Today's postings
- [Baren 32252] Wood, reduction prints (baren_member # barenforum.org)
- [Baren 32253] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers (L Cass)
- [Baren 32254] Re: Wood, reduction prints (David Harrison)
- [Baren 32255] wood ("Jean Womack")
Message 1
From: baren_member # barenforum.org
Date: 18 Nov 2006 14:50:20 -0000
Subject: [Baren 32252] Wood, reduction prints
Message posted from: Dale Phelps
I have found that Birch MDF plywood with fiberboard interior to be relatively inexpensive and easy to cut on. There is no cross grain in the deeper layers to divert the tools and I have had little trouble with splintering. Aestheticly it isn't as nice as plank cherry but comes in 4'X 8' sizes. I guess that it is a bad idea to use power tools without a mask as it used to contain fomaldehyde. I have done three large reduction prints with this wood. They are at: http://www.phelpsprints.com/gallery/Cancer+Imaging/1669
Dale Phelps, Waterloo, Iowa
I have found that Birch MDF plywood with fiberboard interior to be relatively inexpensive and easy to cut on. There is no cross grain in the deeper layers to divert the tools and I have had little trouble with splintering. Aestheticly it isn't as nice as plank cherry but comes in 4'X 8' sizes. I guess that it is a bad idea to use power tools without a mask as it used to contain fomaldehyde. I have done three large reduction prints with this wood. They are at: http://www.phelpsprints.com/gallery/Cancer+Imaging/1669
Dale Phelps, Waterloo, Iowa
Message 2
From: L Cass
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 10:06:01 -0500
Subject: [Baren 32253] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers
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Hi Harry and David -
I have lived and worked in the UK - now in Canada - basswood is also
called linden here and as all products have to be labelled in French
and English - in the stores
the basswood is labelled 'tilleul' (= "lime") - can't see how
Lawrence arrives at 'maple'! cherry is the greatest but I must say I
like the easy to cut Shina ply I acquired
at McClains this summer
bw
Louise
Message 3
From: David Harrison
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 18:38:41 +0000
Subject: [Baren 32254] Re: Wood, reduction prints
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Hi Dale,
That's a pretty large block! By the way, it seems there's something
called 'gas free' or 'zero gas' MDF that doesn't contain formaldehyde,
but stockists seem to be thin on the ground. Bit of a shame really.
You have a really interesting site. I also liked the calamari
pictures...they struck a chord given my Greek affiliations :-)
cheers,
David
That's a pretty large block! By the way, it seems there's something
called 'gas free' or 'zero gas' MDF that doesn't contain formaldehyde,
but stockists seem to be thin on the ground. Bit of a shame really.
You have a really interesting site. I also liked the calamari
pictures...they struck a chord given my Greek affiliations :-)
cheers,
David
Message 4
From: "Jean Womack"
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 12:35:23 -0800
Subject: [Baren 32255] wood
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In reply to the question of whether a store-bought piece of wood needs further treatment, yes, it almost always does. Even if you are planning to incorporate the grain of the wood, you don't need rough wood: you need to raise the grain that YOU want to be there. You can sand the plank and even steel-wool it to get a satiny surface. Of course you don't have to do ANYTHING you don't want to do. There are few dictates in this art form. Maybe just-planed wood is what suits your purpose, then use that.
The question was interesting to me because I had quite a learning experience when I bought an extra-wide, extra-thick plank of basswood from a local Berkeley, CA, merchant. First off, the home planers that are within the price range of a home woodworker, can only accomodate up to 12 inches wide, usually. My plank was 13" or 14" wide. I could not find anyone who could plane wood that wide. It's true that I only asked a few people. I wasn't prepared for the seven-county search for a giant planer. I thought, heck, I'll plane it myself with my hand plane. NOT! Any sensible person would have cut a couple of inches off the side of the board, but not me. I wanted those boards so I could glue them together for a BIG print!
Also, I had to get that plank ripped or sliced into two planks. From one 6 inch thick plank into two 2-inch thick planks. We had a lot of discussions on that on Baren back around 1997 when Ray and Graham Scholes were still online. WEll, I found a wood shop which was able to do that, so then I had two planks that were too wide to plane. Not only that, but a lot of that wood warped so badly, that you could have carved bowls from it. I found out that I could straighten it out by attaching wet newspapers to the concave side, but when it dried, it went right back to its warped shape. It's still sitting there, leaning up against the wall, waiting for me to retire so I'll have time to do something creative with it, or the money to buy a planer that will plane it into a 1/2 inch wide straight board. Meanwhile, I use birch plywood or linoleum or whatever is handy.
The question was interesting to me because I had quite a learning experience when I bought an extra-wide, extra-thick plank of basswood from a local Berkeley, CA, merchant. First off, the home planers that are within the price range of a home woodworker, can only accomodate up to 12 inches wide, usually. My plank was 13" or 14" wide. I could not find anyone who could plane wood that wide. It's true that I only asked a few people. I wasn't prepared for the seven-county search for a giant planer. I thought, heck, I'll plane it myself with my hand plane. NOT! Any sensible person would have cut a couple of inches off the side of the board, but not me. I wanted those boards so I could glue them together for a BIG print!
Also, I had to get that plank ripped or sliced into two planks. From one 6 inch thick plank into two 2-inch thick planks. We had a lot of discussions on that on Baren back around 1997 when Ray and Graham Scholes were still online. WEll, I found a wood shop which was able to do that, so then I had two planks that were too wide to plane. Not only that, but a lot of that wood warped so badly, that you could have carved bowls from it. I found out that I could straighten it out by attaching wet newspapers to the concave side, but when it dried, it went right back to its warped shape. It's still sitting there, leaning up against the wall, waiting for me to retire so I'll have time to do something creative with it, or the money to buy a planer that will plane it into a 1/2 inch wide straight board. Meanwhile, I use birch plywood or linoleum or whatever is handy.