hard wood?

[mailee]

I have a set of fitted wordrobes to make shortly. The customer has requested a light coloured hardwood. Can anyone tell me what wood should I use? It needs to be the cheapest available and a light colour. Anyone any ideas what would be the best wood for this purpose? Thanks. :?:

 

[Philly]

Ash, Beech, Maple, Sycamore?
All of these are light coloured and are excellent cabinetmaking timbers (although the beech has a reputation for movement :wink: )
Ash is the cheapest out of these (pricewise) and is very hardwearing.
Hope this helps,
Philly

 

[DaveL]

Well the cheapest light coloured hard wood I know of is poplar.
Its one of the 'softer' hard woods, often used to make stuff that is going to be painted. I am using it for draw sides and backs in a cherry desk that I am making.
Its got a plain grain compared to the timbers that Philly has suggested.
I am not sure how well it would work out for a full wardrobe. :-s

 

[jasonB]

poplar or tulip wood as it is sometimes called can have quite a green tinge to it. Ash would be the cheapest and has quite a pronounced grain pattern. Maple is nice but more expensive but you can get bath in veneered panels which helps keep the cost down. White beech is another option but can look a bit bland.

Jason

 

[DaveL]

Jason,

Good point about the colour of poplar, I bought mine at Good Timber as tulip and its very white, no trace of green. I had forgotten about the tinge that is sometimes found in it.

 

[Jarviser]

I would use acrylic varnish rather than any oil or wax finishes to avoid darkening.

 

[tim]

I'd probably opt for maple. Sycamore maybe cheaper but its difficult to get veneered panels in sycamore. The poplar I have used for a project recently has had very dark green and purple streaks through it.

Cheers

Tim

 

[jasonB]

It certainly can be dark, Tulip wood on the right, maple ctr and holly on the left (all my dad's efforts with guidance from me)

Jason