Can this even be done as a turning?

Oh, you bet you can turn plywood. I'd certainly recommend a high quality baltic birch plywood. You don't want any voids in there as well as having a much more consistent bond between the plys. Not only will this look better, it's far safer while turning. Make sure you do a quality job of adhering your multiple layers of the plywood too. You don't want those pieces coming apart at speed.

I don't remember some of the websites where I've seen plywood used in woodturnings and carvings, but it makes some striking pieces.

Good luck,

- Andrew

Rude Osolnik used to turn very nice pieces that he glued up from plywood. The AAW did their first Master series video tape featuring Rude.

Can that be made stable enough to even consider working it on a lathe? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I suggest you do a little ORDINARY woodturning first. This can certainly be done, and I have seen some very striking pieces turned from laminated glue-ups. One of the members of Bay Area Woodturners does some remarkable work by cutting glued up wedges, and then re-gluing with special clamps. The intersections of the layers of wood at various angles with the curves produced on the lathe make very spectacular results. He reports that some of the glues used in plywood can dull the turning tools very fast. You must be very exact in maintaining the centering and alignment, if you expect the patterns to look right.

Thanks very much all of you for your replies. They have helped a good deal. I suspect I shall try to make a "sanding jig" first (for want of a better description). Overall, while it seems it could be done, it sounds like another route might be better suited for what I am trying to achieve. I may make up a block and ask another to attempt turning it as an experiment as well, as turning might be quicker

I am using hand held sanding at present, but I think it would also be possible with a lathe like jig moving a rotary sanding drum along a track while the item is slowly rotated.

I suspect the multiple cutting and disposable nature of sandpaper combined with the slower work rate might make it all the more suitable. The glue dulling the tools was not something I knew about but did wonder if it may have an effect!

I really appreciate the insight and information you have given me, thank you all!

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

Gnube What are you trying to do with this plywood? It sounds like you want a cylinder for a drum sander as in thickness sander. If so, holler, I have made one in the past before I started turning. Think of using a circular saw on plywood and notice that people make special blades for it. The change in grain coupled with the urethane glues typically used generate a material that is murder on a tool edge. Rude Osolnik who turned a lot of plywood, at least compared to the rest of us, said he spent more time sharpening than turning to get a piece done.