Laser / CNC Can 1.5mm "Chipboard" be used for fins?

[BigMacDaddy]

I am having trouble finding cheap 1.5mm and 2mm plywood so was wondering if I can use chipboard for making rocket fins? Also can this be cut / shaped with a CNC?

Do you guys know if this is more like cardstock or more like thin MDF? I would assume this is heavier than the 2mm plywood I have been using but hoping it could work in some cases (assuming it is rigid enough).

Looking at something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Acid-Free-Three-Dimensional-Embellishments-Papercrafts/dp/B0013JRFUA/

 

[prfesser]

Isn't the thick grey backing of legal pads chipboard? Not particularly strong for its thickness, and it's prone to crease when it flexes. I hate to recommend Hobby Lobby (personal reasons) but they usually have plywood, though I don't know how thin. Ebay also has both plywood and basswood in 1/16" thickness.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Isn't the thick grey backing of legal pads chipboard? Not particularly strong for its thickness, and it's prone to crease when it flexes. I hate to recommend Hobby Lobby (personal reasons) but they usually have plywood, though I don't know how thin. Ebay also has both plywood and basswood in 1/16" thickness.

Thanks -- I was trying to figure out if chipboard is more like cardboard backing for pads or more like the pressed wood backing of clip boards like the picture below. I did notice that Apogee uses chipboard for some of their fin alignment jigs and people commented that the 1.5mm sheets do not sag or bend when held out in the air.

I had found some plywood online but it is running around $1.50 - $2 per sheet for 8 1/2" x 11" x 1/16" (200mmx300mmx1.5mm) sheets. The chipboard is down around $.34 - $.50 per sheet so wondering what it will work for, if anything. Once I started cutting with my CNC I can see me rapidly running through lots of material.

 

[prfesser]

Thanks -- I was trying to figure out if chipboard is more like cardboard backing for pads or more like the pressed wood backing of clip boards like the picture below. I did notice that Apogee uses chipboard for some of their fin alignment jigs and people commented that the 1.5mm sheets do not sag or bend when held out in the air.

The clipboard backing is similar to Masonite, a different kind of pressed-wood material. Like the brown perfboard used with metal hooks for shop storage. It's pretty heavy for its thickness.

 

[tjkopena]

Do you guys know if this is more like cardstock or more like thin MDF? I would assume this is heavier than the 2mm plywood I have been using but hoping it could work in some cases (assuming it is rigid enough).

Looking at something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Acid-Free-Three-Dimensional-Embellishments-Papercrafts/dp/B0013JRFUA/

I have some of that exact package. Bought it years ago for other crafts and still have almost all of it left. It's very similar to the backing for legal pads and so on, maybe just a bit thicker than many. Not at all like even thin plywood. Pretty flexible and not a great surface for using as a clipboard. I have thin cardstock that's actually stiffer. I'm sure you could make fins out of it for small low power rockets but it wouldn't be my first choice even for that. I'd just go straight to heavy cardstock at that point---lighter, much more aero, easier to cut, easier to finish, cheaper, and maybe stiffer. You probably could put this stuff through a CNC but it seems like overkill and might take some care given how flexible it is. Seems more amenable to a knife cutter or laser. It's actually been on my to-do list for some time now to see how it works with those. Either way, I'm thinking about it mostly for non-rocketry crafts. Maybe alignment jigs and similar, but not rocket components directly.

I haven't seen Apogee's alignment jigs. "Chipboard" is kind of a nebulous term that gets applied to a somewhat broader range of materials than you'd hope, and then there are also varying thicknesses and densities of it. For example, most boardgame boards & components also use "chipboard" but it's generally all stiffer than this particular stuff. Although also a somewhat loose term, the "fiberboard" often used for centering rings and so on also seems generally stiffer and stronger.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

I have some of that exact package. Bought it years ago for other crafts and still have almost all of it left. It's very similar to the backing for legal pads and so on, maybe just a bit thicker than many. Not at all like even thin plywood. Pretty flexible and not a great surface for using as a clipboard. I have thin cardstock that's actually stiffer. I'm sure you could make fins out of it for small low power rockets but it wouldn't be my first choice even for that. I'd just go straight to heavy cardstock at that point---lighter, much more aero, easier to cut, easier to finish, cheaper, and maybe stiffer. You probably could put this stuff through a CNC but it seems like overkill and might take some care given how flexible it is. Seems more amenable to a knife cutter or laser. It's actually been on my to-do list for some time now to see how it works with those. Either way, I'm thinking about it mostly for non-rocketry crafts. Maybe alignment jigs and similar, but not rocket components directly.

I haven't seen Apogee's alignment jigs. "Chipboard" is kind of a nebulous term that gets applied to a somewhat broader range of materials than you'd hope, and then there are also varying thicknesses and densities of it. For example, most boardgame boards & components also use "chipboard" but it's generally all stiffer than this particular stuff. Although also a somewhat loose term, the "fiberboard" often used for centering rings and so on also seems generally stiffer and stronger.

Thank you so much for confirming that this is not what I want

Honestly just trying to find $.01 more to add to an amazon order so I can get free shipping on an order of 1.5mm plywood...