: is okume less brittle than luan?

: Sage

It really depends on the quality of the luan panels. There is definately "good" stuff and "bad" stuff. If the quality can vary dramatically in just one stack in one store, imagine what it is like throughout the country. "Really good" luan can be free of voids and look every bit as pretty as okume. But it's difficult to find. You can find it in the same stack as the crap, and I think the darker purple colors usually represent a better piece. I have never used the 1/4" luan, but lots of the 1/8". The veneers are more brittle than okume and will chip and splinter (especially near the ends or edges). Scoring the line before you cut can eliminate this problem. I am not claiming to be an expert with these materials, this is just what I've seen.

From what I gather, it depends largely on what it is you're building. If it's just a boat you want and you want to build it as cheaply as possible, take the extra step of scoring the line and be a little more gentle on wire tightening, and go with the luan. There have been many beautiful S&G boats done with luan. But if you are really going to spend some time building it, I'd spend the extra money and use the okume. The okume, with it's quality in the core and on the outside veneers, is more of a pleasure to work with. There's also several grades of okume, and I have seen very little difference in the BS1088 and other grades (6566? I think). Kind of a long answer to a short question, I'm sure it's the coffee
Scott