: ... I've got a
: really nicely cut out set of frames for a Sea Ranger that started
: delaminating in the shop from one of the substitutes, junk.

It is only a couple of hours to recut a set of frames, but with the expense for more wood you might want to try salvaging the frames you have.

I'd try painting epoxy onto the edges of all my frames which had not yet delaminated. On the part which had delaminated, I'd first trace it onto plywood so I could cut a spare if necessary, and do the same edge soaking with epoxy, plus some added epoxy squeezed into the area of delamination. Then, the frames would get placed on wax paper or wrapped in Saran wrap to keep things tidy, and allowed to harden. Those which had started to delaminate would be forced back to size with clamps and/or weights. If that doesn't save you from recutting all of them then maybe you'll just need to recut the one or two which had started to delaminate--and with edge treatment you might still use the existing plywood. If the epoxy toughens the edges of the pieces, then sand the faces smooth and coat them with epoxy to protect the wood.

The edge grain on plywood is quite sbsorbent and you should be able to count on epoxy soaking in 1/4 inch, if you keep wetting the area when it appears to be dry. With the frames only being 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide in most areas that should get the epoxy into almost half the wood's width.

Hopefully this will help.

The local supplier has lots of 1/4inch baltic birch, including 4' x 5' panels of 1/4 inch plywood used for floor underlayments. Strong stuff, but it has disfiguring alignment marks printed all over the face of the material. Despite the looks, I've considered using epoxy to laminate two sheets of this to get up to the 1/2 inch thickness.

Why? you may ask. Well, there is quite a price difference between two sheets of 1/4 inch and one sheet of 1/2 inch. My guess is that this is partly because the 1/4 inch sheets are smaller (4x5 rather than 4x8), partly this is because the 1/2 inch sheets have a better finished face, and partly because there is more demand for the thinner sheets.

PGJ