Light Large Wood Sheets

**myz** · 30th December 2010, 02:12 AM

I'm not sure if this is the right sub-forum to post in but it seems the most appropriate for what I am asking about, although it is not really wood carving.

I want to make a wooden scythe for a prop and have been having trouble finding a good material to make the blade out of. At the moment I've only got the pole (a tasmanian oak something dowel in case anyone wanted to know) and I want to find a lightweight wood that isn't too weak for the blade.

The blade of the scythe is actually quite large and from what I've seen so far, most people used foam/cardboard to make it but I would much rather wood because it looks a lot better and isn't as fragile.

So I was wondering if I could get any suggestions of types of woods I could use. I've looked up on balsa, poplar and basswood but none of them are easily accessable from Australia and certainly not affordable since I need a large and thick sheet.

So the criteria for the wood is:

Thick (I need to sand down for edges of the blade)
Light
Around 60-70cm by 100cm sheets (a bit bigger or smaller might be okay) and 3cm thickness (give or take a few mm)
Not too weak
Available in Sydney
Not too expensive
Other suggestions can include blocks that I can connect together to create a thick sheet.

Some references for the blade:
Ref 1 Ref 2

I would be eternally grateful for any suggestions of wood and where I can get it from.

Thank you,
Myz

**jmk89** · 30th December 2010, 07:23 AM

Perhaps paulownia (a member, Whitewood, grows this stuff and may be able to help).

BTW, I moved the thread to the Woodwork - General Forum. It will get more views here.

**whitewood** · 30th December 2010, 08:22 AM

MYZ
I'm not sure exactly what you want. The measurements quoted only give 2 sizes not 3 (L X B X D). Any way Paulownia is not a cheap timber. If it is less than 1.1 metres long it could be posted to Sydney at a reasonable cost.

Have a look at my web site for sizes etc and email me direct if your still interested.
paulownia-timber-sales.com.au

John

**myz** · 30th December 2010, 03:04 PM

Thanks for the referral and information.

whitewood:
I looked at your website and the size charts and judging by the sizes available with the prices, I don't think I will be able to afford that wood. Thank you for your help though.

The thickness of the wood I need is about 3cm, give or take a few mm. I'll edit the first post as well after I post this.

An alternative solution for my problem is joining blocks of the wood together, somehow using glue but I'm not sure if that would be sturdy enough. Would it be advisable to stick blocks of wood together with wood glue till it forms a big sheet and then cut it?

If all fails I might just stick with foam.

**Glennet** · 31st December 2010, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by myz

An alternative solution for my problem is joining blocks of the wood together, somehow using glue but I'm not sure if that would be sturdy enough. Would it be advisable to stick blocks of wood together with wood glue till it forms a big sheet and then cut it?

I would make it in sections from several pieces of wood, say 19mm thick (just over half your required thickness) and then glue them together, overlapping the bits, to form the rough shape. Then use a saw, spokeshave (ideally) or file etc to trim it to final shape.

Then you wouldn't need much wood at all, just a plank rather than a sheet, because there would be little wastage. It would be a lot cheaper and stronger. Good quality wood glue is stronger than wood.

Making it from a single sheet is a bad idea because part of it would be cross grain and so weak.

**GraemeCook** · 31st December 2010, 06:09 PM

Perhaps plywood or MDF?? And a coat of silver paint to make it look like metal.

Cheers

Graeme

**Master Splinter** · 1st January 2011, 11:24 AM

For something lightweight, that's also not going to be overly painful if it thwacks into someone, grab some of the coreflute plastic sheets from bunnies or a signwriter's place. A signwriter might have some with a metal foil already laminated to it, for a more reflective finish than silver paint.

This site might also give you some good ideas on how to make props (this guy uses a lot of casting foam for larger ones)

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Light Large Wood Sheets

light weight timber

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