Wood

[NTrain]

I have a Roland MDX-15 milling machine and have been giving some thought to my wifes little cottage industry.

I have been wondering if I could machine up some wooden bits for her to sell alongside her cross stitch kits. However, I have very little knowledge of working wood and have been wondering what types of wood I should be looking at.

My immediate thought is probably hard woods, but I am not really sure.

My only experience of machining wood has been with some mdf and a bit of timber from one of the DIY superstores and that shredded, rather than machined..

I am looking to get a good quality finish on the items and they can be finished by a light rub of sandpaper. Heavy sanding would loose the finer detail.

Can anyone advise me on this.

[d-a-n]

What are you thinking of making?

[NTrain]

thimbles

[EtchedPixels]

I have a Roland MDX-15 milling machine and have been giving some thought to my wifes little cottage industry.

I have been wondering if I could machine up some wooden bits for her to sell alongside her cross stitch kits.

Like van roofs..   

MDF should machine up well (although you might as well just use plastics). For good finishes with cost less of a concern then consider Maple. Cherry also works well but need careful management as it can show burn marks.

For small very strong items ironwood lives up to its name but is almost unpaintable and so hard that you want to use metalwork files on it !

Other obvious comment especially if you are meddling with stuff like MDF. All wood dust is carcinogenic. If you are machining it so getting a lot of dust you should make sure you have a proper collector to suck it away.

[BobB]

If you think about the replies so far, then hard wood (or fibre board with a hard composite structure - mdf) can machine quite well with a good finish. Softer wood (such as pine) needs the cutting tools to be very sharp, the cutting speed to be very high, and the feed speed to be very low and even then the finish will be variable because there is a big difference between the grain and the direction of the grain.

For precise components with a consistent size, shape and finish, wood has been abandoned for metal and latterly plastics of various types.

If you wish to buck the trend, I wish you luck but the expense of purpose built cutting tools may make it an uneconomic decision.

[d-a-n]

You'll need to chose a hardwood as the thimble 'wall' will need to be thin and a needle will probably go into pine! I don't know how grain will affect the strength of a thimble so maybe start of with a bit of MDF/fibre somethingorother before you crack out the mahogany or sycamore (or other hardwood etc etc). Maybe laminate some thinner pieces before you machine to get around the grain problem...
In all honesty, I'd use a lathe for thimble making but then I've never used a milling machine so if you know it will net you good results, go for it; I'd be very interested to see!
Do you intend to put some sort of pattern on the sides using the machine? 

[jonclox]

I can`t actually see a way of milling a thimble from wood unless you can set it up so that the piece of wood is mounted in the milling spindle and a cutting tool is held on the table or a vice mounted on it.

[NTrain]

The idea is for a collectible thimble, rather than a working one.

Basically, the replies have confirmed that I should be looking at hard woods. I will get hold of some offcuts and see if I can do anything.

I have the milling machine sitting, under-used. Some scrap would will be cheap enough, so it will cost me very little to try.

[petercharlesfagg]

I have practiced as a woodturner for the past 22 years but have never made a thimble, I prefer to concentrate on bowls, dishes and platters. 

Anyway this Google image collection might give you some inspiration?

Regards, Peter.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wooden+thimbles&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Rje_UeakIMLQhAfKkYGQDA&ved=0CF4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=687

[NTrain]

No-one ever accused me of doing things in the 'normal' manner.

Thanks for showing me the pictures. I forgot  to do a google search. Must be an age thing.

I will be giving it a go. I have something to aim at.

[jonclox]

Ive never used a modern machine like that so my prievious post would have been of no use....sorry   

[Belated]

When I used to go to Coventry, I knew a couple of guys who were into wood-turning.  There was a local group.  Might be worth asking around your area - I'd start with the local college,  Even if the only turn on lathes they will know about woods and the best to use.  I promised  the guy at Coventry some pieces when cut down unwanted trees in our garden, maple was certainly one of them and I think plum.

John

[engage]

Hi Bob
          I have only ever done turning on a wood lathe.  My advice to you if you want to earn some money is
stick to your trains. If you want to make a few things for yourself then fine.    Woods to look for Mahogany,
Cherry and most fruit woods,   Iroko but use your mask, Buckthorne and Laburnham turn up quite nicely as
does Ebony and Blackwood if you can get hold of it.          Friction polish is what you need to put a shine on
things and needle cases  appeal to most ladies      but you will need a special chuck to hold them in,                                               The  possibilities are endless good luck in your new venture anyway.

Cheers
John