Woods and Boards
Wood is a cornerstone material in model making, offering natural beauty, workability, and versatility for a vast array of projects. From architectural models and miniature furniture to intricate ship models and railway layouts, wood provides a tactile and authentic feel that other materials often cannot replicate. Understanding the characteristics of different wood types and engineered boards will help you choose the best material for your specific modelling needs, ensuring both structural integrity and aesthetic appeal.
---Quick Reference: Woods and Boards
Use this quick guide to understand the primary characteristics and common uses of different woods and engineered boards in model making.
| Material | Key Characteristics | Common Model Making Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwoods | ||
| Ash | Strong, tough, flexible, good for steam bending. | Structural components, parts requiring strength and flexibility. |
| Balsa | Extremely lightweight, very easy to cut and shape, good strength-to-weight ratio. | Aircraft models, lightweight structures, prototypes, bulk shaping. |
| Basswood | Fine, even grain, creamy-white, very easy to carve and work. | Intricate carving, architectural models, doll's house miniatures, delicate crafts. |
| Beech | Close, straight grain, durable, easy to work, can be steam bent, slightly pink hue. | Marquetry, structural elements, detailed components, miniature furniture. |
| Mahogany | Medium to dark reddish-brown, fine texture, rich colour, sometimes wavy grain. | Model ship construction, high-quality finishes, miniaturist projects. |
| Obeche | Very lightweight, fine, even texture, easy to work, pale yellow. | Doll's house furniture, architectural models, scratch-building where weight is key. |
| Walnut | Close, straight grain, dark wood, fine smooth texture, beautiful finish. | Realistic timber details, structural elements, decorative features, miniaturist projects. |
| Softwoods | ||
| Spruce | Lightweight, strong, prominent growth rings, good strength-to-weight. | Model aircraft, boats, intricate model structures, box making. |
| Engineered Boards & Other Materials | ||
| Cork | Lightweight, natural texture, sound-dampening, easy to cut. | Ground textures, baseboards, scenic elements, insulation. |
| Finnboard | Natural beige pulped wood board, smooth, light, less warp-prone, can be curved when damp. | Architectural sketch models, railway building, doll's house furniture, crafting. |
| Hardboard | Smooth surface, consistent thickness, rigid, affordable. | Architectural facades, walls, ceilings, baseboards, flat applications. |
| MDF | Smooth, strong, consistent density, precision finish. | Precision model making, intricate laser-cut parts, flat panels. |
| Plywood | Stable, robust, good strength, smooth surface, multi-layered construction. | Baseboards, structural components, laser cutting. |
| Veneer | Very thin slices of real timber, paper-backed, flexible, takes stain/dye. | Realistic wood panelling, miniature furniture, intricate decorative elements. |
Hardwoods
Hardwoods come from deciduous trees (those that typically lose their leaves seasonally) and are generally denser and more durable than softwoods. While often harder to work with, they offer superior strength, fine grain, and beautiful finishes, making them ideal for detailed and long-lasting model components. It's important to note that "hardwood" refers to the tree's botanical classification, not necessarily the wood's physical hardness – Balsa is a prime example of a very soft wood that is technically a hardwood.
Ash
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: Typically straight-grained with a medium to coarse texture, similar to oak. The grain is almost always straight and regular, though sometimes curly or figured boards can be found.
- Durability & Workability: Known for its toughness, flexibility, and resilience. Produces good results with both hand and machine tools, and responds exceptionally well to steam bending.
- Finish: Glues, stains, and finishes well, allowing for a wide range of aesthetic outcomes.
- Weight: Varies somewhat in weight according to the growth conditions.
- One of the world's most valuable timbers for uses requiring strength and flexibility.
- In model making, it's ideal for structural components in larger models, or for parts that require steam bending where durability and resistance to impact are important.
- Our ash is plantation grown and is FSC & PEFC certified, ensuring it comes from sustainably managed forests.
Balsa
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: Extremely lightweight and soft.
- Durability & Workability: Exceptionally easy to cut and shape with a craft knife or sandpaper, making it highly forgiving. Despite its low density, it offers a good strength-to-weight ratio when correctly oriented and reinforced. Takes glue very well.
- Grade: We supply AAA grade Balsa.
