White wood

[Bill P]

Hi, Everyone!

I'm working with a 1/4 in piece of aspen to put on the face of a 2-layered plaque, with walnut behind it.  I like the color contrast, but the aspen is a little soft.  Has anyone worked with something as white, or whiter?  Basswood looks good, but holly looks better (from the pictures I've seen) but I don't see a source for holly scroll saw blanks, and I don't have the space available to make my own boards.  Hard white wood is the goal.  Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bill

[sp_343]

Some of the Maple I have bought is white...much Harder than the Aspen.  I like the look of the Aspen too, but kinda soft and "fuzzy"...but looks nice, when you can get a piece with some brown streaks in it.

Could look for some white Ash, maybe White Oak or the Maple.

Good luck finding what you are looking for...

[Bill P]

Thanks, Chris.  I'm going to try the maple next, and just keep my eye out for some holly. 

Bill

[julief]

Haven't come across Holly.  I use maple, ash or white oak when I need a white board.

[Becky]

I saw some holly once at the woodcraft store.  It was still in long form and it was hugely expensive (to my mind).  It was a small log, mabe 3 or 3.5 inches in diameter and maybe a foot and a half to two fee tall.  They wanted $50-something dollars for it.  But I never saw it again so maybe that was a good price.

Maple can be pretty white and, cheaper, poplar is pretty white too unless all you can get is the green.  I think you'd be happy with either one.

[jimbo]

Holly is unstable and hard to dry with out splitting, you could try bleaching light colored wood, there is a wood bleach available, I have not tried it
Jimbo

[dankc908]

Maple is what I've used in that situation and I've been very pleased with it.

[termite]

buckeye is a nice white wood. carvers use it. i dont know how hard it is to find.

[wdkits1]

Hi Bill
Holly is the whitest wood and I use lots of it in my Intarsia projects. It cuts great, finishes nicely and stays white over time. It is expensive (up to $20 bf) but that is because of the drying process. I don't mind paying for premium holly otherwise there is a lot of waste if it not dried properly.. I get mine from a small company in Pa called Tech-Wood that has the best holly of anyone that I have bought from. Large boards,(up to 8"wide)no blue knots and very white($22bf) but when it comes to holly you get what you pay for. Do a google search or go to woodfinders to find out a location nearest where you are.

[Rightarm]

    Bill, I'm working with Maple, and its pretty white. Dave

[Bill P]

Thanks, everyone, for your input.  I'm getting some samples of maple, curly maple, basswood, and ash, to see what works best.  I looked into the holly, and even though I liked what I saw, it was a little cost prohibitive.

Take care,

Bill

[Russ C]

Holly and Maple are what I use when I need white wood. 

[crusty59]

I like using Holy. I have a source down in Ft. Lauderdale if you want to order it