Allan - When you say "cut to order" is that just specifying L x W x H of the wood board you're ordering, and the wood stock, or do you also specify other things like "no knots", etc.? Just curious before I order some apple wood from The Lumberyard.
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Annie Buck Chesapeake deadrise oyster / crab working boat Build Log
- Thread starter Ignatius27
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I was thinking size, but you can ask Ev or Dave about the other things. Dave is a longstanding member here so may answer you post if he sees it. He is a ship modeler and understands the needs as much or more than any supplier of wood.
Allan
Allan
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It is my objective to be of help. Your positive response is excellent encouragement to continue.
https://www.woodboardsandbeams.com/hardwoods
How close are you to these guys?
For wood - There are two categories for the first cut:
A: Is it for display? or
B: will it be hidden or painted?
If it is B: the useful species list is much longer
If it is A: I see zero species of Nutwood as being appropriate. This group encompasses the majority of species used for furniture in North America.
The grain is too coarse - the pores are too large - most everything else about them is good. In Nutwood I include - Oak (Red and White) Ash Hickory Willow Butternut Walnut - there are more. It is a shame about Walnut too. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) is a man cave dream species. The stuff in most kits called walnut is not any sort of Juglans. Most likely it is one of many African - low cost - brittle crap species that just happens to be brown in color.
The 'grifters really saw you coming' sort of stuff.
Nutwood: The micro: rough - irregular surface is the reason that a finishing material called sand-n-sealer even exists. It is essentially thick nitrocellulose (lacquer) with "dirt" suspended in it if freshly stirred. The "dirt" is fine particles of a material that is transparent when dry. It fills the open pores so that the finished surface looks glass smooth when viewed at an oblique angle.
Fruitwood and Maple: there is no reason for something like sand-n-sealer to even exist. Any effects of using it on this group of wood will be negative. You may as well cover the wood surface with a sheet of clear vinyl the look will be the same.
If it is A - As far as I have seen everything in the Fruitwood group is perfect for our needs. The whole Rosaceae is good. Unfortunately most of it is too small for commercial inventory. DIY chainsaw/bowsaw or being friendly with your local tree services or an orchard is more the way to get it.
Black Cherry - the Fruitwood that is most easily obtained.
Pear - an expensive import - fun for small parts - there is not much that it can't do well - I cannot justify the cost-benefit equation result for framing in North America. We have a lot of Callery Pear - ornamental - street planting Pear - excellent - DIY - after a serious wind storm it is probably possible to get tons of logs and branches for free from cities.
Boxwood - in our world this is a very ambiguous name for wood. Buxus sempervirens - real Boxwood - formal garden box - is small logs and near impossible to find. For carving and ship board statues and friezes and knightheads it is the first choice. For major structures - it is too valuable to use for this.
Castelo - what is usually what is meant by Boxwood around here - is not any sort of Buxus - it is a marketing name. The wood shares most every useful characteristic of Buxus. It has also become so popular that the cost is going sky high and is becoming difficult to source. Save it for carving and for miniature scale models.
Yellow Poplar - under used - low cost - easy to obtain in eastern North American - carves like a dream for hulls - for molds to plank ships boats over. -but not a figurehead or a statue. Good for POF framing at larger scales as long as it is then hidden from sight.
https://www.woodboardsandbeams.com/hardwoods
How close are you to these guys?
For wood - There are two categories for the first cut:
A: Is it for display? or
B: will it be hidden or painted?
If it is B: the useful species list is much longer
If it is A: I see zero species of Nutwood as being appropriate. This group encompasses the majority of species used for furniture in North America.
The grain is too coarse - the pores are too large - most everything else about them is good. In Nutwood I include - Oak (Red and White) Ash Hickory Willow Butternut Walnut - there are more. It is a shame about Walnut too. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) is a man cave dream species. The stuff in most kits called walnut is not any sort of Juglans. Most likely it is one of many African - low cost - brittle crap species that just happens to be brown in color.
The 'grifters really saw you coming' sort of stuff.
Nutwood: The micro: rough - irregular surface is the reason that a finishing material called sand-n-sealer even exists. It is essentially thick nitrocellulose (lacquer) with "dirt" suspended in it if freshly stirred. The "dirt" is fine particles of a material that is transparent when dry. It fills the open pores so that the finished surface looks glass smooth when viewed at an oblique angle.
