What kind of wood for fretwork?

[cskipper]

What kind of wood do you scrollers prefer for fretwork? Also what thickness for really detailed pieces?

 

[Ncdawgs1882]

Hey Cathy I like to use Baltic Birch Ply 1/4" holds up well for the fine pieces & seems to do good stack cutting too! But I'm still learning so maybe someone with more exp. can help you out a little more!

 

[sawduster]

I'm fond of BB ply and maple, red oak, mahogany and cherry veneered ply
I'm in the process of discovering " real " wood and have really enjoyed working with ERC and walnut lately . I'm still in the discovery stage here so there are lots of species I haven't tried yet . I'm always looking for advice lately and I am learning quite a bit from FredP and lots of others too numerous to list :icon_thum
I am always looking for threads concerning wood properties

I like 1/4 and 1/8 stacked 2 to 4 for portraits and flatwork, Mostly 1/8 for portraits as they fit better in store-bought frames
Mostly 1/4 and 1/2 for " dust collectors " ...mini clocks, ornamentals and such

What do you like Cathy ?

 

[sawduster]

Hey Cathy I like to use Baltic Birch Ply 1/4" holds up well for the fine pieces & seems to do good stack cutting too! But I'm still learning so maybe someone with more exp. can help you out a little more!

I need to get you hooked up with some of this BB bro :icon_thum

 

[cskipper]

I'm fond of BB ply and maple, red oak, mahogany and cherry veneered ply
I'm in the process of discovering " real " wood and have really enjoyed working with ERC and walnut lately . I'm still in the discovery stage here so there are lots of species I haven't tried yet . I'm always looking for advice lately and I am learning quite a bit from Fred and lots of others too numerous to list :icon_thum
I am always looking for threads concerning wood properties

I like 1/4 and 1/8 stacked 2 to 4 for portraits and flat work, Mostly 1/8 for portraits as they fit better in store-bought frames
Mostly 1/4 and 1/2 for " dust collectors " ...mini clocks, ornamentals and such

What do you like Cathy ?

I like Walnut, Maple, Curly Maple (depending on the project), love QS Sycamore, Cherry and 1/8" and 1/4" BB or FB. I don't have any cedar that is thin, but do need a really clean piece that's 1/4 or 3/8" by 12x12 or 14. I have someone who wants the door topper angel in that - though I am not sure it will be durable enough. Are you buying the "real" wood already cut to the thickness or are you re-sawing it? John re-saws most of mine for me - but now that he'll be out of town more than in I may have to buy some hardwood in the thicknesses I want. I do always try to stack cut, regardless of the wood.

Sometimes it is difficult to get a piece of hardwood without too much grain, and I am afraid it will break at fragile points. Have you experienced that?

 

[Ncdawgs1882]

Cathy If you have to buy it try this web site http://www.mystichardwoods.net/ they focus their wood toward scrollers & they have a great selection

Yeah Robert I'm thinking the picnic might be the best time & place!

 

[sawduster]

I like Walnut, Maple, Curly Maple (depending on the project), love QS Sycamore, Cherry and 1/8" and 1/4" BB or FB. I don't have any cedar that is thin, but do need a really clean piece that's 1/4 or 3/8" by 12x12 or 14. I have someone who wants the door topper angel in that - though I am not sure it will be durable enough. Are you buying the "real" wood already cut to the thickness or are you re-sawing it? John re-saws most of mine for me - but now that he'll be out of town more than in I may have to buy some hardwood in the thicknesses I want. I do always try to stack cut, regardless of the wood.

Sometimes it is difficult to get a piece of hardwood without too much grain, and I am afraid it will break at fragile points. Have you experienced that?

I am learning to make my own panels by resawing , joining and planing . Mike Davis was gracious enough to give me a bandsaw sometime back ( he's a good guy :icon_thum ) , but I am somewhat limited by the 6" height . I have ARC that is 6" wide x 1/2 " thick so I have been cutting those on the BS , then joining them to make a 12" piece that is around 1/4" thick . BY the time I plane away all my " oopsies " ( I've still got a lot to learn on the BS ) it is somewhere between 1/8" and 1/4" thick . I've screwed up a lot of wood practicing this, but I've made some pretty decent scrolling panels too :mrgreen:

The cedar cuts really easy and clean with a reverse tooth blade and I think the door topper would look awesome with it:icon_thum Take care , though, it is brittle . Find a piece with no knots, as those are troublesome as well :BangHead:
Depending on how soon you need it, I could try to make you a panel , or get one of these 6" x 1/2" boards to you so you could make your own. I have joined two 1/2" pieces together and planed them smooth pretty successfully
I am still learning about grain and breakage ....need to keep a notebook or something .....my remember-er is busted :gar-La;

 

[cskipper]

I am learning to make my own panels by resawing , joining and planing . Mike Davis was gracious enough to give me a bandsaw sometime back ( he's a good guy :icon_thum ) , but I am somewhat limited by the 6" height . I have ARC that is 6" wide x 1/2 " thick so I have been cutting those on the BS , then joining them to make a 12" piece that is around 1/4" thick . BY the time I plane away all my " oopsies " ( I've still got a lot to learn on the BS ) it is somewhere between 1/8" and 1/4" thick . I've screwed up a lot of wood practicing this, but I've made some pretty decent scrolling panels too :mrgreen:

The cedar cuts really easy and clean with a reverse tooth blade and I think the door topper would look awesome with it:icon_thum Take care , though, it is brittle . Find a piece with no knots, as those are troublesome as well :BangHead:
Depending on how soon you need it, I could try to make you a panel , or get one of these 6" x 1/2" boards to you so you could make your own. I have joined two 1/2" pieces together and planed them smooth pretty successfully
I am still learning about grain and breakage ....need to keep a notebook or something .....my remember-er is busted :gar-La;

I am not in a particular hurry - she's been very patient. Do you have a problem with wood you re-saw warping?