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RussoMagic.com Loyal user 241 Posts |
Hi Guys -
What type of wood (thin) is used on magic props? Like the classic Egyptian Water box, the break-away dove vanish, Deans Box. Its thin, light, but what is the name of it? Thanks! |
MentalistCreationLab Inner circle 1528 Posts |
Baltic Birch generally
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
What he said.
I think Dean's Box is solid Walnut, but you'd have to plane the thickness yourself. Some wood supply companies like Woodcraft will have dimensional hardwoods, though. You can usually expect to pay a lot for that.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Although the props you mentioned are U.F. Grant and Mak Magic items, these were made out of Tempered Masonite that is smooth on both sides. Very hard to find without a special order. The square pieces are most likely a hard pine wood or other hard woods.
This material is very hard to nail and screw, that is why it was mainly glued together. |
RussoMagic.com Loyal user 241 Posts |
Thanks for the help guys. I was going to build a little box and wanted something that was light and similar to the magic props out there. I always enjoyed how they felt and handled.
What about treated (stained) balsa wood? To thin? I will do some searching, now I know what to look for. Thanks again! |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Bill is right on the tempered Masonite possibly being the wood.
You can however buy hardboard at many home improvement stores. I found some at Menards after a heads up from someone who said they found it at Lowes. It is smooth on both sides. I bought 1/8", but I think it was available in 1/4", too. The big problem with this stuff is that it makes lousy joints because the fibers tend to split and any moderate stress will eventually cause the wood to break apart, even if the glue itself holds. Also, screws have a tendency to do the same thing, especially where there is torque stress, like door and panel hinges. This is why you'll see a lot of these kinds of projects being held together with pop rivets (or falling apart with repeated use). For this same reason, be sure to use a really good blade to cut with. Any less, and this stuff will fuzz up like a busted cattail. It can yield a nice finish, provided you know how to do that. Be sure to seal the wood with sanding sealer, then prime, then color coat. If you try to go straight to the color coat, you'll see the wood soak it up like a sponge. BTW - Pine maybe OK for some projects, but is not a hardwood, and not great for the kind of stuff magicians use.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Now that I know you intend to try to build some props, the best wood to use is Birch as stated. It is very expensive and usually has to be ordered anything below 3/4 inch thick. You can by 12"x24 sheets at Hobby Stores like Michael's.
I only mentioned the tempered Masonite in case you were planning to refinish some old props. I would not recommend it for a home project. My brain is not working, I cannot remember the name of the hardwood at the lumber store. I would suggest you try to find a hard wood that will not split easily. |
ClintonMagus Inner circle Southwestern Southeast 3997 Posts |
Our Home Depot and Lowes stores sell birch plywood (not Baltic) in 3/4", 1/2" and 1/4" thicknesses, and they have it pre-cut to 2x2, 2x4, and 4x4 sizes.
Things are more like they are today than they've ever been before...
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RussoMagic.com Loyal user 241 Posts |
Great! Thanks again guys!
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
All the magic plans and wood box tricks I have purchased over the years use 3/8", 1/4" and 1/2" plywood. The 3/8" has to be ordered. This I believe is more to control the weight of the box tricks. You can get these sizes as mentioned from Michael's craft stores.
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Shane Cobalt New user 91 Posts |
Baltic or Finnish Birch comes in Metric thicknesses which can be tiny increments. Aviation plywood seconds would be another good search. 1/8" or so can be found, the joinery is always the challenge with such little surface area. Doubled Rabbet joints come to mind, just to increase the glue up surface.
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Yes, it is often referred to as "aircraft ply", especially in the hobby industry. True on the metric sizes, although lumber yards will generally just go with SAE dimensions. Hobby stores tend to give both. 3mm=1/8", and so on.
I can do Rabbets for 90 degree joints on thicknesses down to 1/8. Any smaller than that and ... nope. I don't even attempt 90s unless one surface is a minimum of 1/8", and much depends on the surrounding structure. 1/16" has a lot of uses, but I typically opt for a butt joint, fast setting glues, and surrounding structure that prevents racking, etc. The really thin stuff (less than 1/16") has specialty applications, like the bottom of rattle boxes and such, where some "give" on a small surface is necessary. It is tricky stuff to work with, though. Michael's had some of the really thin gauges, but it seems as if my local store has stopped carrying any craft plywood. If you can locate some really good hobby shops that cater to serious scratch builders, you might find sizable panels of 1/16" and thinner. It should be readily available online, but I prefer to see what I buy. Some of this stuff is badly warped. This isn't bad if you intend to cut smaller pieces and if you will be securing at least 3 sides of a rectangle. Panels with too many free edges need really straight wood or you might end up with some problems.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
blackstone99 Regular user 169 Posts |
Many thanks for the info.
Paul |
Victor Ian Smith New user Los Angeles 61 Posts |
Great information all...thanks!
"Do what you love...
...and you will never work a day of your life" - Confucius |
Rick Fisher Elite user Rick Fisher 471 Posts |
We use Baltic Birch here in the shop - it is easy to work with and has very few flaws - problem with the 'yankee' birch you buy at the home stores is that some of it is warped and when you cut it you have to fill in edges with wood putty where there are air gaps in the wood. Baltic birch is easy to cut and the edges are easier to paint. Most of the time the 3/8" comes in 5 x 5 sheets instead of 4 x 8 which makes it easier to handle. Baltic birch even tho its more expensive will save you time and money in the long run.
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nytaylor21 New user Utah 55 Posts |
Great info! I've wondererd this myself. Thanks for all of the great tips and information!
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