radius limit of 5.2mm luan

[looped]

this project i am working on is going to require the luan to be bent on a 11" radius. would it take it? seems that is the thinnest HD has to offer without going to the pegboard or panel material.

[Nitetimes]

It'll go to whatever you can convince it to go to, I think it depends on each particular sheet myself. You might try looking at cheap plywood paneling, it's usually 1/8".

[satch]

My bends on my benroy style was at 19" It did o.k., but did split/ crack at one point. I think it was cheap lumber (made in china), so I suggest any luan bought at Lowes, or HD be checked real good.The spot that split had a knot under the top skin that I didn't notice. If you go any tighter, I would do it slow, not glue it up in one shot, or maybe wet it with water first to soften it.

[doug hodder]

On the Rocketear, on the roof sides of the trolley top it broke and the radius wasn't all that tight. It was the HD crap, made in China. I'll never use it on a trailer again!! All sorts of funky wood in the core and full of knots. On the new trailer, I used 1/8" baltic birch in 2 layers on the curves and got it to bend down to 1.5" radius with some encouragement with water (on the tongue box, small narrow strips) but worked really well on the other curves on the trailer. There's always bendy ply, but it can become "saggy ply" if not backed up with enough support. Doug

[Miriam C.]

If you check with the lumber yards or a cabinet shop you might get better quality wood. I will second the Baltic birch. Comes in 5'x5' but check it for football fixes.

[looped]

just called around to a few lumber yards.. found some 1/8 4x8 bending birch for 20.00 and some side grain bending luan 1/4 4x8 for 24.00. seems a little more pricey than it is supposed to be though.

on selecting the boards. should i get the one that lays flat or the one that is wavy? seems to me that the wavy one would be more apt to bend easier

sorry if this is a totally noob question, but i am so thats the way it comes out.

[Dean_A]

I've had great luck bending 1/8" birch. When I try luan, it usually shreds. $20 per sheet for the birch sounds about right. Actually it's a little less than I normally pay.

[looped]

would 1/8th birch be durable enough on the exterior of a painted td?

[Creamcracker]

I'm going to use 1/8th birch but it will be skinned with Marine Vinyl
Philip

[looped]

im thinking to primer the heck out of it, wetsand it to 3000 grit then put auto paint on there to match my camry.

[doug hodder]

I used 1/4" baltic birch on the latest tear for the flat portions and 2 layers of 1/8" on the curves. By using this material, it takes epoxy on very evenly and cut a lot of the finish time. I just don't think that 1/8" is going to be strong enough, but that's just me, to each their own. I want flat portions to be flat all the time. I was sitting on the roof yesterday to install the Fantastic fan. I know I couldn't have done that on the 1/8".

Having built a couple of painted tears now and using automotive paint, I think you're better off to use the best grade material under it. Cuts time in the long run and finishes up a lot better. I don't think that primer only is going to get you the finish you want, it's going to need some sort of epoxy base coat that can really be smoothed prior to priming and paint. Just my opinion. Doug

[looped]

Thanks for the info doug.. would 1/4 birch hold a 12 inch radius? i have seen sheets of 1/4 birch at HD are they to be assumed to be of the same quality as the luan there? or would they work good if it will hold the radius?


if 2 sheets of 1/8th are key then will i need to glue them together? what glue?

Also on the previous mention of using paneling would 2 of those do the job?

My main concern is not warping. i dont see myself ever sitting on top of it for any reason just looking for a shell that will last with minimal distortion.

I have also seen at HD a sheet that is 1/8th thick and is similar to paneling wood with one side treated with a white smooth plastic finish (i think it was called "economy tileboard") it has alot of flex according to my grabbing the corner and bending test, also considering putting 2 layers of this on there with it glued wood to woodside plus its economical.

your thoughts are welcome.


just for perspective this baby tear is going to be 43"x"64"x26" basically a cargo camping trailer

[Dean_A]

My roof is 1/8" birch, but that's over 1.25" of styrofoam insulation, and under .050 aluminum.

[Trackstriper]

It sounds like you're going to make a really small trailer. Can you cut both sides from one 4x8 sheet?

I believe Doug used a product called MDO (medium density overlay) for the sides of his latest trailer. You might look into this product as it appears to lay fairly flat compared to most exterior grade plywoods and it has a phenolic finish on the surface to begin with. This product can also be purchased pre-primed or pre-painted for a few bucks more, much of the prep work has already been done. Here's a link to my local supplier so that you might investigate these materials:

http://www.alumapanel.com/products.cfm?step=1&lines_ID=310

If you don't mind spending some money, you can get 4x8 sheets of exterior grade ply with painted aluminum factory bonded to the surface. Might be a nice way to go. You could consider just using painted .040 aluminum sheet for your roof and have an all metal exterior, pretty much ready for your color of choice...without a lot of surface prep that you would have with wood. Costs a bit more up front, and I have no idea what your budget is...but this is a small trailer so the raw materials might not kill the deal.

http://www.alumapanel.com/products.cfm?step=1&lines_ID=290

These products are available from sign supply distributors who supply the local sign makers with something to work on.

As far as the "tileboard" that HD has...its not much. It might be able to be used for an inexpensive trailer but the stuff is pretty marginal and doesn't have much resistance to water, even though it sounds like it would, "tileboard" and all that. BTW, the low cost white HD tileboard usually has a textured backside, I'd rate it one step above cardboard. Lowes has a similar, low cost white tileboard that is much more like a tempered hardboard, with a dark color hard back side. Look at the product at each store and see the difference. I buy maybe a dozen sheets of this stuff a year to make stencils for painting, and I'd drive forty extra miles to by the Lowes over the HD. I think you'd be much better off with plywood. 1/8" birch might get the job done for a small trailer like yours, unless someone sat on it.

[doug hodder]

would 1/4 birch hold a 12 inch radius? i have seen sheets of 1/4 birch at HD are they to be assumed to be of the same quality as the luan there? or would they work good if it will hold the radius?
if 2 sheets of 1/8th are key then will i need to glue them together? what glue?

I think you'll find that it is tough to get the baltic birch 1/4" to bend to a 12"R. That's why I did it in 2 layers of the 1/8". I used epoxy between the 2 layers, but I'd think a good quality white/yellow glue would work fine. Having used some of the HD products trying to save a buck while skinning the Rocketear, all I pretty much did for myself is create some headaches that I could have avoided by just coughing up the dough and getting the good stuff from the start. The luan was wavy, didn't lay down flat when I wanted it to, broke when I tried a curve and it took a lot of body work to make it look respectable. Doug