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.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Chris Nellist wrote in
:

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.

Thanks in advance,

I should have added - I want to make them in weird and wonderful shapes,
so readymade blank squares or triangles etc. wouldn't do!

Chris

"Chris Nellist" wrote in
message ...
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.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Are you sure they are wood and not resin cast to shape in wooden mould which
would give the surface a wood effect finish. Something like this stuff:

http://www.hobbicraft.co.uk/acatalog...e_Resin_9.html

which is used for modelling and craft works. It is light weight and can be
coloured to any shade or effect you need.

"BigWallop" wrote in
:


"Chris Nellist" wrote
in message ...
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.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Are you sure they are wood and not resin cast to shape in wooden mould
which would give the surface a wood effect finish.

Yes - one or two have been chewed and they are definitely wood. They are
quite old - maybe 30 years old.

Something like
this stuff:

http://www.hobbicraft.co.uk/acatalog...e_Resin_9.html

which is used for modelling and craft works. It is light weight and
can be coloured to any shade or effect you need.

Cheers for this. I might give it a go but would prefer to get a wood sheet
or strips.

Chris

On 5 Sep 2003 20:25:31 GMT, Chris Nellist
wrote:

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.

Plywood.

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.

"Chris Nellist" wrote in
message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:


"Chris Nellist" wrote
in message ...
Hi, I'd be grateful for advice as to what kind of wood I would need
snipped

Cheers for this. I might give it a go but would prefer to get a wood sheet
or strips.

Chris

Does the wood look anything like the description given of lignum vitae on
this page :

http://www.goodtimber.com/products/timberl.htm

"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Chris Nellist" wrote
in message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:


"Chris Nellist"
wrote in message ...
Hi, I'd be grateful for advice as to what kind of wood I would
need
snipped

Cheers for this. I might give it a go but would prefer to get a wood
sheet or strips.

Chris

Does the wood look anything like the description given of lignum vitae
on this page :

http://www.goodtimber.com/products/timberl.htm

Can't say for sure, but I think probably not. The tiles are painted and
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

Chris

Andy Dingley wrote in
:

On 5 Sep 2003 20:25:31 GMT, Chris Nellist
wrote:

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.

Plywood.

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.

What were wooden Scrabble tiles made of?

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.

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...)

Cheers,

Chris

On 6 Sep 2003 11:22:29 GMT, Chris Nellist
wrote:

What were wooden Scrabble tiles made of?

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.

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...)

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. www.shellac.net
has lots of info on using shellac.

The ubiquitous on-line toolshop is www.axminster.co.uk
they'll have the lot.

"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Chris Nellist" wrote
in message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:


"Chris Nellist"
wrote in message ...
Hi, I'd be grateful for advice as to what kind of wood I would
need
snipped

Cheers for this. I might give it a go but would prefer to get a wood
sheet or strips.

Does the wood look anything like the description given of lignum vitae
on this page :

http://www.goodtimber.com/products/timberl.htm


Some of them are unpainted. If a photo will help identify what wood they
are made of, please click he

http://www.geocities.com/chrispnellist/tiles.jpg

If I can find out what wood it is, I'll be halfway there, because it
would be great to make them out of the same material. They are very
strong...

Chris

Andy Dingley wrote in
:

On 6 Sep 2003 11:22:29 GMT, Chris Nellist
wrote:

What were wooden Scrabble tiles made of?

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.

Ah - I may know that stuff...

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...)

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. www.shellac.net
has lots of info on using shellac.

The ubiquitous on-line toolshop is www.axminster.co.uk
they'll have the lot.

Many thanks for all this help, Andy.

I've taken a photo of the tiles I've already got - some of the unpainted
ones - it's at

http://www.geocities.com/chrispnellist/tiles.jpg

Does this look like ramin? Lime?

I want to make loads (thousands probably), so would want to avoid buying
small amounts in a DIY shop or model shop if possible!

Cheers,

Chris

"Chris Nellist" wrote in
message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Chris Nellist" wrote
in message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:


"Chris Nellist"
wrote in message ...
Hi, I'd be grateful for advice as to what kind of wood I would
need
snipped

Cheers for this. I might give it a go but would prefer to get a wood
sheet or strips.

Does the wood look anything like the description given of lignum vitae
on this page :

http://www.goodtimber.com/products/timberl.htm


Some of them are unpainted. If a photo will help identify what wood they
are made of, please click he

http://www.geocities.com/chrispnellist/tiles.jpg

If I can find out what wood it is, I'll be halfway there, because it
would be great to make them out of the same material. They are very
strong...

Chris

They look like beech to me. Your ruler is probably boxwood.

Dave

"Chris Nellist" wrote in
message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Dave Gibson" wrote in message
...

"Chris Nellist"
wrote in message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Chris Nellist"
wrote in message ...
"BigWallop" wrote in
:

"Chris Nellist"
wrote in
message ...

Some of them are unpainted. If a photo will help identify what wood
they are made of, please click he

http://www.geocities.com/chrispnellist/tiles.jpg

If I can find out what wood it is, I'll be halfway there, because
it would be great to make them out of the same material. They are
very strong...

They look like beech to me. Your ruler is probably boxwood.

I would concur with that.

Does beech fit with the strength? I think I could snap one if I tried
very hard, but they are easily strong enough to do the job.

Chris

Beech is a natural hardwood and these tiles you show in the photograph are
very like the grain pattern of beech. A bit like this :

http://www.wood-stock.co.uk/images/beech1.jpg


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"Chris Nellist" wrote in
message ...


I've taken a photo of the tiles I've already got - some of the unpainted
ones - it's at

http://www.geocities.com/chrispnellist/tiles.jpg

Does this look like ramin? Lime?

I want to make loads (thousands probably), so would want to avoid buying
small amounts in a DIY shop or model shop if possible!

Cheers,

Chris

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
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?sub=46
to 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)
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?sub=33 fretsaw
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?sub=31 bandsaw
Have a look down here and you might find something you like or that reminds
you of the wood;
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/person...indextotal.htm

Chris Nellist wrote:

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.

Thanks in advance,

Chris


3.2mm plywood is readily available at model shops.

Soaked in Epoxy resin and hung out to set, its pretty tough.