Jaager

As for what you stock dimensions should be,  for scratch POF, you need to get works with
the scantlings as close as possible to the age of your project.
If Swan is your subject:
SCANTLINGS OF THE ROYAL NAVY 1719-1805
by Allan Yedlinsky
 
For 19th c. I use Meade, and Rules from ASA.
For 17th c Deans.
 
 
Bob is center target as far as the proper tool for resawing is concerned.
You may get 8/4 on one pass, but likely will take at least two, on a 10" tablesaw.
 
As for getting the saw thickness setting that minimizes the number of passes
thru a sander necessary to get a 220 grit finish with no blade scars, I use
2x4 framing lumber - Home Depot had it at $3.30 each - they cut it into 2 foot sections
for me - my Z can't carry anything much longer.
 
Let us know where you find 8/4 and 12/4 Boxwood - the Pear will be
easier to find at 4/4 too.  Holly is a small tree to begin with.
 
You may wish to investigate what the result will be at 1/4" as far as the size of the model.
I have opted for hulls that are 1/2 the volume of 1/4" scale = 1:60.  The hull of the brig
USS Porpoise  1836 is about right and USS Flying Fish 1838  also.  The hull of the 118 gun
liner Commerce de Marseilles is almost overwhelming though.  I would not want to deal with
the size that the published 1/4" produced.
It is impressive - just how much stock is needed for the framing timbers - lots of BF - and the
yield - at least 50% will end up as sawdust. 
 
Going for a Swan as a first POF,  and asking what you are asking - I recommend that you consider
framing and planking with Black Cherry-  being as how you are a Tarheel, that species should be
a reasonable cost and easy to find. 
 

As an armchair experiment:
use double sided tape or rubber cement to fix the metal sheet
to a 1/8- 1/4" piece of pine and run that thru the saw.
A blind cut on a thicker piece of wood would be even safer.
Disadvantage = more than one cut would require removal and
reattachment of the metal to the carrier.. 
advantage = the blade would not cut any wood on a second pass.
or the notch could be there from the beginning.

As an armchair experiment:
use double sided tape or rubber cement to fix the metal sheet
to a 1/8- 1/4" piece of pine and run that thru the saw.
A blind cut on a thicker piece of wood would be even safer.
Disadvantage = more than one cut would require removal and
reattachment of the metal to the carrier.. 
advantage = the blade would not cut any wood on a second pass.
or the notch could be there from the beginning.

As for what you stock dimensions should be,  for scratch POF, you need to get works with
the scantlings as close as possible to the age of your project.
If Swan is your subject:
SCANTLINGS OF THE ROYAL NAVY 1719-1805
by Allan Yedlinsky
 
For 19th c. I use Meade, and Rules from ASA.
For 17th c Deans.
 
 
Bob is center target as far as the proper tool for resawing is concerned.
You may get 8/4 on one pass, but likely will take at least two, on a 10" tablesaw.
 
As for getting the saw thickness setting that minimizes the number of passes
thru a sander necessary to get a 220 grit finish with no blade scars, I use
2x4 framing lumber - Home Depot had it at $3.30 each - they cut it into 2 foot sections
for me - my Z can't carry anything much longer.
 
Let us know where you find 8/4 and 12/4 Boxwood - the Pear will be
easier to find at 4/4 too.  Holly is a small tree to begin with.
 
You may wish to investigate what the result will be at 1/4" as far as the size of the model.
I have opted for hulls that are 1/2 the volume of 1/4" scale = 1:60.  The hull of the brig
USS Porpoise  1836 is about right and USS Flying Fish 1838  also.  The hull of the 118 gun
liner Commerce de Marseilles is almost overwhelming though.  I would not want to deal with
the size that the published 1/4" produced.
It is impressive - just how much stock is needed for the framing timbers - lots of BF - and the
yield - at least 50% will end up as sawdust. 
 
Going for a Swan as a first POF,  and asking what you are asking - I recommend that you consider
framing and planking with Black Cherry-  being as how you are a Tarheel, that species should be
a reasonable cost and easy to find. 
 

This is the support layer for the real planking.
I would not do anything to the surface of layer one that interfered with the subsequent bonding of the two layers.
Unless intended to actually float, the hull's inner layer does not need to have 
the gaps between planks in the first layer filled.  The outer layer will cover that anyway.  The
hull fairing and support for a proper planking run repairs are a different factor.
Practice on scrap, but a top quality water based drywall filler with a bit of PVA 
mixed in could do the trick.  Feathering the dips and depressions without damaging
the part of layer one that is correct should be the goal.  A strong bond using a material
that will bond to the PVA holding the outer layer is needed.  It does not need to be tough itself.
Severe dips = consider using veneer - actual wood - as a scab-like repair material.

I here remind of a material that was suggested here:
Liberon Van Dyck Crystals Wood Dye
It is made from walnut husks, so is just as "natural" as tea
and according to the materials data sheet - pH 10 - so is not
acidic.  The concentration in water determines the shade.
I figure it as a rigging and sail color agent.
Amazon used to sell it - but Google should find a merchant now.

I here remind of a material that was suggested here:
Liberon Van Dyck Crystals Wood Dye
It is made from walnut husks, so is just as "natural" as tea
and according to the materials data sheet - pH 10 - so is not
acidic.  The concentration in water determines the shade.
I figure it as a rigging and sail color agent.
Amazon used to sell it - but Google should find a merchant now.

Geoff,
You have made if you have access to Apple.  It is excellent for about everything.
What I learned about harvesting Apple:
Get it into 1 or 2 inch thick billets, bark removed, and end grain areas sealed with
old paint, varnish,   melted paraffin  - something to block rapid water loss from
the cut ends of the bundle of straws that are what wood resembles -
as soon as you can.  Apple has sugar in its sap,  and if you do not get it dry soon enough,
fungus will destroy the wood.
I find 2 foot lengths to be as long as I need. 
Your wooden boat group should have a bandsaw.  That is a good way to get a log cutinto billets - that you sticker and dry. 
Buy your own blades  ( 3 tpi hook - 1/2" wide works  well enough for this)  for the bandsaw, 
resawing wears out blades fairly quickly and Apple is fairly hard wood.  Fix the logs to
a carrier plank to keep them from rocking or rolling during the cut
- 1/2" ply works - with brackets and screws   2x4 framing braces, 2" drywall screws,
and 1/2" pan head screws to fix the braces to the carrier   work for me- .   Two right angle flat
surfaces and the carrier is no longer needed.
If you have access to a kiln  - use it.
I made my own kiln -  house insulation foam (a foil surface inside)  to make the box, 200-300 watts of incandescent
light bulbs for heat and computer ventilation fans to pull out the moisture.  It is not
a true kiln,  but if the wood is at a higher temp than a fungus likes, you win the race.
A theory of mine:
If I had access to a lot of Apple,  for a large butt.- in my imagination, I see me  cutting the trunk high up, 
and using the chainsaw to made a vertical cut down the middle  to cut the  4-5 feet still on the roots.
I can see that a kick back of a chainsaw at head level could be a bit dangerous,
Trying a similar rip cut on a log - I could never think of a safe and practical way to
secure the log.  The wood loss to a chainsaw's kerf is painful to think about.  But
there those who use a chainsaw to mill out planks.   But the machines have the saw fixed in place
and the log doing the moving.
Anyway, you will appreciate having one flat surface if you can get one.

A batten is a temporary plank.
In one era - in prep for a storm, hatch gratings were covered with canvas which was held down with
wooden battens lashed to ring bolts on deck.  "Batten down the hatches".
 
When framing a hull, widely spaced bends (a pair of overlapping frames- measured and cut)  had framing battens
which ran horizontally from stem to stern and were used to both support the bends and act as a jig to help to
shaping of intermediate bends and (mostly English) the filling frames. 
In models similar battens are used to find the sweet zones for smooth and attractive planking runs.
 
A spilling batten is a thin flexible "stick" to connect the dots to get the full curve to cut to when spilling a plank.
Spilling probably is a slang conversion of spoiling.  Because a hull is a complex compound curve - rectangular planks
will not properly cover.  The width constantly changes.  An expensive wider board is trimmed - usually on one side only
- to fit the space.  The waste wood is "spoilled" or later spilled.
For the last plank to fill a run, if lucky, a rubbing on a piece of card or paper can define the needed shape.  For runs of
9-7-6-5-...  a fan gauge is useful to provide the points to use the spilling batten on.
 

