Where to buy wood.

[Intarsiaplans]

Hello all...
I am looking for a good place in Kent where they sell all kinds off hardwoods good enough for intarsia...I especially am looking for blue pine and spalted kinds of woods.

Danny

 

[StevieB]

Hi Danny,

Same here :wink: What we really need are offcuts of timbers. I have so far simply used baltic birch from my local woodyard for fret and jigsaw type stuff, and purchased a plank of maple and a plank of American black walnut from SL Hardwoods in Croydon for non-scroll saw woodworking, with my only attempt at intarsia taken from these. If you find a good supplier let me know! Ideally I am after a selection, but particularly accent colours such as purpleheart for small parts within a design.

this also raises the issue of intarsia v segmentation - is intarsia percieved as a higher art form than segmentation due to the extra work involved? Segmentation would certainly be easier on the wood sourcing front, but the beauty of a good intarsia design is grain changes and patterns.

Steve.

 

[jasonB]

May be worth trying Timberline

Jason

 

[BobD]

In the states, there is an ongoing debate on that...additionally, there is a debate on what separates segmentation from Intarsia...

At the magazine, we define segmentation as cutting all the pieces out of the same piece of wood without regard for color or grain changes.

Intarsia is cut from several pieces of wood, and assembled to make best use (visually) of the grain direction. Judy Gale Roberts, a popular Intarsia artist in the states, uses predominately Western Red Cedar for all of her projects. It offers enough natural colors that she can do what she needs to. Neal Moore's latest attempts at intarsia are done using poplar and stains. But since the pieces are cut individually, he has the opportunity to use the grain to accent the piece.

Neal actually wrote a book on segmentation, and since I'm staring at one of the pieces he did that I appropriated for my office, I would rank it up with all of the Intarsia art I've seen. He has mastered the use of color, texture, and depth. I firmly believe that you can't compare the two arts; they are too different. Segmentation, while it doesn't require as much cutting skill (It will ALWAYS fit together properly), does require a much greater understanding of color and texture.

Sorry it's long winded...but like I said, there are strong feelings about that over here. Many people consider segmentation "beginner intarsia" but that couldn't be further from the truth in my humble opinion.

Bob

 

[Alf]

Hi Danny (welcome to the forum, btw), depending on how large you need pieces, don't overlook turning blanks as a way of getting lots of different woods in small quantities. Offcuts'll be cheaper of course, if you can source them.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Gill]

In terms of cutting difficulty, I don't think there's much doubt that intarsia represents more of a challenge in getting a close fit. There's also the challenge of picking wood with exactly the right colour and the right grain to suit each component.

However, if an intarsian makes a mistake the defective piece can be discarded and cut again. If a segmenter makes a mistake, the whole project has to be either discarded or painted*. So both types of scrolling require skilled cutting. I wouldn't like to say that one is a higher artform than the other.

Coming back to your original question, Danny, SL Hardwoods in London used to sell bags of offcuts - I don't know if they still do. I seem to remember the bags were predominantly oak and beech, but there were some other woods as well. There's also Good Timber in Northampton who have a mail order and cutting service; they also supply turners so they have a stock of exotic woods too.

Gill

*That's not the reason why I paint my segmented work :lol: !

 

[Intarsiaplans]

In the short time that i do intarsia a close fit is all i work for and i guess everybody too. But yeah if a piece needs to be recut you recut it if size and grain is at your standards.
For some wood blanks i go to axminster in Bobbing and most of my wood i get from the local lumber yard and wood fellers.

Danny