I try posting about pretty much every new custom deck we can find.

*smiles* From all of the creators then: many thanks for your help in spreading the word! (same thanks to everyone who share a KS link!)

As you've noticed, we're an opinionated bunch here when it comes to cards - none of it is personal and all of it is a sign of how much we care about our favorite hobby and art form.  Not to mention that for some of us, playing cards are the tools of our trade.

We love opinionated and passionate people! Yay! *smiles* And, we've grown some pretty thick skin, so no worries. We're not running away just yet! *wink*

We're pretty sure these cards are not suited for sleight-of-hand and many other moves. But, until we find out, we're just guessing! *smiles* Your assessment sounds 100% accurate, but we still want to see! *smiles*

Have you considered "reinforcing" your cards?  Ordinary playing card paper is made from a "sandwich" of two paperboard layers held together by a layer of graphite-infused glue applied under pressure.  The layers and the glue combine to stiffen the card while retaining the flexibility and the graphite keeps the cards from being translucent (without it, holding a card up to the light would reveal the printing on the other side). If you took the layers of wood you're using now and applied them so the grain of each layer crosses the other, in either a cross or an "X" pattern, you could end up with a stronger yet still pliant card, perhaps even strong enough to allow laser etching on the back as well as the front.  Of course, I'm assuming you haven't already tried this, so if you have, well - how did it go? 

Indeed we have, and this is exactly how our cards are built. They are made from 2 types of wood with an acrylic core. The backs are a themed wood, with grain running top to bottom, then a thin layer of bonding acrylic, and finally the fronts, which are made of extremely flexible Okoumé with grain running side to side.

The acrylic core is laser safe (no toxic fumes produced), resistant to shattering, and bonds extremely well to wood. A very handy side effect is that the acrylic actually inhibits splintering in the wood, so knocking the edges around does not result in chipping, splitting, or cracks.

This layering is the only way to achieve a wood playing card that is more than decoration. However, we would either need to sacrifice contrast (by etching less deeply), or increase thickness (by adding more layers) to etch on both sides. We decided on this middle ground. The wood backs are lovely and provide a simple, yet visually stunning decoration, and the thickness is enough to add a delightfully unexpected weight while still allowing the cards to function. *smiles*

Hi! We're the creators of this Hardwood Playing Cards project.

Before anything else, we want to thank Don for posting this thread, without which we might not have found this site! (Thank you! *smiles*)

We love talking about our cards and it sounds like some of the people posting here have great questions that we can answer! It also sounds like the people here _really_ know their cards, and we'd love to hear your insights about about our cards/project, too! We're absolutely not here to push or coerce, just hoping to answer some questions and get some feedback! Yay!

We've made notes of the criticisms already expressed, and are very appreciate of them! (We know the cards are expensive - sorry! - and it's okay if you don't like the artwork! *smiles*)

And to answer some of the questions:

1) We spend 10 minutes every day shuffling our very first prototype deck. We have yet to get a splinter or break a card from this, 6 months and counting! The only ill effect is that Kristi (co-creator) does have a small callus forming from all the shuffling.

2) These cards are springy for wood, but much more stiff than traditional playing cards as they are about 3 times the thickness. The below youtube video shows the cases, shuffling, and breaking, which we hope sheds more light onto how the cards "feel" and move. (yes, you can laugh at our complete lack of shuffling abilities! *smiles*)

3) Some of our early prototypes had designs etched into the backs, but we found that removing material from both sides of the cards _greatly_ reduced their structural integrity. *sadness* We don't intend for these cards to REPLACE paper and plastic playing cards, but we DO expect them to function like them!!! *smiles* And yes, they are effectively marked cards, so we only recommend them for friendly games! *smiles* In practice, we find it hard to remember the specific markings of all 54 cards in a standard deck, but one or two usually do stand out.

4) Robert is exactly right - we need KS to purchase the materials. This is our third KS project and we're still in the process of transitioning from "hobby" to "business". This makes launching a new product line difficult, especially because we never seem to remember that we're suppose to get a salary. But mainly, for us, KS is about the experience, not just the funding. We love running projects, making new friends, and helping our original concept grow into something better thanks to the insight and suggestions of that huge community.

5) As for durability, these cards can take a lot more than we ever expected. We're still performing tests on them, and will be posting more videos of how they hold up to extreme circumstances. But, the below video really does convey the basics! *smiles*

6) As far as slight of hand, we don't have any skill at all in this art-form, so we can't actually speak to this. However, if there are any volunteers, we'd love to send a couple sample cards to someone who knows what they're doing!

Thanks for reading all of this (wow - we really talk WAY too much! *smiles*) Please let us know if you see any way we can make these cards better! We'd love to hear from you!

~Kristi and Shea
http://youtu.be/7oRpkMvJmO0