Custom cut plywood has a huge variety of applications for industrial users, from scaffolding to shipping. When considering custom cut plywood for your next project, you should know that you have several options available to you—much more than simple dimensions.
Industrial Plywood Selection Details
When choosing a source for your custom cut plywood, it’s important to note that not all plywood is created equally. Standard plywood is not the same quality you’ll find with an industrial wood supplier. Investigate the quality of the plywood before you make your purchases. Two of the details you should watch for include:
Adhesive Toughness
Standard commercial plywood may use adhesives during the creation of the plywood that can’t stand up to the heavy-duty machinery used for custom cutting. On the other hand, industrial plywood is formed with durable adhesives that resist moisture and won’t scorch at the edges during sawing.
Structural Integrity
Another issue you can encounter with standard commercial plywood is an internal gap in the wood. With industrial plywood, the cores are engineered specifically to be uniform, so you can trust the integrity of the wood when ordering custom sizes and shapes.
Industrial plywood may also be available with special coatings: high-density overlay, medium-density overlay, and phenolic resin coatings. These provide protection against extreme wear and moisture—and that’s not something you get from your standard plywood.
Veneers for industrial plywood also come in utility grades such as C or D because the structural integrity is more important than aesthetics. Commercial plywood will not be as strong but can often be used where visual perfection is needed.
Considerations When Cutting Industrial Plywood
Custom cut plywood may bring to mind various sizes, all in square or rectangle shapes. While custom sizing is an option, it’s not the only customizations that can be made. Custom cut plywood can be cut to any shape necessary for your project. If holes of various shapes are needed to fit pipework or other materials, those can be custom cut into the plywood for you with CNC machining and commercial-grade high-speed sawing equipment. Measurements will be precise, within your tolerances.
As precise as custom cut plywood may be, there are a few things to keep in mind when measuring and fitting.
Kerf
The blade thickness, or kerf, must be accounted for when measuring and fitting. Your measurements specific sizes and shapes could be affected if you don’t plan for the amount of wood lost. One plywood sheet cut to specifications could end up needing to be two, which affects your overall budget.
Sealing
Industrial sawing equipment will expose the inner plies of your plywood, where moisture could creep in and cause problems. Plan for sealing these edges before the plywood is placed to prevent swelling.
With these considerations in mind, you’re ready to order custom cut plywood for your next industrial project. As always, we’re here to help you through the ordering and onboarding process so that your projects always run smoothly.
