Types of wood

[Neil_jo]

Hi, was wondering, what's the difference between boxwood and pearwood?
I'm looking at the HMS Pandora and it has a pearwood version and a boxwood version.
Is one easier to work with then the other? Does one look better than the other?

Thanks Neil

 

[AllanKP69]

Does one look better than the other?

That depends on you and you alone as they are completely different colors. If it is Swiss (steamed) pear it will be reddish in color. If it is a true boxwood (buxus sempervirens)it will be more of a yellowish hue and was the wood favored for many contemporary models. Both are joys to work although (boxwood) is a much harder species (2940 lbf versus 1660 lbf on the Janka scale). Both of these are close grained so look really good.
Allan

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

go here
if it the ZHL kit
Crafted from high-quality Swiss pear wood or Boxwood (select your preference).

you can see the differences in the wood

Wood it's characteristics and use in model building

I have been working with wood, trees and lumber for many years and I have been asked to start a topic on wood. so here is my first post Any wood can be sold under different trade names boxwood is a good one for that there are 70 different woods sold as boxwood most are not even close to...

shipsofscale.com

 

[Neil_jo]

Thanks Allen and Dave, I think from what I've read I will go with the pear wood version.

Neil

 

[MunroIII]

Can anyone recommend a supplier for Swiss Pear and or Boxwood?

 

[MThomas]

Can anyone recommend a supplier for Swiss Pear and or Boxwood?

The below link will get you there. Their shipping is extremely reasonable, but you have to check out before you know the cost. Fear not, it is very reasonable! Also, Swiss Pear and European Pear are pretty much the same thing, and it is steamed for color. Gilmer calls it European Pear. Speaking of such... I need to go there now for some ebony...

Gilmer Wood Company

 

[Roger Pellett]

I have both in my stash. The boxwood was bought back in 1975 when planks were available. It’s a superb wood and a pleasure to work with. When used for parts it is instantly recognizable.

My pear wood was harvested by me and sawed by a local sawmill it’s a nice wood but I prefer the boxwood.

Roger

Oars, deck, and slatted seats are boxwood; first photo
Second photo: Thwarts are boxwood, oars are (stained Pear)

 

[bill36]

The below link will get you there. Their shipping is extremely reasonable, but you have to check out before you know the cost. Fear not, it is very reasonable! Also, Swiss Pear and European Pear are pretty much the same thing, and it is steamed for color. Gilmer calls it European Pear. Speaking of such... I need to go there now for some ebony...

Gilmer Wood Company

1. Gilmer is a great supplier. Huge barn of a place in Portland, Oregon.
2. Been there a couple of times. They used to have a minimum checkout
total of a hundred bucks if you are ordering by maiI.
3. The best way to see what they have for sale is to use the internet: gilmerwoods.com.
4. The items they have in stock vary from day to day, so check daily. If you see something you can use, buy it instantly and buy as much as you can afford. Their inventory goes fast. If you wait to think about it, you probably lost it. Their wood inventory is sporadic, they only have what is available on the open wholesale market. What is available today may not be available for months or years into the future. Buy only boxwood (buxus sempervirens) if you can afford it. Box is, without question, the very best wood to work with. Second choice is Swiss Pear, or European Pear - an acceptable third choice. A fourth choice would be California Lemon wood: the stuff that grows lemons for juice.
There are lot's of other species that are/can be used (especially in kits), but I choose to use them only for firewood. The most important feature to consider is grain size - smaller is better. Color is a far second in importance. Smaller the grain, harder the wood. Smaller the grain, easier to form into small parts. Do not use any wood with a large open grain (regardless of color) - your models will look like c**p. I do not use stain, paint or varnish. I do use one (or maybe two) coats of solvent based lacquer (not water based) thinned about 20% lac and 80% solvent: think how paint thickness in real life scales to a model. The more paint/stain/varnish you use, the more your model will look like a cheap Chinese toy. Bare wood is more to actual scale.
5. Gilmer is a Premier source, check it out.

 

[bill36]

I have both in my stash. The boxwood was bought back in 1975 when planks were available. It’s a superb wood and a pleasure to work with. When used for parts it is instantly recognizable.

My pear wood was harvested by me and sawed by a local sawmill it’s a nice wood but I prefer the boxwood.

Roger

Oars, deck, and slatted seats are boxwood; first photo
Second photo: Thwarts are boxwood, oars are (stained Pear)

View attachment 527355View attachment 527357

1. Great looking work.

 

[Jim Fortnam]

Hi, was wondering, what's the difference between boxwood and pearwood?

The truth is in the question, in that they are different species, but for the purposes of modelling, they are both close grained and dimensionally stable. Box is/was the timber of choice for all manner of items, measuring rules was a favourite thanks to the stability, and of course, well, boxes. Before the days of plastic, before the days of tinplate. A material that will take fine work without breakout. Printing plates, with fine engraved detail, netsuke, tool handles, and so on. Box is slow growing and nowadays rarely available in large sizes. Pear wood is similar, probably regarded as a less expensive option, though I can’t recall seeing any in trade sources (UK) since John Boddy closed down. Interestingly, Mauchlineware was chiefly sycamore, another useful timber for modelling, but not as stable as the ones under discussion, and the figure from the medullary rays can be disconcerting.
For use in modelling, both are characterless and take fine detail with sharp tools.
Incidentally, Underhill states that he did a good trade in swapping old boxwood rules for new plastic ones amongst his colleagues in order to obtain old, stable boxwood. The plastic version was regarded as an improvement. Which illustrates the degree to which a superb model can be fashioned from small dimension lumber. Much like the originals, many small parts cunningly assembled into a ‘giant’ ship.

J

 

[AllanKP69]

Gilmer is a great supplier.

I just want to back you up on this supplier. They are by far my favorite in the US. Great quality, competitive prices, and quick to respond in my experiences. When I used to travel to drive up to Canada on business I also found Exotic Woods in Burlington, Ontario to be a super source for hardwoods that we commonly use.
Allan

 

[Roger Pellett]

For American modelers: Lumber has different names depending on where you live. The Tulip Poplar, also known locally as Poplar that grows in the southern Midwest, is a useful ship modeling wood. The Aspen, also known locally as Poplar, that grows in the far northern Midwest is an entirely different wood that is not useful for ship modeling.

American Sycamore Trees grow to huge sizes along the large American rivers but have a distinctive open grain that is not favored by ship modelers. If is a completely different species from the British Sycamore that I believe is our Maple.

A model of a Colonial Bateau made from American Sycamore:

 

[Jim Fortnam]

Ah yes, I had forgotten that our common language includes commonality of place names and dissimilar trees.

I was referring to.. (from a UK timber site)
Acer pseudoplantanus is Sycamore’s botanical name but it’s also known as Great Maple, European Sycamore, Sycamore Plane, and Sycamore Maple. Confused? Well Sycamore & Maple are both Acers and as trees not so very different, plus Plane (Platanus) has similar qualities and appearance as a tree so it’s understandable they’ve all been mistaken for each other in the past. For us wood people they’re actually 3 quite identifiably different timbers, which of course means more choice for you if you’re a furniture maker or an interior designer or specialist joinery!
Sycamore trees are native to the UK, deciduous and fairly commonly found from well managed, sustainable woodland sources. The trees can grow to enormous dimensions of 50m height and 1.5m diameter or more and so it follows that Sycamore logs are substantial in size too. As a timber its hardwood, pale white wood. The sap and heartwood are the same colour size and visual qualities. It’s grain is broad, strong and vibrant because the annual growth rings of the tree are very marked. The overall colouring is creamy yellow with the marked growth rings a rich reddy-brown.