Don't you just love my new pal? Since trying to learn to do these pages,I think he and I are on the same wave length! So,I think I'll keep him around with me for awhile,his name is Duffas.
Okay,enough of amusing myself,let's get on with it!
Here you'll find a few tips concerning the buying of your wood.Again,these are only my opinions!! Some of you will already know most or all of this "stuff",that's great,but I am including all of it anyway for beginners. I remember what it was like to be a beginner with lots of questions about everything,and no one willing to share their know -how with me!
If you are lucky enough to live in an area where a lot of home building is going on,the construction crews will sometimes allow you to "claim" their scraps when they are done each day. PLEASE,ask for permission first! Some won't allow it and you could be charged with theft and or trespassing! If you do get to go through their scraps,be nice and clean up any mess you may have made when doing so!
When you go to buy wood for your project,look at the wood from all angles,checking for warpage. Almost all boards have some degree of warping these days,but if it is to warped you will probably run into problems with it.Warped boards can sometimes cause your saw blades to become "jammed" or stuck in the wood,or even cause your saw blades to break. Besides it being dangerous to you when they break,it is really frustrating as well,especially if it is your last one and you aren't wanting to go out for more at that moment!
Depending on the dryness, or lack of, in the board,it will sometimes continue to warp more as it does dry,causing even more problems later,so try to get as dry and as straight a board as possible.
For most cut-outs that you are going to paint,plain old pine will work just fine.It is a soft wood,easy to cut and sand,and best of all,not so expensive! Some people will tell you that you can't use pine for building furniture,WELL, I beg to differ with them! I have a housefull of furniture made out of it and it has held up just fine and dandy even with abuse from teenagers! And we didn't have to mortgage our souls to pay for it!! LOL
It is a matter of personal taste(and the amount of money you want to spend) as to what type of wood to use.We have almost always used # 3 Ponderosa Pine for everything from furniture to toys and all of the goodies I have painted and sold over the years.
Of course,if you don't like the look of knots in your finished piece,you probably won't want to use # 3,so you should go for a better grade of wood.
If buying the wood for the sole purpose of cutting out pieces to paint,you can still get by in most cases,using # 3.Look to see if there is enough surface without knots for a particular pattern you are wanting to make,if so,you can still use the remainder of the board for something else.
If you have the room and space to keep it,NEVER throw away your small scraps! You can make so many things out of those little scraps,and if you are selling your projects,everything that you made and sold from those scraps is pure profit!!
If you are lucky enough to have the room to buy a large amount of wood at one time,when storing it,DON'T prop it up against something and leave it,it will warp! DON'T lay it down flat on a surface either! Depending on the lenght of the boards,lay several pieces of scrap wood down first,then lay the boards down on top. Check the boards after a couple of days to see if any are starting to warp,if so,turn them over the other way,and if needed,lay some type of weight on top of the boards. You can't stop all warpage,but you can help to minimize it.
If you are seeking thin board to make ornaments or such and don't know what to ask for,it is usually called "LUAN" board. It generally comes in 4'x8' sheets like paneling.You can get it in different thicknesses,usually 1/8"-3/4" thick. It is very easy to work with,sands well,accepts the paint well also.If you don't have a truck to bring it home in,ask where you are buying it from,sometimes they will cut it for you at little or no charge.If all else fails,it can be cut CAREFULLY with a utility knife into smaller pieces.