Geoff,
You have made if you have access to Apple.  It is excellent for about everything.
What I learned about harvesting Apple:
Get it into 1 or 2 inch thick billets, bark removed, and end grain areas sealed with
old paint, varnish,   melted paraffin  - something to block rapid water loss from
the cut ends of the bundle of straws that are what wood resembles -
as soon as you can.  Apple has sugar in its sap,  and if you do not get it dry soon enough,
fungus will destroy the wood.
I find 2 foot lengths to be as long as I need. 
Your wooden boat group should have a bandsaw.  That is a good way to get a log cutinto billets - that you sticker and dry. 
Buy your own blades  ( 3 tpi hook - 1/2" wide works  well enough for this)  for the bandsaw, 
resawing wears out blades fairly quickly and Apple is fairly hard wood.  Fix the logs to
a carrier plank to keep them from rocking or rolling during the cut
- 1/2" ply works - with brackets and screws   2x4 framing braces, 2" drywall screws,
and 1/2" pan head screws to fix the braces to the carrier   work for me- .   Two right angle flat
surfaces and the carrier is no longer needed.
If you have access to a kiln  - use it.
I made my own kiln -  house insulation foam (a foil surface inside)  to make the box, 200-300 watts of incandescent
light bulbs for heat and computer ventilation fans to pull out the moisture.  It is not
a true kiln,  but if the wood is at a higher temp than a fungus likes, you win the race.
A theory of mine:
If I had access to a lot of Apple,  for a large butt.- in my imagination, I see me  cutting the trunk high up, 
and using the chainsaw to made a vertical cut down the middle  to cut the  4-5 feet still on the roots.
I can see that a kick back of a chainsaw at head level could be a bit dangerous,
Trying a similar rip cut on a log - I could never think of a safe and practical way to
secure the log.  The wood loss to a chainsaw's kerf is painful to think about.  But
there those who use a chainsaw to mill out planks.   But the machines have the saw fixed in place
and the log doing the moving.
Anyway, you will appreciate having one flat surface if you can get one.

Geoff,
You have made if you have access to Apple.  It is excellent for about everything.
What I learned about harvesting Apple:
Get it into 1 or 2 inch thick billets, bark removed, and end grain areas sealed with
old paint, varnish,   melted paraffin  - something to block rapid water loss from
the cut ends of the bundle of straws that are what wood resembles -
as soon as you can.  Apple has sugar in its sap,  and if you do not get it dry soon enough,
fungus will destroy the wood.
I find 2 foot lengths to be as long as I need. 
Your wooden boat group should have a bandsaw.  That is a good way to get a log cutinto billets - that you sticker and dry. 
Buy your own blades  ( 3 tpi hook - 1/2" wide works  well enough for this)  for the bandsaw, 
resawing wears out blades fairly quickly and Apple is fairly hard wood.  Fix the logs to
a carrier plank to keep them from rocking or rolling during the cut
- 1/2" ply works - with brackets and screws   2x4 framing braces, 2" drywall screws,
and 1/2" pan head screws to fix the braces to the carrier   work for me- .   Two right angle flat
surfaces and the carrier is no longer needed.
If you have access to a kiln  - use it.
I made my own kiln -  house insulation foam (a foil surface inside)  to make the box, 200-300 watts of incandescent
light bulbs for heat and computer ventilation fans to pull out the moisture.  It is not
a true kiln,  but if the wood is at a higher temp than a fungus likes, you win the race.
A theory of mine:
If I had access to a lot of Apple,  for a large butt.- in my imagination, I see me  cutting the trunk high up, 
and using the chainsaw to made a vertical cut down the middle  to cut the  4-5 feet still on the roots.
I can see that a kick back of a chainsaw at head level could be a bit dangerous,
Trying a similar rip cut on a log - I could never think of a safe and practical way to
secure the log.  The wood loss to a chainsaw's kerf is painful to think about.  But
there those who use a chainsaw to mill out planks.   But the machines have the saw fixed in place
and the log doing the moving.
Anyway, you will appreciate having one flat surface if you can get one.

Your fellow members have the right stock.  There is no golden choice.  Lots of species will
do just fine.
The key factor is the look that you are after.  Are you doing POF and showing the frames?
Will it be clear finished wood with the color pallet determined by species used?
The keel vs frames vs beams etc.-  not much difference with POF- as far as what to use. 
Planking - unobtrusive grain - some species bend more readily than others.
There is a cachet around using Ebony for black wales,  but there are aniline wood dyes that can
turn many species black and still show grain effect.
The spars are a different matter.  Unfortunately - the traditional species are tropical in source
and I think pretty much now protected =  Lancewood, Degame,  Pau Marfim  and all but impossible
to source.  
One way is to find a board with straight grain, from a closed pore, tight grain species like Hard Maple,
Beech, Birch and split out the pieces - so that the natural grown shape is straight.  Over time, the wood will
"seek" its equilibrium state.
 
