Advice please: Which timber to use for giant jenga

**Easy** · 13th December 2007, 11:08 AM

Hello hello!

I used to do woodwork at school for 4 years but I haven't really done any since then (12 years or so) apart from build an IKEA kitchen. So I need some advice about which wood to use.

I'm going to make a giant jenga set for my girlfriend for xmas. So I need a wood that won't warp at all. A quick google reveals that the original jenga sets were made out of Alder (hardwood) - does anyone know of a similar wood that is available in Sydney? I seem to remember working with pacific maple when I was at school - would this be suitable?

Also where does one buy timber? And can they cut it to any thickness that you desire or does it come in set thicknesses? If anyone can recommend a suitable place in the inner west or north shore of Sydney it would be appreciated.

Thanks very much!

**HappyHammer** · 13th December 2007, 11:23 AM

Welcome to the forum Easy

Afraid I can't answer your question with any authority

but there are many that can, good luck getting it done before xmas. Are all the pieces in Jenga the same size and shape? How are you going to cut & finish them?

HH.

**Easy** · 13th December 2007, 11:57 AM

Yep they're all the same size and shape. Original Jenga pieces are 75 x 25 x 14mm so I'm multiplying it by 3 to have 54 pieces at 225 x 75 x 42mm.

I'm going to buy a cheap circular drop-saw this weekend to cut up the pieces and I intend to lie my belt-sander sideways on the bench to sand the edges where I have cut. Very professional.

No finish to be used.

Oh and i have to put together a box to hold all the pieces and have just used the first 3 productive hours of my day in the office to sketch a design

**HappyHammer** · 13th December 2007, 12:01 PM

Cool can you spend the next 15 minutes scanning it and posted it in this thread?

HH.

**echnidna** · 13th December 2007, 12:08 PM

meranti or philipine mahogany should do,
but hoop pine should be very good,
in fact I think even radiata pine would work ok if you avoid large knots and heart timber.

**RufflyRustic** · 13th December 2007, 02:43 PM

75 x 42 - to me the size sounds like a dar size available from Mitre 10 or Bunnings . Might be worth checking them out, as it could save you a lot of cutting/sanding perhaps, as any easy way to get the puzzle built, and if so, then the cost of it may well be offset by the ease of building it.

cheers

Wendy

**Easy** · 13th December 2007, 03:46 PM

Thanks for all the help.

One question: what does the abbreviation DAR stand for? And when you say "the cost of it may well be offset by the ease of building it" - do you mean that the wood will be more expensive at bunnings than it would be at a specialist wood shop?

I suppose if bunnings have lengths of radiata pine cut to 75 x 42 then I can buy a bunch of these and cut them down to pieces avoiding any knots. I will check it out.

**HappyHammer** · 13th December 2007, 04:05 PM

DAR means Dressed All Round which basically means it's been through a mecanical planer of some description and is smooth to the touch as opposed to Rough Sawn which can give you large splinters if you run your hand down it.

HH.

**echnidna** · 13th December 2007, 04:09 PM

nearest standard pine size is 70 x 45

**prozac** · 13th December 2007, 06:25 PM

What about using old timber floorboards, the common stuff. It would be well seasoned. Or you could use some of Baltic Pine, Kauri, old cedar skirtings. Mix it up a little to get different colours if this is to your taste.
Good luck with it.

prozac

**mic-d** · 13th December 2007, 08:14 PM

Most tassie oak is quartersawn - a very stable cut, so you might want to investigate that. Bunnies might have a dressed size close to what you want.

Cheers
Michael

Thread: Advice please: Which timber to use for giant jenga

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Advice please: Which timber to use for giant jenga

Similar Threads

Timber Species (recycled timber)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions