Boxwood vs cherry?

[MikeC]

Using cherrywood for the first time and really like it. Before I’d only used basswood or whatever came with kits. So my question is — is boxwood even better than cherry wood? I’m thinking about in carving or making tiny parts and while still retaining strength.

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

in some respect cherry beats boxwood and it is the other way around where boxwood is better suited.
For tiny parts either Boxwood or Pearwood
cherry is great for stuff like timbering like deck beams and planking

 

[DocBlake]

Another thing to keep in mind is that cherry will darken significantly with age. Boxwood will develop a bit of patina , but not nearly as much. Pear stays about the same.

 

[mrshanks]

is boxwood even better

Boxwood will hold a carved edge as sharp as a knife!!! But it is not cheap..

 

[NMBROOK]

As Mike points out,Boxwood holds a sharp edge, but keep in mind it is rock hard and will dull the sharp edges of cutting tools very quickly.

Kind Regards

Nigel

 

[mrshanks]

Take a look at these boxwood shot racks. I posted this picture on another thread the other day. Notice how very sharp the edges are. You will never get this with basswood....

 

[Kurt Konrath]

I bet you used a milling machine to get nice row of recessed holes.....

 

[mrshanks]

I bet you used a milling machine to get nice row of recessed holes.....

My ShopBot CNC machine that you see me talking a lot about....

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Boys and their toys, make for wonderful details.

My current canoe build I am trying to do all by hand, but my hand cutting with coping saw is not as neat and clean as scroll saw work....

 

[danielsje]

Boxwood is great for hull construction. I would save the cherry for deck furniture.

 

[Donnie]

It is my understanding from reading seasoned Admiralty style model building that it is not so much like one wood vs another. But what the wood is intended for.
Usually Boxwood can be used for trim and more decorations whereas the Pear or Cherry for the framing. What I am referring to is the use of the TONES or colors of wood rather than the texture of wood. As a matter of fact, some very seasoned Admiralty style builders will only use one wood for their entire project except maybe for the Wales and Figurehead, etc. Again going for the tones of wood differential. Stain is never used in true admiralty work. MHO

 

[mrshanks]

Stain is never used in true admiralty work.

Agree with you 100%. On my LSS Patrick Henry and 17th Century Battle Station there is virtually no painting/staining at all (other than some 3D printed parts). We always prefer to "Paint with Wood" - utilizing various wood colors and tones to create the look we are after in our Admiralty type models. You will even see me leave laser char on the edges of some parts to enhance depth/shadow of some parts.

I think originally in this thread, we were just talking about the difference between the wood itself - not really the color per se..

 

[Donnie]

I think originally in this thread, we were just talking about the difference between the wood itself - not really the color per se..

Right. I must be getting old or can’t read. Ha.

 

[PT-2]

It is my understanding from reading seasoned Admiralty style model building that it is not so much like one wood vs another. But what the wood is intended for.
Usually Boxwood can be used for trim and more decorations whereas the Pear or Cherry for the framing. What I am referring to is the use of the TONES or colors of wood rather than the texture of wood. As a matter of fact, some very seasoned Admiralty style builders will only use one wood for their entire project except maybe for the Wales and Figurehead, etc. Again going for the tones of wood differential. Stain is never used in true admiralty work. MHO

Please clarify for my newbie status what is meant by Admiralty Style in model building. Thanks. .. PT-2

 

[PT-2]

Boxwood is great for hull construction. I would save the cherry for deck furniture.

My understanding is that Boxwood is a light colored wood that if a darker finish were desired would require a stained finish. Is that correct? It would be good for me to have a sample board of the various wood species to better understand the grain and natural color. Do you know of an "industry" source or that as I received for standard ASTM metal finishes long ago? It may be that each builder has to slowly make their own collection. PT-2

 

[Bryian]

You should contact Dave at the lumberyard. He's a forum sponsor and regular contributor here.

 

[DocBlake]

I love cherry for full sized furniture. It works well in models also. Just try to keep the grain tame if you're scratch building, and realize the cherry will darken a lot over time. Pear, not so much.

 

[PT-2]

Thanks for the pear and cherry aging insight. PT-2

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

My understanding is that Boxwood is a light colored wood that if a darker finish were desired would require a stained finish. Is that correct? It would be good for me to have a sample board of the various wood species to better understand the grain and natural color. Do you know of an "industry" source or that as I received for standard ASTM metal finishes long ago? It may be that each builder has to slowly make their own collection. PT-2


a good start to a collection of wood samples is to contact Ev at the lumberyard and get the sample collection of around 40 different types of wood. The samples are about 1 x 6 x 1/8

 

[stuglo]

talking about wood, the picture shows the wood used for a boat from Sea of Galilee carbon dated to about 2000 years ago. Now preserved, it can be seen in Ginosar ,Sea of Galilee (Kinneret),Israel. They were obviously less fussy.