- A staple for models, aircraft kits, boat models, and architectural models where minimising weight is critical.
- Also commonly used for film props and surfboards.
- All of our balsa is plantation grown and harvested in around four years, making it one of the most environmentally friendly woods available.
Basswood
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A tight-grained, creamy-white coloured wood with a fine texture, making it very easy to work. Also known as 'Lime' or 'American Tilia' wood.
- Durability & Workability: An incredibly easy hardwood to carve and work with. It holds detail exceptionally well.
- Finish: Its consistent light colour provides a neutral base for painting, staining, or natural finishes.
- Very popular with model makers and miniaturists.
- Ideal for intricate carving, scroll saw work, and detailed miniature components. Often preferred for architectural models, doll's house miniatures, and delicate craft projects.
- Our basswood is plantation grown and is FSC and PEFC certified, ensuring sustainable practices.
Beech
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A close, straight-grained wood with a fine, smooth texture.
- Durability & Workability: Very durable and easy to work with, making it a versatile choice for modellers. It can be laser cut and is suitable for projects requiring steam bending due to its robust nature.
- Colour: Our beech has been 'vapourised', giving it a slightly pink to orangish colour. This process homogenises and slightly modifies the wood's colour, while also removing any parasites and making the wood more workable. This occurs as acids within the wood, in a 100% humid environment and at temperatures of about 90-95°C, melt and spread evenly, homogeneously colouring the entire wood. It also neutralises bacteria and parasites that could otherwise alter the wood's condition over time.
- Commonly used for furniture, musical instruments, and toys, highlighting its reliability.
- In model making, it's suitable for marquetry, structural elements, and detailed components where durability is key.
- Our beech is plantation grown and is FSC & PEFC certified, sourced responsibly.
Mahogany
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A medium to dark reddish-brown wood with a fairly fine texture. The grain can sometimes be wavy, which is often used to achieve a beautiful and unique finish.
- Durability & Workability: It glues well with standard wood glues, though care should be taken to wipe away any excess quickly to avoid discolouration.
- Finish: Applying Danish oil will significantly enhance its natural beauty. For a gloss or satin varnish finish, a sanding sealer is recommended first to minimise absorption and maximise the effect.
- Highly regarded for its rich colour and beautiful grain patterns.
- Most often used by miniaturists and for model ship construction, where an attractive, high-quality finish and historical accuracy are desired.
- Our mahogany is plantation grown and FSC and PEFC certified, ensuring its sustainable origin.
Obeche
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A tight-grained, creamy-white to pale yellow coloured wood with a fine and even texture.
- Durability & Workability: Exceptionally easy to work with, allowing for precise cuts and smooth finishes. It is one of the lightest hardwoods in general use, with a low gross density.
- Appearance: Can appear extremely glossy due to its interlocked grain.
- Very popular with model makers and miniaturists.
- Perfect for building doll's house furniture, architectural models, and many other scratch-building projects where weight is a consideration.
- Our obeche is plantation grown and FSC and PEFC certified, reflecting a commitment to sustainable forestry.
Walnut
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A very close, straight-grained dark wood with a fine, smooth texture. Highly prized for the beautiful and unique finish it creates.
- Durability & Workability: Adheres well with a good PVA glue; simply clamp until dry and then sand back with a fine grit paper for a smooth finish.
- Finish: Applying a wood finish or varnish will significantly enhance walnut's natural beauty, bringing out its rich tones and grain.
- Very popular with miniaturists.
- An excellent choice for adding realistic timber details, structural elements, or decorative features to your projects due to its appealing aesthetic and workability.
- Our walnut is plantation grown and PEFC and FSC certified, ensuring responsible sourcing.
Softwoods
Softwoods come from coniferous trees (those that typically have needles and stay evergreen) and generally grow faster than hardwoods. They are often easier to work with, lighter, and more affordable, making them excellent for structural elements, base forms, and projects where weight is a concern.
Spruce
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A light reddish-brown wood with prominent growth rings.
- Durability & Workability: Lightweight yet strong, commonly used in applications where a good strength-to-weight ratio is required. Our laser-quality spruce has a consistent 1.5mm thickness and tight tolerances.
