Wood for decking

[JamesT1]

Good afternoon all

 

I'm planning on starting the Caldercraft  HMS Diana shortly..  What type of wood is recommended for decking a 1/64 scale ship. 

 

Many thanks

 

Jim

[mtaylor]

Jim,

There's no "one" answer for that.  It all depends on the builder.  It's usually lighter colored woods such a basswood, boxwood, yellow cedar, etc.   What's the kit supply?

[BANYAN]

Hi Jim, as Mark has suggested - a lighter coloured wood for the decks (to represent a holystoned deck).  Selection may come down to the width of the planks (at scale) that you need if you are not milling your own wood.  It will depend on what sizes (in the types of wood you are considering) are available from hobby suppliers if you are not happy with the kit wood.  

 

cheers

 

Pat

[pontiachedmark]

Gidday Jim.

I have found Boxwood or basswood, if you can source it, is a good planking material. Where in the world are you? This may have some bearing on availability. Another factor is cost. The postage charges from some countries make purchases exorbitant.  What timber is supplied with the kit? 

I apologise for posing more questions than answers but I feel they are relevant.

Wishing you all the best,

Mark.

 

[JamesT1]

Many thanks for the answers guys,, ...  the kit looks really nice,,, after modelling for more years than I care to remember,,  mainly, 1:35 modern British armour, in multiple mediums,, I've decided to try something different,, long term as I retire in 4 weeks,,this will be my first large scale wooden model...  

 

As part of my hobby, I find it enjoyable to carry out as much research as possible,,  my wife says I'm too much of a perfectionist,,,...After reading a few of the excellent logs on MSW,,, I thought I would ask the question about the wood  for decks,,,...

 

The kit came with1 x4mm Tanganijka strips for the decking,,, it looks OK,, however I was just wondering what type of wood would look nice...  and authentic... I find in the plastic model world,, manufacturers can make things over scale,, or miss out the finer details,,,  but part of the fun is putting it right...  it would be boring if you just opened a box,, and glued it together in a couple of hours,, etc...

 

The kit also comes with Limewood and Walnut for the 1st and 2nd planking

 

pontiachedmark, I'm from sunny Scotland,,,,,I recently bought some basswood...  sheets and strips to have a look at that,,,  I was also looking at pear wood …...

 

Many thanks

Jim

Edited May 5, 2019 by JamesT1
more detail

[Jaager]

Take a look at locally available Acer sp. ( Maple)  Beech  Birch  Hornbeam

Pear - excellent for hull planking and frames.

 

Wood choices get a bit twisted in locally available species.  In North America, we often substitute our domestic species for ones economically available in Europe but expensive here and they somehow get a boost into a preferable import status there.  It is a bit perverse. 

[pontiachedmark]

Gidday Jim.

Have you decided on timber for the deck planks?

No rush I am just curious by nature.

If you are not happy with Basswood, have you looked into Beech?

Wishing you all the best in your endeavours,

Mark.

[JamesT1]

Good Morning Mark

 

Not yet,,,  it will be a  couple of weeks before I start the model,,  so not too much of a hurry...

 

The general consensus is for a light wood, so in addition to the wood supplied with the model and the Basswood I have ordered some Obeche Stripwood to look at... 

 

I have book marked some  Beech, Cherry and Pear Stripwood...  just In case I'm not too happy with the others.... although the Cherry and Pear look to be a bit dark for my needs...

 

I'll keep you updated...

 

Many thanks

 

Jim

[Matrim]

I like Holly myself though it usually comes in unusual sizes due to the small size of the source. To me it represents nicely a holystoned deck though it can run from pale white to a yellower tinge.

Here is a close up of some of mine used on my Bounty

 

[Jim Rogers]

Yellow Cedar is a great deck choice.

[Dziadeczek]

holly

[vossiewulf]

I used holly for my deck, but it's too white in my opinion. I wished I had very slightly stained it, as I can't see any of the common deck woods of the time looking this bone white despite holystoning and UV bleaching. Maybe it will be better after it yellows a bit.

[davyboy]

Hi Jim,you might consider using Birch,It's light coloured with little grain. I used it for the deck planking on my Cheerful and am well pleased with the result.

 

Dave