Plywood or PVC

[nobrot]

I just had an interesting chat with the guy that will be doing my cockpit structure CNC cuts, and he suggested considering using PVC sheet rather than plywood.

 

I would appreciate any feedback from the community as to the pros and cons between plywood and PVC sheet. i will be using dimebugs plans.

[metalnwood]

I couldnt imagine pvc being cheaper than ply. ply is good, you can glue it, you can screw it easily.

 

Off the top of my head I cannot see an advantage to PVC unless you needed to offload it.

[nobrot]

I couldnt imagine pvc being cheaper than ply. ply is good, you can glue it, you can screw it easily.

 

Off the top of my head I cannot see an advantage to PVC unless you needed to offload it.

 

I figured being a plastic that the finnish would perhaps be cleaner?

[metalnwood]

Depending on what you are building you wouldnt see the carcass of the pit anyway, it would all be covered.

 

The sides of the plywood should be as good as if they were cut on a tablesaw with a nice blade.

 

The only thing required to get the best cuts on ply is that the guy doing it uses whats a called a 'compression' bit. This makes sure there is no tear out on either side of the ply when cutting.

 

I would go for ply unless a really good reason was stated, which I cant think of one.

 

Also, some plastics machine really well but I am not sure PVC is one of the better ones.

[nobrot]

thanks for info, I will talk with my CNC guy about it, hopefully he will know what a compression bit is!!

[BHawthorne]

Never heard of PVC sheet being used. Did you mean MDF sheet?

[PeterP]

Google "PVC-Hartschaum" and/or "Forex"

 

 

 

I don't know about the price difference - but when it's not much I would prefer the PVC any time over plywood.

 

Cleaner finish of the surface and much cleaner cuttings.

Its lightweight and sturdy enough .

 

All what Metalnwood outlined as advantage of plywood in post #2 can be also said for the PVC sheets.

[BHawthorne]

Interesting material. Would need to make sure it's the high-density variant of foam board though.

Edited August 22, 2013 by BHawthorne

[BIGNEWY]

When I was younger I was a sign writer, and we would use a material called foamex it came in various thickness's and was very ridged.

 

I could see this sort of thing being used for cockpits, I would just wonder about the cost vs wood / MDF

[nobrot]

The CNC guy I plan on using gave me an offcut of the PVC to look at, it comes in the same thickness as plywood, and seemed quite rigid and lighter than ply. This was solid sheet, not the foam sandwich stuff.

 

Still thinking about it, havent had a chance to get a price comparison yet.

[metalnwood]

Interesting, I would bow down to others knowledge of this particular product as I have not worked with it and it may be something other than what I am think of.

 

If its as good as others say then if it was my choice I would only have two thoughts. Plywood is absolutely fine for pits, so what is the premium in terms of $$ for the product. Is it worth it? Secondly, if I want to paint it, will it take a finish?

 

 

The second is possibly not a concern if it is just the internal structure that wont be seen or you are happy with its current look.

 

Happy building!

[Yo-Yo]

Interesting, I would bow down to others knowledge of this particular product as I have not worked with it and it may be something other than what I am think of.

 

If its as good as others say then if it was my choice I would only have two thoughts. Plywood is absolutely fine for pits, so what is the premium in terms of $$ for the product. Is it worth it? Secondly, if I want to paint it, will it take a finish?

 

 

The second is possibly not a concern if it is just the internal structure that wont be seen or you are happy with its current look.

 

Happy building!

 

Plywood of proper quality is possibly an ideal material. If you use proper base and filler to seal the wood structure and sand it, you will get mirror-like surface. Base- filler - sanding - test painting - filler for non-even zone - sanding - (repeat: filler - sanding - test painting till success) - gradually fine sanding - wet sanding - surface cleaning - final painting.

 

Surely, you can perform final painting at any stage you are satisfied with the surface.

[metalnwood]

Yes yo-yo, it might not have been clear from my post. The ply would paint well. It was the PVC I was not sure would take a finish. It would depend on the surface of the PVC.

 

To my mind I would not pay a premium for the PVC as the ply is pretty good as it is.

[Yo-Yo]

Yes yo-yo, it might not have been clear from my post. The ply would paint well. It was the PVC I was not sure would take a finish. It would depend on the surface of the PVC.

 

To my mind I would not pay a premium for the PVC as the ply is pretty good as it is.

 

Sorry :). Regarding PVC I am not sure that it can have good adhesion to the most of paintings. Experiments must be performed, especially for friction wear after painting.

[Thick8]

I made my FSX MIP out of 3/8" PVC sheeting. It is easier to cut and has a cleaner cut than both ply and mfd. It is lighter weight and structurally stronger. it can be painted with very good adhesion propertied if it has been sanded and primed. It is not that much more expensive that wood if you can find it locally. This is where I buy mine http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/pvcsheet.html

Hope this helps.

John

[Mr_Burns]

PVC isnt greenhouse friendly...? One for enviro's!

[metalnwood]

I had no idea what the pvc may cost but that 3/8" is $171USD on their special price.

 

I made my y2kiah from 3/4" MDF. Not sure what the cost would be in the states, generally cheaper than here so I may guess $30usd a sheet. You guys seem to get ply at reasonable cost as well so probably not much more than the MDF.

 

Remember a pit like y2kiahs's will take at least 3 sheets for the basic two consoles and floor, not counting the forward nose section which isnt really required.

 

So, while hearing that pvc may be better than I first thought, I still am not seeing why I would put an extra $350 in to my pit to use it.

 

I made my FSX MIP out of 3/8" PVC sheeting. It is easier to cut and has a cleaner cut than both ply and mfd. It is lighter weight and structurally stronger. it can be painted with very good adhesion propertied if it has been sanded and primed. It is not that much more expensive that wood if you can find it locally. This is where I buy mine http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/pvcsheet.html

Hope this helps.

John

[nobrot]

Well based on the pricing of the solid (not the foam sandwich stuff) PVC sheets versus decent plywood the cost difference is massive, $600 vs $65, about 10 times more expensive so I will be using 3/4" plywood.