What wood/sourcing?

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IPCG

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Studley
Hi guys,
Literally starting out as a total beginner, have managed to pick up a 1995 hegner multicut 2s, a selection of pegas blades.

The problem is I'm not sure on what wood/thickness I should be testing out? Ideally id like to make some chunkier toys/puzzles but also some more decorative pieces.
I live in just outside of Redditch/Birmingham, so have good access to the Midlands.

Any advice appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Birch plywood is good for toys and puzzles,it comes in 3,6,9,12,15,18 ,21 mm and thicker,
I’m close to Studley
Cheers
 
I'm not in UK so can't help with the "where?", but as a general principle anything you like really, inc;

1. Old bits of furniture (if solid wood) - tips, charity shops, etc;

2. Ply (the better the quality - most plys and no voids) of any thickness you like (that fits into the saw) - merchants, DIY Emporia (some have good stuff, others rubbish), model shops, etc;

3. Cheapo/old cutting boards and just about anything else that will fit into the saw - just ask friends/relations, and keep your eyes open;

4. Bits of parquet flooring (old, & new offcuts).

Above are just examples off the top of my head

Such a broad mixture will soon build your own level of confidence in what blade/s to use, what speed/s, and what "feed rate" (i.e. how hard you have to push the job to get cutting at a "reasonable" speed).

HTH.

Have fun
 
I'm not in UK so can't help with the "where?", but as a general principle anything you like really, inc;

1. Old bits of furniture (if solid wood) - tips, charity shops, etc;

2. Ply (the better the quality - most plys and no voids) of any thickness you like (that fits into the saw) - merchants, DIY Emporia (some have good stuff, others rubbish), model shops, etc;

3. Cheapo/old cutting boards and just about anything else that will fit into the saw - just ask friends/relations, and keep your eyes open;

4. Bits of parquet flooring (old, & new offcuts).

Above are just examples off the top of my head

Such a broad mixture will soon build your own level of confidence in what blade/s to use, what speed/s, and what "feed rate" (i.e. how hard you have to push the job to get cutting at a "reasonable" speed).

HTH.

Have fun

Thanks thats great advice, ill keep. My eyes peeled.
 
How are you getting on with the Hegner IPCG? - i've also recently got myself a 1992 Hegner 2S and have been trying to source suitable wood to use - got some used laminate flooring but read too many storys about it not being suitable so back to drawing board :)
 
@nealgs: @IPCG : Re sourcing wood suitable for scrolling - a bit more info:

1. IF you have good dust extraction/wear a mask, MDF, especially the "MR" (Moisture Resistant) variety is very good. It has a number of advantages, including stability (unless it gets wet!), very good finish on top/bottom surfaces, and very accurate thickness throughout. Disadvantages are that cut edges need sealing (shellac is good for that), & maybe even a bit of LIGHT sanding on edges, especially if using 2 or more coats of shellac on edges (edges soak stuff up like blotting paper)! BUT the main disadvantage of MDF is the dust - a lot of people reckon it's carconogenic, hence the point about good DE and a mask.

2. GOOD plywood has all the advantages of MDF above, BUT you MUST use a real good "multi-lamination" ply with AT LEAST 5 separate laminations for thin stuff (say 3-4 mm thick and below) and "the more the merrier" for thicker. AND the ply must have at least 1 good side (no "filling in"). And DO NOT use the so-called "Lite Play" which will have a thin, quite good-looking thin lamination on either side, plus a relatively thick single inner lamination, often of really white wood (often poplar I believe).

3. Both the above are relatively expensive to buy new, so a number of members here "haunt" charity shops and the like, looking for not so good-looking old, possibly even damaged furniture to break up for good bits of wood - maybe giving up hard wood, maybe softwood, maybe ply (though MDF is not so often found in old furniture, and particle board - chipboard and the like - is of course not very useful for scrollers at all).

4. There ARE timber merchants who will sell smaller bits of good wood, both hard and soft, and also sometimes good "marine ply", but that usually in large sheets. Model aero shops are also a very good source of excellent quality ply and often also obechi and beech, but these tend to be in smaller sizes and are - pro-rata - also expensive sources, But if chosen carefully, are sources of 1st class wood.

5. From time to time you'll also see some of our professional members here advertising smaller off cuts for sale here (they know that scrollers generally need only smaller pieces).

6. Because I don't live in UK myself I can't advise any merchants' names/places but if you have a bit of a search through both this Section (and "General Woodworking", plus the Timber Merchants sticky) you should pick up some clues for possible suppliers near you.

7. And don't forget "t'web" either, where amongst others, you'll find Hobbies UK a good source of good wood used by people such as scrollers, dolls house builders, fretworkers, etc, etc.

HTH
 
or u can go skip diving.......
.
wood here is horrendus prices....if u can get/find anything decent new....
my wife and I pick up odd bits by the communial bins n skips.......some of the old sofa's, "country style" are hard wood....

in a prev life I was called a skip rat......hahaha.....found lots of good stuff....
Oh, if u find any old fash deck chairs they used beech for the frames....did a lot with them.....
don't bother with pallet wood unless it had a HONDA or Suzuki bolted to it....
also if u start on the slippery slope of used wood get ur'self a hand held metal detector....
 
Maybe OK in UK frank (I'm well out of date), but here in Switzerland skip diving is now very much frowned upon, and if it's an "official" skip (e.g. put out in the municipal dump by the local village council) it is "streng verboten" - particularly so with scrap metal skips (which were always a good source of metal for my shop) and also those for dead electronics, etc, at supermarkets, etc.

Not relevant to UK I know/I guess, but "just saying" ............. :(
 

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