Plywood Bend Slot Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the number of slots and slot spacing is:

$\text{Angle per Slot} = \frac{360 \times \text{Slot Width}}{2 \pi \times \text{Slot Depth}}$

$\text{Number of Slots} = \left\lceil \frac{360}{\text{Angle per Slot}} \right\rceil$

$\text{Slot Spacing} = \frac{\text{Circumference}}{\text{Number of Slots}}$

What is a Slot Spacing for Plywood Bending?

Slot spacing for plywood bending refers to the distance between the slots cut into the plywood to allow it to bend into a desired shape. This is particularly useful in construction and woodworking when creating curved surfaces.

Example Calculation

Let's assume the following values:

Outer Diameter (OD): 48 inches
Inner Diameter (ID): 46.5 inches
Slot Width: 1/8 inch
Slot Depth: 5/8 inch

Step 1: Calculate the angle per slot:

$\text{Angle per Slot} = \frac{360 \times \frac{1}{8}}{2 \pi \times \frac{5}{8}} = \frac{360 \times 0.125}{2 \pi \times 0.625} = \frac{45}{3.927} \approx 11.46^\circ$

Step 2: Calculate the number of slots:

$\text{Number of Slots} = \left\lceil \frac{360}{11.46} \right\rceil = \left\lceil 31.42 \right\rceil = 32$

Step 3: Calculate the slot spacing for the outer and inner diameters:

$\text{Slot Spacing (Outer)} = \frac{\pi \times 48}{32} = \frac{150.8}{32} \approx 4.71 \text{ inches}$

$\text{Slot Spacing (Inner)} = \frac{\pi \times 46.5}{32} = \frac{146.1}{32} \approx 4.57 \text{ inches}$

Therefore, the slot spacing along the outer diameter is approximately 4.71 inches, and along the inner diameter, it is approximately 4.57 inches.