Need help on wood selection

I friend who works as a production supervisor at a local factory wants me to make a couple lids for their glue pots. The glue pots are basically hot melt glue pots of some sort. The glue comes in cubes that they place in the pot and melt it uses pressure to dispense the glue. The current lids appear to be some sort of plastic but the edges are getting broken and they want them replaced. The lids need to be about 10" round with a 1/2" rabbit or lip around the edge.

I'm waiting for him to get back with me to confirm how hot the pots actually get. But, do any of you have suggestions on what wood I can or should use?

Thanks
Ricc Havens
Elkhart, IN

I'd use plywood. In our plant, we have a similar situation (wood lids used on heated pots). Solid wood warps. Plywood stays stable enough. We don't seal ours. They're made to be replaceable and easily reproducible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Prashun Patel

I'd use plywood. In our plant, we have a similar situation (wood lids used on heated pots). Solid wood warps. Plywood stays stable enough. We don't seal ours. They're made to be replaceable and easily reproducible.

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What plywood do you suggest? Locally only have Lowes, Menards and Home Depot as retailers of plywood. I have used Menards "handi-panels" for shop cabinets but the quality of that plywood is not great

Ricc

We use PALLET plywood. It doesn't get much worse than that. But like i said, we make a million of them and throw whenever they get skeevy.

So our strategy is to make them cheap and easy to make. We use a bandsaw circle jig and don't bother to make it pretty.

If your customer wants them pretty, this may not work for you.

If you want quality try Baltic birch--I buy mine in full sheets from a real lumber yard at a decent price. Not a big box store.

thanks for the help guys!! It's very much appreciated!

Ricc

Prashun, you mentioned you use cheap plywood from pallets. How hot does your factory glue pots get? Are they low temp glue pots? Plywood has a rating of 200deg and the glue post at my friend's factoy are rated 245deg and 265deg. so he is concerned about starting a fire.

Thanks
Ricc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Prashun Patel

We use PALLET plywood. It doesn't get much worse than that. But like i said, we make a million of them and throw whenever they get skeevy.

So our strategy is to make them cheap and easy to make. We use a bandsaw circle jig and don't bother to make it pretty.

If your customer wants them pretty, this may not work for you.

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i would try some sort of uhmw, or heat resistant plastic or phenolic

Sorry if I misled. We are not using glue pots. We are blending chemicals. Our lids are used on pots that get in the 125-140 degree range.

I googled plywood ignition temp and read: "The rate depends upon temperature and air circulation. The thermal degradation and ignition point of wood and plywood may be generalized by the following: 230° to 302° F (110° C to 150° C): The wood will char over time with the formation of charcoal."

If you take your time, you could actually turn the lids from aluminum. It is probably easier to turn than lignum vitae. Of course, it would be easier on a metal lathe, but it is also possible to turn some stuff on a wood lathe.

UHMW is fun to turn, but google said: "UHMW-PE can operate continuously up to 180 degrees F and intermittently at 200 degrees F with custom blends available to enhance the temperature range up to 300 degrees F." So, unless you got a custom blend, it may not work well.

Hey guys

thanks for your input. While the ignition point of plywood may be between 230-302deg one website I found said most plywoods have a maximum "continuous" operating temp of 200deg. I have checked out lots other other plastics like UHMW, Lexan, Polyporpelene, etc. Most have high temps off 230-265deg but again it's the maximum continuous operating temps that most have are still in the 180-205deg range.

Phenolics (or the nylon polymer blend the glue pot manufacturer uses) that can handle the heat are terribly expensive for a 12"x12"x5/8" thick sheet at $83 on Amazon. The manufacturer charges $95 for the complete lid.

So it looks like it's better for my friend to just buy a new lid with knob and locking fasteners than it is for me to buy a sheet and have him pay me to turn it to size.

Thanks again for all the help and input!!
Ricc