: I think that by applying cloth and resin to one or both sides, and I'm
: assuming this would be done on a flat surface, and then stitching the
: individual components together would then not only pre-stress the plywood,
: but also the layers of epoxy/fibreglass, tension on the exterior and/or
: compression on the interior surfaces.

You would have to be careful about the amount of pretensioning you do, or should a seam tear, the tension would cause the tear to spread, and perhaps you could open up a seam quite a bit.

When you bend your wood the outer surface doesn't expand much, and the inner surface compresses. With the inner side covered with glass cloth and resin you are going to make it much more difficult for that stronger inner surface to compress. That means the amount that you can bend the wood is going to affected by how much the outer surface an stretch. Watch out for cracks developing. You may wish to use a sharp knife to score the outer surface to permit more extreme bending.

When you bend the wood first and then cover it with the fiberglass you tend to "freeze" the bend in place. Changing the shape of the composite, would require even more energy as now the outer "skin" of glass cloth embedded in plastic is far less likely to stretch or compress than the wood underneath it.

PGJ