Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-04, страница 58
ntarsia Wood by Robert J. HlavaceK Sr., of Wildlife Intarsia Generally, most of your intarsia projects will he made using 4/4 stock; 4/4 refers to the thickness of the rough sawn wood which is 1" thick. After surfacing both sides, the hardwood stock will be 3/4" to 13/10" thick, depending on the source. My first few intarsia projects were made using western red cedar. I soon began experimenting with other types of wood and was much more satisfied with die results. 11 sing various species of wood made available a wider range of colors; therefore, it wasn't necessary lo buy as many boards to have a good selection from which to choose. Shopping for wood When shopping for wood, look Cor interesting colors and grain configuration more so than a particular species. It's amazing how much the colors can vary in the. same species of wood from sapwood to tieartvvood. The sapwood, which is on the outer edges of the tree, is always much lighter, usually white, as compared to the heartwood, which is ill the center of the tree. On the other hand, as you can see in the photos, many different species of wood are similar in color and can be interchangeable in your project. If you can't find butternut, you can always substitute ash or white oak. The main difference between these species is that butternut is softer, thus easier to cut and shape. Some woods are brilliantly colored, which at first would seem to be perfect for your intarsia project; however, in some species the color will change with lime. The most common example is the nice green color of poplar heartwood changing to a golden brown. Two examples pictured are osage orange and padauk. When freshly planed and sanded, osage orange is bright yellow and padauk is: a nice red-orange color. After exposure to ultraviolet light both woods became noticeably darker. Over the years I've tried various finishes, including one with UV blocker, but these efforts were to no avail. The only-way to slow down the process is Lo hang the project in a dark place. An alternative method that works, but might be objectionable to the intarsia purist, is to use light colored wood and stain the pieces with thinned acrylic paint. The colors on projects I made over fifteen years ago using this method are as bright as the day they were made. When you come actoss a project you want to make, don't be afraid to try something different. Add your personal touch by using wood other than ihe type recommended. You may find yourself substituting wood species out of necessity, depending on where you live and what is available in your area. You can find bargains by seeking lower grades of wood that would be unsuitable for cabinetwork. 1 .umber graded #1 and 4-2 common will have knots and the most interesting grain configuration, as well as lower prices. Some local lumber dealers offer "shorts" at a discount. This is generally stock ranging in length from 6 inches to 2 feet and is great for intarsia work, 'llie righL grain in a piece of wood can make a project outstanding. I found the best way for buying wood is to visit the various When shopping for wood, look for interesting colors and grain configurations more so than a particular species Designs lumber outlets periodically to see what looks interesting. This way you can accumulate a good selection of material and replenish lhat which lias been used up. If you don't have any hardwood outlets in your area you can find several excellent mail order dealers' advertisements in this magazine. Wet wood and bugs If you live in the vicinity of a sawmill you can find some potential bargains in the firewood pile, hut here are a couple of things to watch out for. First, the wood will most likely lie too wet to use in the immediate future, even if it feels dry. If you have access to mill cutoffs it would be wise to invest in a moisture meter and lie certain you're not using wet wood in your projects. If you use wood with high moisture content your project will eventually crack as iL dries oul. Here in the. midwest the wood I buy is typically kiln dried between 7% and 9% moisture content. This can vary between the humid summer and cold dry winter seasons and whether, after pur chasing, Ihe wood has been stored in a garage or a heated arid air-conditioned basement workshop for any length of time. Wood will constantly gain and lose moisture with humidity changes. Acceptable levels of moisture content in the wood used will also be determined by whether yon li ve in Arizona or Florida; like they say every summer, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity." The second thing to watch out lor is using wood with the bark attached. Although these rustic slabs may look good as a backboard on which to mount an intarsia fish, unless the wood is properly kiln dried, a menagerie of beetle larva may be found living under the bark, waiting to glow into Ood knows what By mentioning this I don't mean to imply that air dried wood should be avoid ed. Proper air-drying of wood produces excellent lumber and I've used a lot of il Lo build furniture over ihe years, but it doesn't kill bugs under the bark. A brief description of a few wood species The photos on the following pages illustrate some of the species of wood I've used in intarsia projects, along with a brief description of their characteristics. Because sonic of the mentioned woods are more readily available in some parts of tire country than others, use this list and the. photos as a guide. If you can't find the particular type of wood used in a project, use your imagination and substitute with something you have available. Check your back issues (beginning March, 2003), and future issues of Creative Woodworks & Crafts for interesting, in depth articles about various wood species by Wes Demarcst. VVes knows a lot about wood! For questions or conrr^ents regarding this orf/de, contact Bob Hlavacek at www.cob@wildlifeintarsiaclesign.com or call (70S) 7f,8^,455. ^ 58 • CreativR WcKWkirkn & Crafts April 2COS |
