Hi, I'd be grateful for advice as to what kind of wood I would need (and where to get it) for making tiles for a game. They have got to be about
3.5 mm thick and would be similar to shop-bought tiles I have got, e.g. in the shape of half a 35mm square cut along the diagonal. The ones I have got are very strong, I've had them decades and never broken one - you would really need to 'give it some' if you wanted to snap one! :) I am not sure what kind of wood they are, whatever it is it's quite lightweight.
If you take any wood (except maybe elm) and use it in small 1/8" thick slices, then it's going to be weak if you try and bend it across the grain. The answer is good quality plywood, which is hard to find in this thickness, but does exist.
If you want a small quantity, go to a modelshop. If you want to make a thousand, try a good plywood merchant.
If I was making them from solid timber, then I'd want something with negligible grain, so I'd probably use lime (aka basswood).
I I just wanted thin wood NOW, then I'd go to a veneer shop. 1/8" is the thickest common veneer, and it's not stocked in many timbers, but you'll probably find ash easily enough.
"BigWallop" wrote in news:e4a6b.1868$ snipped-for-privacy@news-text.cableinet.net:
a few have chew marks, sufficient to show that they are made of wood but from what I can see it looks lighter-coloured than lignum vitae. I suppose I could take 100 or so tiles and weigh them to estimate the density if this would help someone identify the type of wood...
They are from a puzzle/game containing pieces in two shapes, namely a
45-45-90 triangle, and a rhombus with two of its angles 45 degrees. The side of the rhombus is equal in length to the shorter sides of the triangle. I mention this because maybe other people reading this might have the same thing in the attic :)
Andy Dingley wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
What were wooden Scrabble tiles made of?
Lime sounds good. I haven't got the equipment to adjust the thickness. Would it be possible, if I got some in 1/8" sheets/strips, just to saw out the shapes I want, and then finish them, or is there more to it? (excuse my ignorance, but if I don't ask...)
No idea. But the wooden racks for the tiles were made of ramin, which would be another good choice. Ramin is not often seen as timber, but it's very common in any DIY shop - it's what most of those small mouldings are made of.
You'll find small quantities of (somewhat expensive) lime in any thickness you want at a modelshop, but they'll probably label it under the American name of "basswood". Obeche might work too, and you'd find that similarly.
You can then cut it out with either a fine gent's saw (just a little back saw), or a coping / fret saw if you need to do curves or awkward internal corners. If you're planning to make a million, electric fretsaws aren't that expensive. For big cuts to rip along the grain, you might even use a Stanley knife and a straightedge, then snap it.
To finish it, I'd use blonde shellac, applied with an artist's paintbrush (a 10mm filbert, with synthetic bristles for watercolours - Golden Taklon is the best bristle fibre). Thin the first coat 50:50 with meths. You'll also need some sort of drying rack.
tough to see from that picture because it's a bit blurry, but the1 on the right looks like it could be maple. I think boxwood might also work for what you have in mind ... but you'll have to find a kind person with a thicknesser
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get it to 3.5mm for you. and then cut it out with a fret saw or band saw ( a band saw would be better if it is straight edges you want, but use a fine tooth blade)
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fretsaw
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bandsaw Have a look down here and you might find something you like or that reminds you of the wood;
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