kkrunde Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Ok, I'm very very new at this. What types of wood do you recommend and where do you buy it? Do you get it in sheets, squares, boards? I'm not doing the amazing detail work that most of you are very talented at. I'm mainly starting with simple "block" like objects. I did a tree that is posted on the picture page to get an idea of what I am able to do at this point. Thanks! Kelly Rob Roy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 it's a personal preference really. I like using hardwoods for a lot of cuttings, and for portraits I like using Baltic birch plywood. If you are just cutting shapes for now pine would be the cheapest to use, or you can use plywood or mdf. Sometimes you can get cull wood(wood that's not good enough to sell at full retail) from big box stores like home depot and lowes. some pallets have some real good wood to use too. vykus and Rob Roy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Kelly, I mostly use baltic Birch Plywood for a lot of things. I buy it from Sloans,com. but there are many other places you can buy it. For the things you are saying that you are making you can go to any Home building store like Home Depoe and buy 3/4 inch boards of many different types that you like the color of. A hard wood like oak or Alder is easy to cut and looks nice. You might also enjoy buying cedar fence boards and using them. They are inexpensive and work well. need to be sanded though. you can sometimes get free pallet boards from some grocery stores and use that if you don't mind the hard work of getting the boards separated from them.Look in your phone book and see if you have any cabinet shops or coffin making shops in your area and if you talk nice to them, they just might be really happy to let you have all the scrap wood you want. Remember you don't need big boards to do what you are doing so they might be just perfect. Dick heppnerguy Rob Roy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 If you really want to do something you will find a way.quiters never win ,winners never quit!You never fail till you stop trying!I was afraid to try lettering at first,i was afraid to try intarsia i was afraid to try a big many hole project .After i finished each one i looked back and said the was easy,bring it on!The great part about scrolling is cut something you really like and then if it doesnt sell you get to enjoy it till it does.I could never afford a dewalt 788 scroll saw.Somebody wanted my intarsia projects and would trade their dw788 for them.LOL. These were my practice pieces And this was a proffesional wood worker too.Beauty is in the eye's of the beholder.That was the best deal ever!No one will know there's a mistake in it or maybe there's 20 mistakes,nobody knows but you.And after you've had it a while try and find the mistakes,lol you won't Don't be to criticule about your work It all looks great!Thanks for joining! Rob Roy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I go to a saw mill get there scrap air Dry it for 9 to 13 months and then plain it . Not all can do that I also go to HD and buy plywood. You can get a 4X8 sheet for about $20 and they will cut it into 2X4 sheets it is easier to handle and store. and will keep you busy for several weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullyscroller Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I buy Sureply from Lowes or the equivalent from HD in 4x8 sheets at around $ 15.00 a sheet. It is a underlayment but the side that normally would face down is great quality for portraits. The cabinet grade ply from both places is trash and costs twice as much !!!! sully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdub4ever Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 For "block" type projects that I do, i.e. name plates and desktop items, I use either poplar which is rather inexpensive to buy. I also use Maple. A little more expensive, but I love the look of the wood. In my opinion, poplar will be a great wood to start with. It's soft and very easy to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Scroller Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Kelly you can cut up your side board, chest of draws,wooden bed and kitchen cabinets but you won't have much furniture left in the house. Alternatively you can get the stuff that people throw out or buy your wood. I would go with free wood to start and then buy as you get better projects. Roly LarryEA and Rob Roy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkrunde Posted November 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 LOL Roly - Let's see, no side board, no chest of drawers, and no wooden bed. I do have kitchen cabinets, but I kinda like them for storing food. We have been selling everything we own to pay for Hubby's medical care and to try and survive, so I don't have much left to cut up But thank you for the great laugh! Thank you everyone! I appreciate the thoughts and advice! Phantom Scroller 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I do portraits so far and use 1/8" Baltic Birch. The birch plywood you buy at stores like Home Depot and Lowes, is not of the same quality and can contain voids. Most good lumber stores in my area carry Baltic Birch in 5ft. x 5ft sheets. That is how I buy it. But that way you also have to have a way to cut it into smaller pieces. You can get it in 1' x 1' pieces from the online stores mentioned here. I have a nephew and a brother that are always on the look out for wood for me. They bring me old furniture and things that they think I may be able to use. I got some real nice mahogany boards from some pieces my nephew brought me a while back. I've also been known to go "dumpster diving", (I ain't proud, ) and I would go to the garbage dumps if they would let me. Old door skins will work for practice if you can get some. I got some at our local Habitat For Humanity store for $2 each a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 A lot also depends on what other tools you have access to. Planer, table saw etc. I don't remember if you listed your tools. Kinda like Roly said, Ask around, look around, scrounge and buy cheap at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson's Woodworking Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 There are a lot of people on here that use pallet wood and the backs to old furniture that people are throwing away. Also if there is a cabinet builder close by you might talk to them about dumpster diving. To them it may be trash but to a scroller it will be the perfect size to do that project you have in mind. I buy a lot of wood but I also use a lot of FREE wood also. Oak and pine pallets that I have ran thru the plainer but you wouldn't need a plainer for a lot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 I love working in cedar. Its cheap around these parts, and it smells so darn good when you cut it. Fence pickets go for about $1.80 a piece at Hombre Depot for the thin fellers, at my local lumber yard a 7' 3/4" thick picket goes for around $3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Scroller Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Check around your town/area for any cabinet shops. Many will allow you to dumpster dive for scrapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herrwood Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 While I am new to scrolling I do other wood work so usually have plenty of scrap around to pratice on and enough tools to adust the scrap to fit my needs. So if not your self maybe some friends have some project scraps you can have. Also depending where you live so towns have a bulk pickup and some good wood can be found for free and a little effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobscroll Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hi Kelly, You could find good pieces of wood in Dumpsters as you call them over there, Old furniture being thrown out! Also with a Band saw you could re-saw bigger pieces into thinner pieces for your scroll saw, Good luck Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 As a follow-up, I went to my local lumber yard today to pick up a few cedar fence pickets (by the way, rather than buy stuff from a huge conglomeration that outfits their employees in aprons or vests, I like buying stuff from a guy named Larry who waves to you when you drive by him on the road. One advantage to living in a small town), and my buddy Rich who works there says they have all sorts of cut-offs that they'll just give away. Just stop on by, he said. Just make a friend at your local lumber yard. They don't even have to be named Rich or Larry. BTW, he also said they have 1/4" mahogany plywood for $20 a sheet. I might have to pick one up soon. Travis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Just to be sure you see this I am going to say it twice. Craigs List Craigs List Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Look at the free stuff in Craigs list... Free wood in Craigs List... Free stuff made of wood.... free stuff you can trade for wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savannah Scroller Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 I buy a lot of Red oak, Poplar and Walnut. Also we now have a Specialty wood shop that carries about any kind of wood you want but its for a pretty price such as panuduk, Zebra wood -which I love!, Bloodwood, Aspen And so forth. the list goes on Also I sometimes but old funiture at yard years if the wood is good or -lol I have been known to cruse to neighborhoods for other peoples trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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