joining plywood with puzzle joints???

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by Psuedomonas, Nov 3, 2010.

  1. cutyourway
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    cutyourway Peter STANLEY

    If you laser cut your plywood, you can have any kind of splice you want. Fingerjointed, PuzzleJointed, horizontal joint, follow-the-woodgrain joint, whatever. If you find a 6-axis laser cutter, you could even do interlocking-puzzle-scarf joint! However, most laser cutting systems are only 3 axis, so it's easier/cheaper to only cut your splice at right angles.

    www.cutyourway.com
     
  2. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    The next time I find a 6 axis laser cutting machine with a 50" x 98" bed, I'll have to run over and grab it up . . .
     
  3. cutyourway
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    cutyourway Peter STANLEY

    Try Mazak, but remember they are the most expensive
     
  4. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I'm not sure what you're attempting to push Peter, cut files, machines, new customers, but CNC machine cut anything for a back yard builder is just cost prohibitive. Developing a cut file or paying to have one done, paying to have the materials cut, transportation is a given. How can a typical back yard builder, who's project is an 18' or smaller, single chine, powerboat (80% of the market) with maybe a dozen scarfs at most, justify the cost of machine done joints? Their trying to get the whole boat in for less then a couple of grand and your joints cost how much of a percentage of the project? For what? Accuracy that isn't remotely necessary on a set of plans that only go down to an 1/8 inch? They're doing the project to work with their hands.

    That West System scarfer attachment is junk except on rough work that will be heavily faired latter.
     
  5. LP
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    LP Flying Boatman

    Paul, you're such a cut up! :D
     
  6. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    Whats important to consider is that you can..at this moment....order marine ply by the sheet with the puzzle joint pre cut into the sheet of ply, ready for work. . In many applications the puzzle joint is the correct choice, so why not use it when called for. .
     
  7. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Again,Michael you've offered nothing. How about substantiating your claim that;
    Also can you post a supplier of BS-1088 plywood panels with the joints you describe. Just one link will do. I'm just dieing to find out how much a finger joint costs on a full sheet. Should be a simple request and comparison, wouldn't you say, Michael?
     
  8. DGreenwood
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    DGreenwood Senior Member

    I don't know what kind of luck you fellas were born with but if I ordered puzzle joined ply wood I'm betting the ends would be so banged around and buggered up by the time I got them from the shipper, that I would have to spend a day sanding just to get them to fit together again.
     
  9. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member


    PAR, normally I wouldn't waste my time responding to your thoughts, But for your benifit, I suggest you really should get out more and open your mind. .


    I can walk to the local furniture, kitchen cabinet, component maker and ask him to cut puzzle joints with his milling machine in any grade of ply I purchase. I live in a small city. Many milling machines around.

    In the US I can simply order ply ,pre cut, from http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/new/new-supplies/puzzle-plywood.html

    If you have situation i which the puzzle joint is the best joint for the job, order it pre cut . It with save you the time spent fabricating a template. .
     
  10. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Well, looky here the reply. A finger joint for 50 dollars (CLC offering), on a piece of 1/4" Okoume plywood, well yes, that's an economical option. So glad you pointed this out. Lets see a single $50 joint on an $80 sheet of plywood, well you've discovered something here.

    As usual, you can't justify any of your your comments, though on this one rare occasion you have offered up a link to a service, where a single joint jacks up the base product cost by 40%.
     
  11. Little Iris
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    Little Iris Junior Member

    Par!

    The price is jacked up by 62,5% ;)
     
  12. messabout
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    messabout Senior Member

    Much ado about nothing gentlemen.

    Lets just encourage the OP to scarph the damned joints and get on with the build. Maybe we should encourage him to try the technique on some scrap ply, just to get the hang of it, before proceeding to the real thing.
     
  13. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    We can hope he has figured things out in the last 5 years.
     
  14. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    Puzzle joints and finger are popular for kits other times when plywood is cut with a CNC machine. Just a bit additional programing, and alignment of the pieces is simpler and frequently more accurate.

    Many, many boats have been built with scarf joints cut by numerous methods, and by Payson joints. And sometimes a simple butt joint with a butt block is satisfactory.
     

  15. LP
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    LP Flying Boatman

    Oh Dave, you beat me to it.

    I too have opted for simple butt blocks in many locations where there is little curvature or I don't what to lose material length to scarfs. If I get really serious, I'll taper the butt blocks on either side of the joint to soften the joint some.

    If I'm really clever, I place the butt joint and block at an intersecting bulkhead for additional strength. The cabin/coaming sides of my current build have two such joints that place the blocks in the vicinity of other structure helping to hide their existence.
     
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