- Highly suitable for various model-making and craft projects, including intricate model structures, marquetry, box making, and miniature furniture.
- Most commonly used for model aircraft and boats due to its excellent strength-to-weight properties.
- Our spruce is plantation grown and PEFC and FSC certified, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable forestry.
Engineered Boards & Other Materials
These materials are manufactured from wood fibres, particles, or veneers, often combined with adhesives, to create stable, consistent, and versatile forms. They provide specific properties that can be highly beneficial for various modelling applications, often offering greater consistency and larger sizes than solid timber.
Cork
Characteristics:- Texture & Grain: A highly versatile and lightweight material with a natural, distinct texture.
- Durability & Workability: Known for its sound-dampening qualities and ease of cutting. Cork and block are easy to glue and paint.
- Particularly valued for creating realistic ground textures, baseboards for railway layouts, scenic elements, and insulation.
- Excellent for adding detail and depth to dioramas and architectural models.
Finnboard
Characteristics:- Material: Also known as Finnish cardboard or Finnish machine wood cardboard, it's a natural beige-coloured pulped wood board.
- Texture & Weight: Smooth on both sides, with a weight of approximately 510 gsm. It is lighter in weight and less liable to warp than greyboard.
- Workability: Easier to cut than greyboard. It can be cut and engraved with a laser cutter. A unique property is its ability to be dampened and formed into perfect curves, offering great flexibility for complex shapes.
- Adhesion: Adheres well with various glues such as PVA, UHU All Purpose, superglue, spray mount, or hot glue.
- A versatile, easy-to-use modelling material for architectural model making, sketch modelling, model railway building, doll's house furniture, picture framing, and general crafting.
- Finnboard is an economic, recycled, and sustainable material.
Hardboard
Characteristics:- Material: An engineered wood product.
- Texture & Consistency: Known for its smooth surface and consistent thickness, providing a stable and consistent surface.
- Workability: Easy to cut and takes paint and other finishes well.
- An excellent material for various model-making and creative projects, commonly used for architectural building facades, walls, ceilings, frameworks, baseboards, and many other flat applications.
- Especially in thinner gauges like 3.2mm, it is prized by modellers for its smooth finish, ease of cutting, and affordability.
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)
Characteristics:- Material: A strong, engineered board made from wood fibres.
- Texture & Consistency: Features a very smooth surface, allowing for a precision finish. Its consistent density makes it excellent for intricate cutting.
- Workability: Can be painted with both water-based and spirit-based paints, though sealing with diluted PVA or a primer is recommended before spirit-based paints. Note that it is not compatible with diode-based laser cutters, as the material will burn and become too damaged. Always wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding due to fine dust production.
- Tolerance: Supplied as 1mm, with a typical tolerance of +/- 0.2mm.
- Especially suited for model-making projects requiring precision and a smooth finish.
- Local import restrictions may apply for overseas orders, so please check local prohibitions before ordering for delivery outside the UK.
Plywood
Characteristics:- Material: A highly versatile engineered wood product, constructed from thin layers (plies) of wood veneer glued together.
- Structure & Stability: Adjacent layers have their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. This cross-graining technique reduces shrinkage and improves strength, making plywood very stable and robust for model making.
- Texture & Consistency: Good quality plywood offers a smooth surface finish. Colour shades and grain will naturally vary. Poplar plywood is lighter in weight than other plywoods.
- Suitable for a range of projects from baseboard construction to laser cutting material.
- Poplar plywood is very useful where reduced weight is beneficial.
- Available in various thicknesses and originating from countries like Finland (Birch) and Latvia (Birch), our plywood is sourced from sustainable forests (PEFC or FSC Certified).
Veneer
Characteristics:- Material: A real wood product consisting of very thin slices of timber, often backed with paper for stability.
- Appearance: Allows modellers to achieve the look of expensive or rare timbers without the cost or thickness of solid wood. Natural colours will vary from piece to piece, adding authenticity.
- Workability: Can be easily stained or dyed to achieve different finishes. Veneers can be precisely cut, including with a laser, for detailed work.
- Can be used for a wide range of design and model-making applications, including creating realistic wood panelling on miniature buildings, furniture, and intricate decorative elements.
