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My friend who is building an ultralight airplane is using a really thin (.8mm) three ply birch plywood for the leading edges of the wings. It sems to me that this material might have some application in guitar building such as side braces, or even side lining. He gets it from Wicks Aircraft Supply in Illinois.

Ray

[QUOTE=Ray Pepalis]My friend who is building an ultralight airplane is using a really thin (.8mm) three ply birch plywood for the leading edges of the wings. It sems to me that this material might have some application in guitar building such as side braces, or even side lining. He gets it from Wicks Aircraft Supply in Illinois.

Ray[/QUOTE]

This plywood is also used to make competition quality boomerangs.  I have some in various thicknesses for different styles of boomerangs. I even have 4mm.

 

Chris

It's available from hobby shops that carry radio control model airplane stuff too.  Midwest is one of the brand names that comes to mind.

Welcome to the OLF Chris!!

thanks Hesh!

My local Radio Control shop stocks 1.5mm, 3mm, 5mm then goes to SAE dimensional sizes. I have nowhere that I would use it other than as maybe a sound port internal reinforcement, but I am sure it is usable for many things. I have used a bunch of it to stress skin large scale (1:4 and 1:3) RC airplanes

I've used the 3 mm Finnish birch ply from Wicks for resphonic guitars, both round neck and square necks. The plywood reso's I've made have sounded better than the solid wood models, for that that is worth. I have used solid maple for the sides, but on one I did use thinner ply and laminated two sheets in the bending form.  

Kent

I first saw thin ply when I was taking an instrument- building course ('old' instruments-lutes and viols and such). We were taught to use thin ply for patterns- since it's flexible, it's good for things like scrolls, etc. And, it's easy to trim with a sanding stick or small knife.
Sort of halfway between posterboard and 1/8 plywood/hardboard for patterns.

John