Ornament minimum thickness

[rash_powder]

Hello all!

I’m trying to be proactive this year and start working Christmas ornaments with more than a month to get them all done. 
 

This year I’m thinking I will order stock from Ocooch rather than going to the local box store.  I have been using 1/4” poplar; but thinking I want to go to 1/8” ash or similar.  Regardless of species, will 1/8” be thick enough to last?  I don’t want to make things so fragile they break if bumped or knocked around.  
 

Most of what I make comes from Steve Goode’s site.  A lot of his patterns call for ply and I just don’t feel right using that.  
 

thanks in advance!

[dgman]

I agree that using ply is not the way to go. A lot of folks use ply, but I would rather use hardwoods. I have always thought 1/4” was too thick and !/8” is too thin. So, I use 3/16”. Of course I have the tools necessary to resaw and plane my stock. If you are going to use hardwoods, I would go with 1/4”.

[Jim McDonald]

Plywood gives strength. Going with thinner species stock will mean you will have to pay attention to the grain. 

I have cut hundreds of ornaments from 1/8" ply and there folks here using 1/16". Using good quality Baltic birch ply wakes all the difference as there generally no gaps or patches.

[Paladin]

I do the same as DGMAN.  I usually stack cut my ornaments and like to keep my stacks no thicker then 3/4". Started planing 1/4" down to 3/16" and this allowed me to cut 4 at a time instead of 3 - makes a huge difference.  Haven't had any problems with breakage at 3/16" with different species of hardwood.  Not a fan of using plywood for ornaments.

[kmmcrafts]

When I do them from hardwood lumber I make them at 3/16". I don't make very many out of hardwood anymore as many of them get partially painted so I use 1/8 BBply.. Thinking about going to 1/16 ply actually because many of the painted ones get glued to a backer. 

[Denny Knappen]

You can order 3/16" from Ocooch Hardwoods.

[Bill WIlson]

I've cut many ornaments and have used both ply and hardwood.  If the ornament pattern is very detailed and fragile, I go with 1/8" BB ply.  Simpler ornaments with less fragile cross grain areas tend to get hardwood.  I usually plane down to somewhere around 3/16".  Like Dan said, 1/4" is too chunky and 1/8" is too thin & fragile for hardwood ornaments, IMHO.

Lately I've been gravitating more toward the fragile, detailed ornaments, so I've been using a lot more ply.  I don't think it detracts from the appearance, because there usually isn't enough of the wood left to see the color and grain pattern anyway.  Also, if I want to spruce it up a little, I can add a little color and/or glitter to add visual interest.  I've found that the ornaments I make from my favorite hardwoods like cherry & walnut, tend to disappear on the tree because they don't stand out like lighter colored woods or brightly painted/dyed ones.

[kmmcrafts]

On 3/28/2024 at 12:54 PM, Bill WIlson said:

I  I've found that the ornaments I make from my favorite hardwoods like cherry & walnut, tend to disappear on the tree because they don't stand out like lighter colored woods or brightly painted/dyed ones.

Was going to mention this, I have had several customers over the years request Cherry or other wood for a custom ornament and then they receive their order and realize the lighter colored wood shows up much better and then want me to make another from the lighter wood, LOL

I now explain this a little to customers when they ask for darker wood. Trees are decorated with bright colors and lights that take the focus away from anything that isn't bright or light colored. I almost exclusively use 1/8 BBply now days.. 

[rash_powder]

The darker wood being lost is something I hadn't thought of, but makes sense.

I have been using poplar, but it can sometimes be difficult to get clear white.  The mixed colors feel vintage to me and I like that.  

That said, I'm thinking I may give aspen a go for ornaments this year.  Its always clear white, seems to cut a bit easier than poplar, and doesn't seem to be cupped near as much as the poplar is as well.  I can find pretty good quality aspen locally so I may not order online.

[John M]

I use 3/16 hard wood or natural woods. I do not believe in using plywood for my ornaments, makes them look mass produced.

[Wooden Lace]

I've sold over 10,000 ornaments made of 1/16th inch Finnish  Birch from Aircraft Spruce.  I still use ones I made almost 20 years ago and they look perfect.  I used to stack cut 10 at a time, but didn't like having to use a blade large enough for that.  Now I usually do stack of 4 or 5, and use a Pegas modified geometry #1 blade.  No fuzzies on the back to worry about.

Some people don't think plywood looks nice enough, but I sell almost all of mine at high end wood galleries and their clients love them.  I use no finish at all.  Most are inset with 2mm gold beads to give extra sparkle.  The wood is thin enough that they show from both sides.  Simply drill a hole and press the bead in with a shaker peg.  Very high tech!

I've made some of hardwood, but they don't sell nearly as well.  Plus, it has to be light wood such as maple for the pattern to show on a dark green tree.

[rjweb]

Please post some pictures of your ornaments sound interesting, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

Yeah, I've sold a awful lot of ornaments over the last almost 20 years.. heck some have bulk ordered as many as 400 in one single order.. and I agree.. I get more people buying the light colored BBply ones over the hardwood one's back when I used to offer the options.. nobody was buying the hardwood ones so I kinda stopped offering them..  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

6 hours ago, Wooden Lace said:

I've sold over 10,000 ornaments made of 1/16th inch Finnish  Birch from Aircraft Spruce.  I still use ones I made almost 20 years ago and they look perfect.  I used to stack cut 10 at a time, but didn't like having to use a blade large enough for that.  Now I usually do stack of 4 or 5, and use a Pegas modified geometry #1 blade.  No fuzzies on the back to worry about.

Some people don't think plywood looks nice enough, but I sell almost all of mine at high end wood galleries and their clients love them.  I use no finish at all.  Most are inset with 2mm gold beads to give extra sparkle.  The wood is thin enough that they show from both sides.  Simply drill a hole and press the bead in with a shaker peg.  Very high tech!

I've made some of hardwood, but they don't sell nearly as well.  Plus, it has to be light wood such as maple for the pattern to show on a dark green tree.

Nancy, would love to see some examples. Do you have a web site?

Edited April 3 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Wooden Lace]

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the beaded ornaments, as everything is packed away from our recent move.  I only kept 1 client, since the business is pretty much closed down, and the website taken down.

[NC Scroller]

I sell roughly 100 ornaments a year and 90% are cut from 1/8" BB.  The few I make out of hardwood are also 1/8" thick.  My go to wood for hardwood ornaments is maple. 

[nrscroller]

I use 1/8 in baltic birch plywood and it's great for ornaments

Bill

[Roberta Moreton]

I use scraps for most of my ornaments. I don’t make many to sell. I use 1/8” and 1/4” Birch plywood and 1/4” scrap hardwood. 

[tomsteve]

im not quite to the numbers other are but I have cut hundreds of ornaments out of 1/8" BB. soaked in BLO for a minute, dried, add a little red string to hang, put in a little white gift box. they sell for $15 and up depending on the detail.