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" I dont like plywood or panzerholz because they are dimensionally unstable in the long term - warping, expansion, contraction"
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Thats kind of both true and false in my experience. For large objects like a plinth and platforms it false. For smaller objects it is somewhat true like in a tonearm. I have large pieces I have been using that I got from work when the plant was moving.
Came from machinery delivered and made in the60’s from Germany as skid and protection plates . After the machines so large they were floated on air in place the plates were removed and sat in a cold basement in winter and hot and humid in summer since 1962. I got them in 2003.
No checks cracks or warping and straight as could be. Apparently on smaller items like tonearms n such the fibre structure is compromised.
This is copied from morningside....
"With standard products, like Panzerholz, much thicker laminations mean there is less stability when using the product on a very small-scale. When you release the confining tension of various layers, above and below, natural wood fibers will start to relax somewhat. *This is not a problem with large objects, like plinths, or bullet proof doors, * "
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I’ve used it in numerous plinth builds , seen it used for engineered self supporting stairs in high end loft conversions etc.
Structurally its a very sound material. Ive not experienced the stability or cracking and warping at all that you’ve seen.
The pieces I had and have were 5 ft by 1.5 ft by 35mm thick . So much resin , not sure it really could be called birch wood anymore. Its a real blade and bit killer when cut to low or too high an rpm.
Apparently Pica wood is much better for smaller objects as its thinner cross lamination is specifically in a way to maintain its strength over a much smaller dimension. I’ve not used it so I can’t say from experience . Panzerholtz was my choice because I have never felt Aluminum was a good choice other than its ease of machining and once cheap price and after reading the specific tests done I pushed forward with what I had. I’ve seen other and heard other’s choices too. Its a matter of your design and materials at hand and what you like n want personally.. Lots of good results. I’m curious about the ebonized bamboo ply you mentioned as it sounds like another viable option to look into.
Choice is a good thing.
Although looks are very subjective, few could argue the skill, time, effort and cost of machinery and materials some of these plinth’s take to design and
build as well as business costs. Let alone the results. a "300 dollar plinth"... thats basically a board with a hole in it. Cheers
https://www.lessloss.com/page.html?id=80
