UncleNasty
Posts: 1108
Joined: 3/20/2004 Status: offline
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If Dungeon Depot, er, um, Home Depot is your option their selection of hardwoods is limited to red oak and poplar. Of those two choices I would opt for poplar. It is stable, takes finish or paint well, durable, semi-difuse porous. In the realm of hard woods it is relatively soft, but as an ass is about the hardest thing a paddle will encounter that won't be much of an issue. Red oak is prone to splitting, splintering and is ring porous. It has rather large pores which can be laborious to either sand smooth or fill in sufficiently with finish or grain filler. This creates a difficulty in cleaning thoroughly, and as such can present a bit of a health hazard. Not a big one, but it is there. I stay away from red oak mostly because of the splitting issue, and of the commercially available hard woods it is perhaps the most prone for this. I prefer using cherry, walnut or maple for my furniture and accesories and finish them in furniture grade clear finishes. All have beauty, are durable, are semi difuse porous or difuse porous, mill and sand fairly well. If you're having trouble locating whatever wood you prefer you might try stopping into some local cabinet or furniture shops. Likely they will have scrap stock around in a variety of species and may be willing to either give you a few pieces, or sell them to you at a price not to high. If you're wanting a thinner paddle (thinner than typical 13/16 or 3/4 stock) they would probably run it through their planer for you. A half dozen donuts might go a long way to greasing the bearings of negotiations with them, LOL. Uncle Nasty
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