Maple...

[Trout]

I'm not liking maple, that's one hard piece of wood..plus it's 1/16 of an inch thicker than the rest of my 3/4 inch wood...

I finally received my Truck pattern that I have been waiting for and the woods the pattern suggested are...Black Walnut..Aspen..Pau Amarillo..Dark, light and medium Western Cedar...

not knowing what woods would be suggested and to a limited supply at the local lumber yard I got walnut, red oak and maple for the lighter colored wood..

the walnut cuts nice and the red oak isn't to bad, but that Maple..
I'm at a stand still until tomorrow when I can try and cut down the maple on a table saw..I could always go and try and find some thinner but I'm already $60 into wood and I sure would hate to substitute Poplar for the maple..

Now that I've reread my post, maybe Poplar isn't such a bad idea after all because once I do get the maple cut down then it has to be shaped down another 1/8 th of an inch..


any idea's other than I NEED MORE TOOLS!

Trout

[minowevie]

Hay Trout. looks like you have your work cut out for you. I love maple. there is just so many kinds though. look out for the walnut. it can give you some alergies. where a mask. it is one of the most prettyiost woods. wish I had some. where do you order yours. I have lots of oak. hard wood. but just love the look . when is wifie. getting home with her prize. bet youll have a big old BBQ, mmmmmmmmmmm. wish we were neibors. we girls could sure clote. I'll be coming up to sacramento in the nere future. may be we can meet. you and you wife. do you have samon fishing there in you aira. ? probley out of seson. I know can't spell . your friend Evie

[lucky788scroller]

You can do it with the maple, it just might take a little longer. A great wood also is holly if you want white like for whitewalls, but thats a bit hard to come by. Yes, more tools is always something we all need, but make do with what ya got.I am assuming you have whats known as hard maple, because soft maple works easier then red oak, and hard maple about the same, or a tad harder. Good luck, Im anxious to see it completed. Dale

[Trout]

Intermediate level...

this is definitely a little more challenging than fish....
the cool part of this pattern is that it has different levels..
raise 1/8, raise 1/4, raise 3/8 raise 1/2...
lower 1/8, lower 1/4, lower 3/8...

and to think I might be giving this piece away too. I've got a buddy who has an old truck just like this one and when I started collecting my tools he gave me his new little drill press that he wasn't using..

Lucky788, I stick it out with the "HARD" maple....

Trout

[CanadianScroller]

Like evie sad there are many kinds of maple.
Some is so hard you could cut it every day for a year before you get through.
Others is a breeze to cut.

Dont give up on maple.

Oak can be the same.

[Rainman2014]

Maple

I'm Cutting A Fish Pattern Out Of Hard Maple Burl. This Piece Of Wood Is Very Old And Hard. My Blades Break In Half After About 3 Or 4 Cuts. I Thought Something Was Wrong With My Saw But I Tried Cutting Some Scrap And It Was Ok. This Is A Grat Pattern For This Piece Of Wood But The Price Is Going Up. Tks, Rain Man.

[Gill]

I almost gave up cutting one project out of maple because the wood was so hard! I was getting through a blade every 3 minutes.

It's made me think that boxwood (lime) might be a better choice for intarsia projects. However, I've been told that it can yellow with age. Is this true?

Gill

[BobD]

Basswood can yellow over time, but there are whitening stains that you can use to prevent that; it's a reaction to sunlight that yellows it, similar to poplar.

[arbarnhart]

I take it you don't have a bandsaw (since you don't want a suggestion of "more tools"). What blade are you cutting with? I have cut 2" thick hard maple with FD-SR No.12 blades. It was slow going and the garage smelled like a campfire when I got done. Those blades don't corner all that tightly and the kerf is a little wide if you are segmenting. The #9 might be plenty for 3/4". If you can get by with a #7, you will get pretty good corners and a thin kerf, but that is getting dicey on hard maple that thick - you would break a few.

[Gill]

Thanks Bob.

And I see it's 'basswood', not 'boxwood' - thanks for correcting my error so tactfully . Now you can see why I participate so rarely in discussions about North American wood types.

Gill

[BobD]

I just saw lime (and didn't see the word before it) so it took me a few minutes to figure out what you meant, Gill <grin>

Bob

[arbarnhart]

It seemed like an interesting suggestion - if you think maple is hard, try boxwood (like working iron at room temperature). Then go back to the maple and it will be like cutting cream cheese...

[Dusty Buffalo]

Trout,

Where are you finding your truck patterns? Please share your source.

Thanks

P.S. I don't know nothing about cutting hard wood. I still haven't given oak a try.

[sheltiecarver]

Trout,
When I am carving a piece of really hard wood, I sometimes spray it with half water, half rubbing alcohol. Just use a spray bottle, the half & half ratio is approximate - eyeballing it is plenty good. Spray it 'til it's pretty wet and let it soak in - a few seconds, then try cutting it. It works especially well for carving because we are only working on the outside, not all the way through at once, but it might mellow your maple enough to work it. On carvings, I have never experienced any water stains or anything like that - and the alky prevents any mold. Could be worth a try. But don't drink the stuff , and don't rub your eyes before it evaporates from your hands.


Sandy
PS really cool pattern - your friend is very lucky to have you!

[Trout]

thanks for all your suggestions...

now that I'm off the call list for work, I'm going to play hooky for the next couple days and head up to the mountain and do a little fishing with a buddy..
I'll be back Saturday to start working on my truck project..

my ride is here so I'm gone..
have a great weekend everyone..
Dust Buffalo, you have a PM..

Trout