Fruitwood and Maple: there is no reason for something like sand-n-sealer to even exist. Any effects of using it on this group of wood will be negative. You may as well cover the wood surface with a sheet of clear vinyl the look will be the same.
If it is A - As far as I have seen everything in the Fruitwood group is perfect for our needs. The whole Rosaceae is good. Unfortunately most of it is too small for commercial inventory. DIY chainsaw/bowsaw or being friendly with your local tree services or an orchard is more the way to get it.
Hard Maple - Sugar Maple - Rock Maple are all the same wood - It is essentially the North American substitute for Boxwood. It is not as hard and the grain on view can get tricky because the plane of the resaw cut relative to the growth rings makes a difference. It is plenty hard enough.
Black Cherry - the Fruitwood that is most easily obtained.
Pear - an expensive import - fun for small parts - there is not much that it can't do well - I cannot justify the cost-benefit equation result for framing in North America. We have a lot of Callery Pear - ornamental - street planting Pear - excellent - DIY - after a serious wind storm it is probably possible to get tons of logs and branches for free from cities.
Boxwood - in our world this is a very ambiguous name for wood. Buxus sempervirens - real Boxwood - formal garden box - is small logs and near impossible to find. For carving and ship board statues and friezes and knightheads it is the first choice. For major structures - it is too valuable to use for this.
Castelo - what is usually what is meant by Boxwood around here - is not any sort of Buxus - it is a marketing name. The wood shares most every useful characteristic of Buxus. It has also become so popular that the cost is going sky high and is becoming difficult to source. Save it for carving and for miniature scale models.
Yellow Poplar - under used - low cost - easy to obtain in eastern North American - carves like a dream for hulls - for molds to plank ships boats over. -but not a figurehead or a statue. Good for POF framing at larger scales as long as it is then hidden from sight.
Last edited:
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I know that Dean has taken you in hand and his advice as usual is spot on, but let me add my two cents worth. When I began seriously building ship models, like you I became interested in acquiring the “big three” ship modeling woods; boxwood, Holly, and pear. I still have substantial supplies of all three that will probably be around when I’m not.
The fact is that interests change from project to project. In my case, I’m stuck on a very long term project that doesn’t make use of there high end woods, although I recently used Holly to make some 1:96 scale raised panel doors.
Here’s what I suggest:
1. Sort out the pile of wood that you posted the other day. Mark each piece with its species. See if you have any of those that Dean recommends. Maybe your clarinet builder friend might help with identify.
2. There’s no way to use this or lumber that you purchase without some way to cut it into usable pieces and if I remember correctly you don’t have anything to do this. I have a 10” table saw, a Byrnes table saw, and a 14” bandsaw. The essential tool of the three is the 10” table saw. I would start looking for either an 8” or preferably a10” one. Used ones are worth considering. To build ship models, a cabinet maker quality one with a huge table is not necessary
3. Don’t overlook pine. Construction lumber sold in lumberyards is “SPF” Spruce, Pine, Fir. Look in the yard’s offcut bin, aka bargain bin, or value wood. Sometimes you will find 24” lengths of very wide pine boards (not spruce or fir) with a crack in one end. This is prime stuff at bargain price. Sawing out the crack means that you’ll still have a lot of useful wood.
Roger
The fact is that interests change from project to project. In my case, I’m stuck on a very long term project that doesn’t make use of there high end woods, although I recently used Holly to make some 1:96 scale raised panel doors.
Here’s what I suggest:
1. Sort out the pile of wood that you posted the other day. Mark each piece with its species. See if you have any of those that Dean recommends. Maybe your clarinet builder friend might help with identify.
2. There’s no way to use this or lumber that you purchase without some way to cut it into usable pieces and if I remember correctly you don’t have anything to do this. I have a 10” table saw, a Byrnes table saw, and a 14” bandsaw. The essential tool of the three is the 10” table saw. I would start looking for either an 8” or preferably a10” one. Used ones are worth considering. To build ship models, a cabinet maker quality one with a huge table is not necessary
3. Don’t overlook pine. Construction lumber sold in lumberyards is “SPF” Spruce, Pine, Fir. Look in the yard’s offcut bin, aka bargain bin, or value wood. Sometimes you will find 24” lengths of very wide pine boards (not spruce or fir) with a crack in one end. This is prime stuff at bargain price. Sawing out the crack means that you’ll still have a lot of useful wood.
Roger