thickness of wood

[Marilyn Norgart]

I ordered 2 liners from Nurture and a friend is going to make the molds for them. how thick should the wood be?

 

[Relle]

My wooden mould is 1/2 ", but I don't use silicon as a liner, I use freezer paper.

 

[Obsidian]

1/2" is what I use too.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Mine is made from about 2cm thick ply.

 

[SweetHoneyHandmade]

“Thick enough to be good and stiff”
Sorry, mind’s in the gutter

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

“Thick enough to be good and stiff”
Sorry, mind’s in the gutter

well its gonna go where its gonna go

 

[Steve85569]

Mine are 3/4". Made with 1x4 boards and screws.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I am assuming the thicker the boards the more it will hold the heat? I have only used pvc pipe, plastic mold and milk cartons so far

 

[Steve85569]

Yes.
But I consider "full water" to be 2 parts water to 1 part alkali (33%) so gel temperature would be higher than is usual in most all my recipes.
Less water means that the gel phase is only available to the soap at higher temperatures. If I want to gel I will cover the mold with a 1x6 and place it in the oven.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Thicker will also mean heavier. I made a massive mould and used wood which is far too thick. The weight of the mould itself is unwieldy, before the 10+kg batter goes in, too.

 

[penelopejane]

Mine are 3/4". Made with 1x4 boards and screws.

Your boards are 3/4 inch thick but you used 1 inch thick x 4 inches wide boards did you use a thicknesser to cut them down to 3/4 inch thick?

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

Yes.
But I consider "full water" to be 2 parts water to 1 part alkali (33%) so gel temperature would be higher than is usual in most all my recipes.
Less water means that the gel phase is only available to the soap at higher temperatures. If I want to gel I will cover the mold with a 1x6 and place it in the oven.

Thicker will also mean heavier. I made a massive mould and used wood which is far too thick. The weight of the mould itself is unwieldy, before the 10+kg batter goes in, too.

definitely something to keep in mind--at this point I do 2-3# molds. but then again the higher weight might cause more pressure on the sides causing bowing?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

That is the key - finding a design and a thickness (even the type of wood used!) That is as light as possible, but string enough

 

[DeeAnna]

@penelopejane -- The end user doesn't do this -- the lumber company does. The 1" thickness is the measurement of the board (timber) when it's rough sawn. After the factory planes the boards to make them smooth, the finished thickness is actually 3/4".

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

That is the key - finding a design and a thickness (even the type of wood used!) That is as light as possible, but string enough

I wonder if cedar would be good--I think it is a fairly lighter wood and seems to be strong

 

[DeeAnna]

Western cedar would be fine - that's the cedar that's often sold for making decks and suchlike. Pine, fir, or spruce wood is about as light, usually easier to find, and often less expensive. It's more important that the wood be straight and smooth with few knots.