As far as all this goes,  should you be considering POF as an engineering demo showing the innards -
I am thinking that this is a yacht cost situation - at your present experience level - if you have to ask........
Another factor - with POF - the frame timbers require a lot of stock - depending on the size of the vessel and
your choice of scale.  50% going to saw dust is probably on the low end.  A 1:48 liner ( 74 or< ) could require
20 bf or more. 

You do not supply your location.  An answer to your question would depend on
where on the planet is your home.  Also, I don't think of "best" as being an adequate criterion.
A contest is not really what would answer the question. "Excellent for" would be a more reliable goal.
 
I prefer closed pore species.  No open pore species will scale in as attractive a way
as a closed pore one.   That is the one negative mark against an otherwise beautiful
wood= Juglans nigra - Black Walnut - if you get an older tree - a very dark rich color
but it helps if you live in the eastern region of North America for a good price.
Other species of Walnut - not so much of a good choice- most seem to have a lesser
color and more visible pores as well as some being brittle.
I agree with Grsjax on his choices,  although I seem to like Hard Maple as lot more.
The grain pattern depends on the plane of your resaw.  You can get clear low contrast
or tiger or flame from the same board.  It is hard and strong.  He is fortunate in having
access to temperate fruit wood species in Hawaii.  They are as good as it gets.
 
Oak either red or white are a hard strong wood - good for hull timbers and bracing or
planking as long as they are used where they can't be seen. Their pores are distracting.
 
Two species that do not get much attention, but seem like good choices = Rock Elm
( death on the edge of my cutting blades and very slow on my 3/4 hp band saw - seems a lot
harder than Hard Maple and that is hard.  There are pores, but small ones.)  and Honey Locust.
 
One species I do not like is Platanus occidentalis  American Sycamore - color is close to
Hard Maple, but another name  now is lace wood because of its busy pattern - it is close to
Black Cherry in hardness, but is brittle- splitting easily.  I was unfortunate in not realizing
that the species that Underhill called Sycamore was actually a species of Maple that is 
about 80% of the way to Hard Maple in its quality. I would have gotten more Hard Maple
and Black Cherry from the mill.

You do not supply your location.  An answer to your question would depend on
where on the planet is your home.  Also, I don't think of "best" as being an adequate criterion.
A contest is not really what would answer the question. "Excellent for" would be a more reliable goal.
 
I prefer closed pore species.  No open pore species will scale in as attractive a way
as a closed pore one.   That is the one negative mark against an otherwise beautiful
wood= Juglans nigra - Black Walnut - if you get an older tree - a very dark rich color
but it helps if you live in the eastern region of North America for a good price.
Other species of Walnut - not so much of a good choice- most seem to have a lesser
color and more visible pores as well as some being brittle.
I agree with Grsjax on his choices,  although I seem to like Hard Maple as lot more.
The grain pattern depends on the plane of your resaw.  You can get clear low contrast
or tiger or flame from the same board.  It is hard and strong.  He is fortunate in having
access to temperate fruit wood species in Hawaii.  They are as good as it gets.
 
Oak either red or white are a hard strong wood - good for hull timbers and bracing or
planking as long as they are used where they can't be seen. Their pores are distracting.
 
Two species that do not get much attention, but seem like good choices = Rock Elm
( death on the edge of my cutting blades and very slow on my 3/4 hp band saw - seems a lot
harder than Hard Maple and that is hard.  There are pores, but small ones.)  and Honey Locust.
 
One species I do not like is Platanus occidentalis  American Sycamore - color is close to
Hard Maple, but another name  now is lace wood because of its busy pattern - it is close to
Black Cherry in hardness, but is brittle- splitting easily.  I was unfortunate in not realizing
that the species that Underhill called Sycamore was actually a species of Maple that is 
about 80% of the way to Hard Maple in its quality. I would have gotten more Hard Maple
and Black Cherry from the mill.

Geoff,
 
Looking at the Wood Database for Australian domestic lumber
I would look at the following:
Tasmanian Myrtle, Myrtle Beech
Raspberry Jam
Lemon-Scented Gum, Lemon Eucalyptus
Kauri, Ancient Kauri
 
If you paint/copper  some of the Gum species may be useful
course grain is not so bad if hidden.

