cut.
2007-07-30 04:58:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2007-07-30 04:26:33 · answer #8 · answered by jatanie w 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