Need some help selecting wood to fabricate small parts.

[Moab]

I regularly fabricate small wood parts.  The parts are approximately 3mm x 5mm +- with two +- holes drilled.  I've mostly used bass in the past but not happy with the results. I don't have the equipment to mill my own wood and don't  want to use another material like plastic. So what can I use that is commercially available in 1/32 sheets and very tight grained?  Parts will eventually be stained or painted. As always thanks for any suggestions...Moab 

[Gregory]

I would recommend Ocooch Hardwoods as a source.  Their prices are very reasonable.  They ship very quickly and they communicate very well.

They don't list 1/32 on their site, but it is my understanding they will cut it for you if you send them an email.

 

Keep in mind, tight grain might mean they are more difficult to stain.

 

My choices would be cherry, maple, beech, ash and poplar, not necessarily in any order.

 

You may get some more informed and educated opinions than mine..

[Moab]

Thanx Gregory. Great feedback...Moab

[kurtvd19]

My choices would be Apple, Pear, Cherry or Boxwood in that order.

[Roger Pellett]

Does Chuck still wood sheets?

 

[Charles Green]

Requiring wood pre-milled to a specific dimension places a serious limit on what you will be able to find.  Types of wood to look for include: box - you will most likely have to settle for Asian or South American varieties, pear or any other fruit-wood and holly.  These woods are essentially pore-less and do not exhibit out-of-scale grain patterns.  It's worth going the extra mile to find European box (Buxus sempervirens).  It's expensive but for small parts a little goes a long way.  

[RichardG]

1/32nd Yellow Cedar is still listed on his site. I think it's slightly softer than the other suggestions.

[RichardG]

44 minutes ago, Gregory said:

I would recommend Ocooch Hardwoods as a source.  Their prices are very reasonable.  They ship very quickly and they communicate very well.

I ordered some wood from Ocooch for the first time this week. Ordered March 9th, shipped March 10th, UPS are delivering tomorrow 😀. 

[Gregory]

Getting 1/32  milled pear, apple or boxwood would be a challenge.  I suspect the pricing would be interesting as well.

Those would certainly be my first choice if they could be had, and if I wasn't going to paint or stain it.

 

I'm thinking Moab is wanting to get something to work with in the near future..

 

I hope that when someone finds a good source for any of those, they will let us know right away..

Edited March 13, 2021 by Gregory

[Moab]

Great feedback all. Per Gregory’s suggestion I’ve contacted them to determine if I can get wood milled to 1/32”. I’ll let everyone know when I hear from them. I would suggest anyone’s interested check out their website. They may be a good resource for some of our needs. Again thanx to Gregory for getting the ball rolling...Moab

[Gregory]

I will be interested on the pricing for a special order.

I have bought quite a bit of the listed sizes..

 

Say, compared to 1/16 x 4 x 24 cherry for $3.40 ..

 

 

[Blackreed]

This is my thoughts, I’m not sure what you are trying to make;

When wood gets to be thinner than 1/16 it moves to mils, you are talking about 10 mils or so,

when woods especially hardwoods get very thin they tend to warp, dry out and crack,

so I looked at “domestic veneer sample packs” from Rockler, now Amazon will have these as well, however if a specific wood is desired there are also options, these packs begin around $11 and go up to really expensive, ie 24 inch by 96/inch mahogany with paper backing is $69, and without the backer is $62.

I would caution you on such small pieces 3mm x 5mm because the wood will be so difficult to cut, it may be easier to sand those small pieces, and drilling, as veneer is very stable could possibly break due to the pressure from the drill and any clamping methods.

Thinking about this, if you are on Amazon, or really any one that sells hobby wood look into buying CA50 with the activator, this will laminate your wood and make it much easier to drill. As far as staining the CA50 would only work after staining, and as far as painting it would be the same as painting plastic.

Good luck with your project.

[Gregory]

2 hours ago, Blackreed said:

When wood gets to be thinner than 1/16 it moves to mils,

 That may be one way of measuring it, but I have bought 1/32 sheets, usually 4" wide and various lengths from any number of places including Syren Shi Models.  Syren sells .025 inch yellow cedar.  It's very workable depending on what one is doing.  It does take care, but it is not as fragile as most veneer.

 

 

[Jaager]

One factor that may serve to make veneer a bit difficult is in how much if it is derived.  The log is rotated against a blade.  The veneer comes off like unrolling paper towels.

 

It is totally unnatural as far as grain behavior.  It saves on loss to kerf though.

[mtaylor]

I've had no problem cutting wood less than 1/16" thick.  Just a matter of making sure you have the proper tooth count blade.  And yes, sometimes it does warp but even that can be fixed.

[Moab]

Again thanx to all for the feedback. Very, very helpful. I’ll keep you posted on my progress as I sail along...Moab

[Roger Pellett]

As Jaager points out, commercial veneer is rotary cut.  The miniature model maker Lloyd McCaferty wrote in one of his books that these veneers were unsuitable for his use as the veneer manufacturing process produced many tiny cracks radiating from the cut surface that caused failure when cut into the small pieces that he required.

[Gregory]

It's a good thing Moab isn't planning on using veneer..

[Moab]

Unfortunately Ocooch can't mill to 1/32. I did order some wood and hope to receive it next week...Moab

[RichardG]

My order from Ocooch arrived on Saturday - I'm very pleased with the quality.

 

I sounds like you only need a small quantity of 1/32" strip. I've thinned strip down by just using a simple jig of a couple of parallel 1/32" basswood strips on a larger piece of wood and then pulling 1/16th strips though the space with a sanding stick held across the strips. Pull the strips through a few times and when sandpaper stops producing any dust, you have your 1/32" strip.

[Moab]

Thanx for  the idea Richard. It amazes me how many things I've done in the past (like your suggestion) and then totally forgot about. Thanx again...Moab