It would be 3/4", assuming 3/8" ply was actually 3/8". These days, if you're really lucky, 3/8" plywood is 5/16". And 1/2" ply measures 7/16" on a good day. My vote would be to laminate a 3/8" and a 1/2" together. They should add up to just about 3/4".
todd
It's got serious flex! The deck is marketed as "Flexdeck". Running on concrete is bad!
Hardwood floors over wood frame construction usually also flex a bit, this is referred to as "bounce". If you're in an area that puts wood over concrete slabs, you might not be aware of it. I always take it for granted until I spend a week visiting Florida.
Wooden baseball bats, hockey sticks, musical instruments... all rely on wood's flexibility to some degree.
Think "prefinished flooring"... It's the right thickness, smooth, etc...
I would have thought oak would have less flex than MDF. Granted it undoubtedly has less than plywood of similar thickness, but I just assumed oak would be nice and solid without noticable flex. Now I'm assuming how thick the deck is on your treadmill, possibly it doesn't need to be thick depending on how its designed and sprung.
I think MDF flexes, just that it has far less strength and endurance to it
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