Your fellow members have the right stock.  There is no golden choice.  Lots of species will
do just fine.
The key factor is the look that you are after.  Are you doing POF and showing the frames?
Will it be clear finished wood with the color pallet determined by species used?
The keel vs frames vs beams etc.-  not much difference with POF- as far as what to use. 
Planking - unobtrusive grain - some species bend more readily than others.
There is a cachet around using Ebony for black wales,  but there are aniline wood dyes that can
turn many species black and still show grain effect.
The spars are a different matter.  Unfortunately - the traditional species are tropical in source
and I think pretty much now protected =  Lancewood, Degame,  Pau Marfim  and all but impossible
to source.  
One way is to find a board with straight grain, from a closed pore, tight grain species like Hard Maple,
Beech, Birch and split out the pieces - so that the natural grown shape is straight.  Over time, the wood will
"seek" its equilibrium state.
 
As far as all this goes,  should you be considering POF as an engineering demo showing the innards -
I am thinking that this is a yacht cost situation - at your present experience level - if you have to ask........
Another factor - with POF - the frame timbers require a lot of stock - depending on the size of the vessel and
your choice of scale.  50% going to saw dust is probably on the low end.  A 1:48 liner ( 74 or< ) could require
20 bf or more. 

My bet:  the fumes are the CA itself.  The heat of the setup reaction ( caused by contact with water )
also vaporizes unreacted CA.  The key with cotton fibers, wool fibers, tissue paper, etc.  is that the
material has a lot of surface area in contact with air.  The heat from the CA reaction, when the vapors
contact the organic fibers can reach combustion level,  but the "smoke" before visible flame is most 
likely the CA itself in an aggressive vapor "looking" to react with whatever it can contact.
For years, I have seen CSI-type programs using a closed chamber - with a material with finger prints -
not suitable for dusting powder use - and CA in a heated petri dish - the CA vapor reacting with
the skin residue to reveal the prints. 
The combustion temperature of organic particles in intimate contact with oxygen, is a lot lower than is
appreciated by most.  Just ask someone working in a grain silo, or cotton mill in summer about the
potential danger.  Even gasoline vapor in the proper mixture with oxygen can violently react without an
ignition source, at a temp that is pretty close to ambient summer levels.
CA can be aggressive and dangerous if not handled carefully - probably causing more sub-detectable
harm - than is appreciated.
Some day it may follow other once common chemicals - such as carbon tetrachloride and tetraethyllead - into banned status,
when industry can find a less dangerous substitute that is cost effective. Until then, damage to user health will continue to be
a cost of doing business in order to maintain profits.

Geoff,
 
Looking at the Wood Database for Australian domestic lumber
I would look at the following:
Tasmanian Myrtle, Myrtle Beech
Raspberry Jam
Lemon-Scented Gum, Lemon Eucalyptus
Kauri, Ancient Kauri
 
If you paint/copper  some of the Gum species may be useful
course grain is not so bad if hidden.

Your fellow members have the right stock.  There is no golden choice.  Lots of species will
do just fine.
The key factor is the look that you are after.  Are you doing POF and showing the frames?
Will it be clear finished wood with the color pallet determined by species used?
The keel vs frames vs beams etc.-  not much difference with POF- as far as what to use. 
Planking - unobtrusive grain - some species bend more readily than others.
There is a cachet around using Ebony for black wales,  but there are aniline wood dyes that can
turn many species black and still show grain effect.
The spars are a different matter.  Unfortunately - the traditional species are tropical in source
and I think pretty much now protected =  Lancewood, Degame,  Pau Marfim  and all but impossible
to source.  
One way is to find a board with straight grain, from a closed pore, tight grain species like Hard Maple,
Beech, Birch and split out the pieces - so that the natural grown shape is straight.  Over time, the wood will
"seek" its equilibrium state.
 
As far as all this goes,  should you be considering POF as an engineering demo showing the innards -
I am thinking that this is a yacht cost situation - at your present experience level - if you have to ask........
Another factor - with POF - the frame timbers require a lot of stock - depending on the size of the vessel and
your choice of scale.  50% going to saw dust is probably on the low end.  A 1:48 liner ( 74 or< ) could require
20 bf or more. 

