cost is no object, just need wood

[D ON BOARD]

Hi everybody

I knew that would get your attention.

I am building two boat interiors.
76 foot is to be a light wood, his last boat was maple which is not a good choice for a boat due to expantion and contraction (all the joints open due to changes in humidity) He said cherry was too dark so i'm wide open for suggestions.

65 foot is to be walnut or maybe a rosewood or zebra wood.

any suggestions or experiences with these woods or stuff that you think would look better.

thanks dennis

 

[DaveO]

You might want to check out this table and the "shrinkulator calculator" that comes with it. It might help with your wood choice. Although a marine environment is the extreem.

http://www.woodworkersweb.com/shrink_table.htm

Dave

 

[McRabbet]

As you know, with solid woods you always need to pay strong attention to expansion or contraction due to temp and humidity changes. I would favor using a maple plywood product which tends to be more stable under varying humidity -- not sure if you can get it in marine glues. Baltic birch plywoods are also very stable. Check the plywoods and other products Wall Lumber in our list of NC Wood Suppliers at the left for other possibilities.

 

[walnutjerry]

Mahogany is a darker wood that is also a good exterior wood and I think it is used frequently on boats. As for the lighter wood, first thing that comes to mind is cypress which ia also an excellent wood for high humidity. I am by no means an expert on the matter so take that into consideration.

Best wishes in your hunt for the right woods!!! Jerry

 

[D ON BOARD]

hey Rob

the substraight i use is a european lightply which is about half the weight of furniture grade plywoods and very stable. The problem I'm having is when I call hardwood supplier for instance i'm told he can't send me a sample of everything. i need to know specific types of wood i want a sample of because he has wood brokers whom only carry certain types of wood. For instance when i asked for rosewood south american he asked which type of south american rosewood because he has to contact different brokers for different types of rosewood. One individual supplier doesn't handle all the different types of rosewood but several suppliers handling a couple each.

So what i'm looking for is say a wood turner or someone who does inlays but has experience with a specific types of woods whom could help me just get to the samples by saying I used a brazilian rosewood and it looked beautiful. The stability problems I can get around or handle on an individual bases once i have a sample. With the sample I can get the clients ok if it suits our environment and then have veneer made (here in North Carolina by Veneer Tech just a plug for a NC company) and order matching hardwood.

If you will, I'm giving an opportunity for anyone to tell me their choice of wood. Maybe the person whom suggests the choosen wood i could send a company t-shirt.

dennis

 

[Big Mike]

Dennis, Masur birch veneer would be well suited for the interior of your boat. It is also known as Karelian birch. It is light colored but has very fine dark lines in it which result from the infestation of an insect. It is commonly used in high end paneling. Here is a link to a picture of a box I turned from a piece.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1319

Most of the rosewoods would be very dark. Zebrawood could be overwhelmingly busy, IMHO.

Here is one source for some Masur birch. The last picture on the page shows some sheets of it.
http://w3.wisa.upm-kymmene.com/sch/internet/schintern3.nsf/71e61a4d7077d9fec225689a00444eb7/6d77686b8a664cc4c2256a7d003f4505?OpenDocument

Hope this helps. By the way this company is a major supplier of woods to the marine industry.

 

[Phillip]

dennis, i worked on crew quarters on a charter boat in curly english sycamore once. we did two bunks, doors, trim, bulkheads, and a built-in dresser/entertainment center in solids and veneer. its a member of the maple family (Acer. sp.) but it seems a little lighter in density and works just as well. also, anegre is a popular choice for boat interiors. i did a little work on an english sailboat that had the entire interior done in english walnut, what an amazing wood. loads more color and figure than black walnut, also its a little lighter in color which helps below deck, keeps it from feeling like a cave. you should have a look at certainly wood, www.certainlywood.com for pictures and ideas. i couldn't find it, but i feel like they had sample packs available too, so that you could see several different woods up close and personal. good luck and let us know how it goes.

phillip

ps i believe english walnut is Juglans regia as opposed to our Juglans nigra, that may help when trying to locate samples.

 

[gator]

D. on board -

Check your Private Messages

George

 

[D L Ames]

Dennis,
SteveD completed a Home Theater project with some Eucalyptus Burl that turned out very nicely. I am sure Steve can give you the specifics on the wood's characteristics. Here is a link to SteveD's photo gallery.

D L

 

[gator]

There is a fellow on another forum I visit. The site is www.woodworking.org the forum portion is under WWA Info Exchange. He is a boat builder (interiors) from Durban, South Africa that frequents there. He has posted many pictures, etc. His name is Francois Durocher, his 'screen name' is F.Durocher. If you do a search there you will be able to read many of his posts and see many of his boat interior pictures. You might contact him about the woods he uses.

George

PS: Sorry about the misunderstanding.