Thread: Wood for hand plane body

Originally Posted by IanW

Thanks Paul - apologies for my blunder......

Cheers,

Ian

No blunder really. I would not have known except going through old threads I noticed a post of his now had "Deceased" below his name.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Yeah right

Log Dog

Well, you probably shouldn't choose any highly-figured wood for a plane body Chris, it might prove a little too unstable. I think it would be wiser to choose the straight-grained "boring" stuff with Qld, maple, which I agree should make good plane body material.

If you could find some with a tight figure, i.e. a short repeat pattern, it should make excellent infill material though, but I've not had much with a really tight figure suitable for that purpose. I have had some, like a few of the pieces in my desk, but they were 1" boards & not thick enough for plane infill or I would have tried some.....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ian

No blunder really. I would not have known except going through old threads I noticed a post of his now had "Deceased" below his name.

Regards
Paul

Thanks for posting that Paul.
Sad news . RIP Stewie .

Rob

Originally Posted by IanW

Well, you probably shouldn't choose any highly-figured wood for a plane body Chris, it might prove a little too unstable. I think it would be wiser to choose the straight-grained "boring" stuff with Qld, maple, which I agree should make good plane body material.

If you could find some with a tight figure, i.e. a short repeat pattern, it should make excellent infill material though, but I've not had much with a really tight figure suitable for that purpose. I have had some, like a few of the pieces in my desk, but they were 1" boards & not thick enough for plane infill or I would have tried some.....

Cheers,

Ian
I am not suggesting that figured wood should be used!
Just reacting to the assertion that Qld Maple grain is insipid
I considered that statement an overgeneralisation
That's all

Log Dog

Originally Posted by Log Dog

...... I am not suggesting that figured wood should be used!
Just reacting to the assertion that Qld Maple grain is insipid....

Fair enough Chris, I was just clarifying a little - your comment did come two pages after the post I think prompted it...

As you know, I'm a Flindersia enthusiast too - it's up there with the best of the best cabinet woods imo, and very versatile! From gun stocks to aeroplane propellers to high-end furniture, Qld maple takes them all in its stride. It was remembering the propellers story that made me think it might be good for plane bodies, I imagine stability was high on the list of criteria for that job. And if you want a wood that planes, saws & chisels like a dream whether boring or highly figured, it's pretty hard to find anything that can beat it...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Fair enough Chris, I was just clarifying a little - your comment did come two pages after the post I think prompted it...

As you know, I'm a Flindersia enthusiast too - it's up there with the best of the best cabinet woods imo, and very versatile! From gun stocks to aeroplane propellers to high-end furniture, Qld maple takes them all in its stride. It was remembering the propellers story that made me think it might be good for plane bodies, I imagine stability was high on the list of criteria for that job. And if you want a wood that planes, saws & chisels like a dream whether boring or highly figured, it's pretty hard to find anything that can beat it...

Cheers,

Yes...well aware that you are a purveyor of fine woods Ian
I respect your wisdom also

Qld Maple wood can be quite variable in its appearance
The pics both represent quarter sawn grain
One with high figure...the other relatively plain
Both however display rich colour...the 'plain' one has attractive banding also.
Have at times encountered material that is 'yawn worthy'
However definately not a rule of thumb.

Log Dog

Both samples are lovely, LD. Dont see too much down here though!

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ian

No blunder really. I would not have known except going through old threads I noticed a post of his now had "Deceased" below his name.

Regards
Paul

News to me, too. I know Stewie had a rough go the last decade or so. I have no idea how old he was, but I hope he had a long happy life before then and some happiness among the trials, too.

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Yes...well aware that you are a purveyor of fine woods Ian
I respect your wisdom also

Qld Maple wood can be quite variable in its appearance
The pics both represent quarter sawn grain
One with high figure...the other relatively plain
Both however display rich colour...the 'plain' one has attractive banding also.
Have at times encountered material that is 'yawn worthy'
However definately not a rule of thumb.

Log Dog

Love both types - the diagonal ribboning that's often seen in avodire, too - and the very straight stuff.

Maybe I'm thinking with guitar on the mind, but the straight stuff looks great on a guitar neck or back and sides, and the diagonal ribboning same (maybe not for necks, but it wouldn't be able to show off enough of its character there, anyway).

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Yes...well aware that you are a purveyor of fine woods Ian
I respect your wisdom also

Qld Maple wood can be quite variable in its appearance
The pics both represent quarter sawn grain
One with high figure...the other relatively plain
Both however display rich colour...the 'plain' one has attractive banding also.
Have at times encountered material that is 'yawn worthy'
However definately not a rule of thumb.

Log Dog

Bloody beautiful!

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Log Dog

......the 'plain' one has attractive banding also.....

That is what I've always known as "rowed" figure, Chris. In fact it is what I most often think of when I think of Qld maple, the curly, fiddlebacked & quilted patterns which you have been showing a lot of were avoided back in the pre-WW2/early 50s era, presumably because it wasn't as easy to work. A lot of the maple I had in my early years of wood-bothering came from old Qld Govt. furniture - there was a huge barn of a place over in Woollongabba that was stacked to the rafters with old desks, chairs & tables, nearly all maple, and nearly all of it had rowed figure. A great source of material for someone with very limited tools & cash!

I see a LOT more of the highly-figured stuff at the woodshows now, & have wondered if that's because a lot of it comes from open-grown & "fence-row" trees that didn't have to shoot for the canopy asap. There was still a lot of clear-felling going on in the early 50's just a few miles from where I grew up (just over the hill from East Evelyn). My dad used to help out a neighbor who was clearing a "scrub block" and he wept at the waste of maples and other valuable trees - as soon as it was dry enough to burn it was all torched regardless. They did sell some to a local sawmill (Walker's, long since defunct) but they were very picky indeed about what they considered worth milling. How times change.....

Cheers,