You do not supply your location.  An answer to your question would depend on
where on the planet is your home.  Also, I don't think of "best" as being an adequate criterion.
A contest is not really what would answer the question. "Excellent for" would be a more reliable goal.
 
I prefer closed pore species.  No open pore species will scale in as attractive a way
as a closed pore one.   That is the one negative mark against an otherwise beautiful
wood= Juglans nigra - Black Walnut - if you get an older tree - a very dark rich color
but it helps if you live in the eastern region of North America for a good price.
Other species of Walnut - not so much of a good choice- most seem to have a lesser
color and more visible pores as well as some being brittle.
I agree with Grsjax on his choices,  although I seem to like Hard Maple as lot more.
The grain pattern depends on the plane of your resaw.  You can get clear low contrast
or tiger or flame from the same board.  It is hard and strong.  He is fortunate in having
access to temperate fruit wood species in Hawaii.  They are as good as it gets.
 
Oak either red or white are a hard strong wood - good for hull timbers and bracing or
planking as long as they are used where they can't be seen. Their pores are distracting.
 
Two species that do not get much attention, but seem like good choices = Rock Elm
( death on the edge of my cutting blades and very slow on my 3/4 hp band saw - seems a lot
harder than Hard Maple and that is hard.  There are pores, but small ones.)  and Honey Locust.
 
One species I do not like is Platanus occidentalis  American Sycamore - color is close to
Hard Maple, but another name  now is lace wood because of its busy pattern - it is close to
Black Cherry in hardness, but is brittle- splitting easily.  I was unfortunate in not realizing
that the species that Underhill called Sycamore was actually a species of Maple that is 
about 80% of the way to Hard Maple in its quality. I would have gotten more Hard Maple
and Black Cherry from the mill.

My bet:  the fumes are the CA itself.  The heat of the setup reaction ( caused by contact with water )
also vaporizes unreacted CA.  The key with cotton fibers, wool fibers, tissue paper, etc.  is that the
material has a lot of surface area in contact with air.  The heat from the CA reaction, when the vapors
contact the organic fibers can reach combustion level,  but the "smoke" before visible flame is most 
likely the CA itself in an aggressive vapor "looking" to react with whatever it can contact.
For years, I have seen CSI-type programs using a closed chamber - with a material with finger prints -
not suitable for dusting powder use - and CA in a heated petri dish - the CA vapor reacting with
the skin residue to reveal the prints. 
The combustion temperature of organic particles in intimate contact with oxygen, is a lot lower than is
appreciated by most.  Just ask someone working in a grain silo, or cotton mill in summer about the
potential danger.  Even gasoline vapor in the proper mixture with oxygen can violently react without an
ignition source, at a temp that is pretty close to ambient summer levels.
CA can be aggressive and dangerous if not handled carefully - probably causing more sub-detectable
harm - than is appreciated.
Some day it may follow other once common chemicals - such as carbon tetrachloride and tetraethyllead - into banned status,
when industry can find a less dangerous substitute that is cost effective. Until then, damage to user health will continue to be
a cost of doing business in order to maintain profits.

My bet:  the fumes are the CA itself.  The heat of the setup reaction ( caused by contact with water )
also vaporizes unreacted CA.  The key with cotton fibers, wool fibers, tissue paper, etc.  is that the
material has a lot of surface area in contact with air.  The heat from the CA reaction, when the vapors
contact the organic fibers can reach combustion level,  but the "smoke" before visible flame is most 
likely the CA itself in an aggressive vapor "looking" to react with whatever it can contact.
For years, I have seen CSI-type programs using a closed chamber - with a material with finger prints -
not suitable for dusting powder use - and CA in a heated petri dish - the CA vapor reacting with
the skin residue to reveal the prints. 
The combustion temperature of organic particles in intimate contact with oxygen, is a lot lower than is
appreciated by most.  Just ask someone working in a grain silo, or cotton mill in summer about the
potential danger.  Even gasoline vapor in the proper mixture with oxygen can violently react without an
ignition source, at a temp that is pretty close to ambient summer levels.
CA can be aggressive and dangerous if not handled carefully - probably causing more sub-detectable
harm - than is appreciated.
Some day it may follow other once common chemicals - such as carbon tetrachloride and tetraethyllead - into banned status,
when industry can find a less dangerous substitute that is cost effective. Until then, damage to user health will continue to be
a cost of doing business in order to maintain profits.

