Routing into Plywood

[massive88]

Is this a no-no?

Im looking to make a single player stick, and Ive never routed out material before.  Id rather not use MDF if possible, would a nice quality plywood be possible to route out for a Sanwa JLF?  Or do I just need to suck it up and use either solid wood or MDF?

[javeryh]

It should work fine.  There may be some voids in there but if you are top mounting and covering with artwork no one will ever know.  If you are bottom mounting then tear it up!

[massive88]

Ill be attempting to top mount, Ive never worked with plywood, Im always worried its just going to splinter and crack up.

If voids are my biggest worry, that shouldnt be a problem at all.

Thanks for the input!

[javeryh]

As long as you go slow and your bit is relatively sharp there shouldn't be any trouble at all with splintering.  In fact, I prefer using my router, pattern bit and a straight edge to make all of my cuts (my table saw is off by 1/32" no matter what I seem to do) and it really makes a nice smooth edge.   

[Chadwick]

As long as your router bit is sharp, you can router plywood just like you would any solid wood and should not have any problems.  You don't need any special bits or techniques.  There is no need to "go slower" on plywood than you would on solid wood.

[sstorkel]

As long as your router bit is sharp, you can router plywood just like you would any solid wood and should not have any problems.  You don't need any special bits or techniques.  There is no need to "go slower" on plywood than you would on solid wood.

Not quite true. Plywood does have a tendency to splinter and chip. In addition to using a sharp bit, you'll want to make shallower cuts when routing plywood than you would if routing MDF or solid wood. For example, if you wanted to create a rabbet that was 1/2" deep by 1/2" wide, you should not attempt to route it in one pass! I would suggest 2 or 3 passes minimum, each removing a bit more material. If you attempt to hog off a lot of material in one pass, you'll probably regret it...

[Chadwick]

Sstorkel is correct.  You should do it in multiple passes.  I apologize, I didn't mean to imply you could/should hog it all out in one pass.

[massive88]

Thanks for the advice folks.  I think I am going to put off honing my routing skills for another project, and will try to bottom mount into thinner material instead, and use reinforcing stiffener bars along with additonal support points to make sure the panel still feels sturdy.

If all else fails, Ill be back here trying to route out the top! 

[shmokes]

Bah . . . just router out your recesses.  I've routered loads of plywood and never had any trouble at all.  And I don't have nearly the patience to do multiple passes. 

Seriously, I'm sure there's truth to the warnings here, but 9.9 times out of 10 the plywood will behave just like solid wood when you put a router to it.  And if you're working on the bottom, it doesn't even matter if you happen to have the .1 that goofs up a bit.  It's not like your piece is going to crack in half or something.  You might just end up with a little void or something irrelevant like that.

For what it's worth I only have three panels.  All are plywood.  All are recessed on bottom for the joysticks and two are recessed on top to make the trackball mounting plate and the Ms. Packman/Galaga reunion stick mounting plate flush.  It is seriously nothing to worry about at all.  Routers play perfectly well with plywood. 

[deepblue]

The arcade I am building is plywood, and routing couldn't be easier. I believe you're less apt to make mistakes with a router, especially if you use a jig. I have never had splintering or recesses of any kind either.

Practice on a scrap piece until you're comfortable and you're all set.