You do not supply your location.  An answer to your question would depend on
where on the planet is your home.  Also, I don't think of "best" as being an adequate criterion.
A contest is not really what would answer the question. "Excellent for" would be a more reliable goal.
 
I prefer closed pore species.  No open pore species will scale in as attractive a way
as a closed pore one.   That is the one negative mark against an otherwise beautiful
wood= Juglans nigra - Black Walnut - if you get an older tree - a very dark rich color
but it helps if you live in the eastern region of North America for a good price.
Other species of Walnut - not so much of a good choice- most seem to have a lesser
color and more visible pores as well as some being brittle.
I agree with Grsjax on his choices,  although I seem to like Hard Maple as lot more.
The grain pattern depends on the plane of your resaw.  You can get clear low contrast
or tiger or flame from the same board.  It is hard and strong.  He is fortunate in having
access to temperate fruit wood species in Hawaii.  They are as good as it gets.
 
Oak either red or white are a hard strong wood - good for hull timbers and bracing or
planking as long as they are used where they can't be seen. Their pores are distracting.
 
Two species that do not get much attention, but seem like good choices = Rock Elm
( death on the edge of my cutting blades and very slow on my 3/4 hp band saw - seems a lot
harder than Hard Maple and that is hard.  There are pores, but small ones.)  and Honey Locust.
 
One species I do not like is Platanus occidentalis  American Sycamore - color is close to
Hard Maple, but another name  now is lace wood because of its busy pattern - it is close to
Black Cherry in hardness, but is brittle- splitting easily.  I was unfortunate in not realizing
that the species that Underhill called Sycamore was actually a species of Maple that is 
about 80% of the way to Hard Maple in its quality. I would have gotten more Hard Maple
and Black Cherry from the mill.

My bet:  the fumes are the CA itself.  The heat of the setup reaction ( caused by contact with water )
also vaporizes unreacted CA.  The key with cotton fibers, wool fibers, tissue paper, etc.  is that the
material has a lot of surface area in contact with air.  The heat from the CA reaction, when the vapors
contact the organic fibers can reach combustion level,  but the "smoke" before visible flame is most 
likely the CA itself in an aggressive vapor "looking" to react with whatever it can contact.
For years, I have seen CSI-type programs using a closed chamber - with a material with finger prints -
not suitable for dusting powder use - and CA in a heated petri dish - the CA vapor reacting with
the skin residue to reveal the prints. 
The combustion temperature of organic particles in intimate contact with oxygen, is a lot lower than is
appreciated by most.  Just ask someone working in a grain silo, or cotton mill in summer about the
potential danger.  Even gasoline vapor in the proper mixture with oxygen can violently react without an
ignition source, at a temp that is pretty close to ambient summer levels.
CA can be aggressive and dangerous if not handled carefully - probably causing more sub-detectable
harm - than is appreciated.
Some day it may follow other once common chemicals - such as carbon tetrachloride and tetraethyllead - into banned status,
when industry can find a less dangerous substitute that is cost effective. Until then, damage to user health will continue to be
a cost of doing business in order to maintain profits.

My bet:  the fumes are the CA itself.  The heat of the setup reaction ( caused by contact with water )
also vaporizes unreacted CA.  The key with cotton fibers, wool fibers, tissue paper, etc.  is that the
material has a lot of surface area in contact with air.  The heat from the CA reaction, when the vapors
contact the organic fibers can reach combustion level,  but the "smoke" before visible flame is most 
likely the CA itself in an aggressive vapor "looking" to react with whatever it can contact.
For years, I have seen CSI-type programs using a closed chamber - with a material with finger prints -
not suitable for dusting powder use - and CA in a heated petri dish - the CA vapor reacting with
the skin residue to reveal the prints. 
The combustion temperature of organic particles in intimate contact with oxygen, is a lot lower than is
appreciated by most.  Just ask someone working in a grain silo, or cotton mill in summer about the
potential danger.  Even gasoline vapor in the proper mixture with oxygen can violently react without an
ignition source, at a temp that is pretty close to ambient summer levels.
CA can be aggressive and dangerous if not handled carefully - probably causing more sub-detectable
harm - than is appreciated.
Some day it may follow other once common chemicals - such as carbon tetrachloride and tetraethyllead - into banned status,
when industry can find a less dangerous substitute that is cost effective. Until then, damage to user health will continue to be
a cost of doing business in order to maintain profits.