Looking for a really white wood

[MarieC]

I decided to ask you intarsia folks since I often see beautiful work here using some white wood.  I googled white wood and Holly seems to keep popping up, but also others.  so a couple questions:

1. What would you recommend for a really naturally white wood for a scroll saw project?
2. Where might I purchase it?
3. What would be the best finish so it wouldn't yellow or turn color?

Thank you so much!

[Scrappile]

I purchased some Aspen from Ocooch: https://ocoochhardwoods.com a couple months ago.  It is even more white than I expected.  Beautiful wood. You can request the to pick as white as possible.  They try to accommodate.

I will have to leave the finish question to the experts. 

[MarieC]

49 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

I purchased some Aspen from Ocooch: https://ocoochhardwoods.com a couple months ago.  It is even more white than I expected.  Beautiful wood. You can request the to pick as white as possible.  They try to accommodate.

I will have to leave the finish question to the experts. 

Paul, is that considered a fairly hardwood?

[Scrappile]

Well I know it is not as hard a Maple and not is soft as Basswood.  It is the whitest wood I am using in this project.  What is a little darker is maple

[Jim McDonald]

Aspen or holly.

[MarieC]

2 hours ago, Jim McDonald said:

Aspen or holly.

Jim, do you know where I would get a good quality Holly?  

[Bill WIlson]

A waterborne finish is probably your best bet for maintaining the white color of whatever wood you choose.

A question for you intarsia folks; When you have a combination of wood species, what finish do you use to maximize the color of each?  Typically oil based finishes are preferred for dark woods like cherry and walnut to bring out the color, but are not the best when trying to maintain the original color of woods like holly or purpleheart.  Just curious.

[Scrappile]

My main finish is Deft lacquaer.  It brings out the real color of the wood, I do not know if it is strong on UV protection.  Maybe some real good marine lacquer would be better for that.

[Sycamore67]

Holly is very extensive and hard to get at times.  I use Aspen.  You can buy some on eBay.

[rjweb]

Paul, that looks great, RJ

[trailfndr]

I know that this answer is a bit late,  as I have not been on here in a while, but here goes.   Holly stays white.  It rarely yellows or darkens.  Aspen will yellow over time.  I use a semi gloss polyurethane on all my pieces and color holds fairly well, as long as they are not out in the sun.  I use a lot of both, and if I want really white, I use Holly, but it will cost as much as double what Aspen will cost, and is much more difficult to find.  A couple sources I have used in the past:

 

Bell forest products--  www.bellforestproducts.com

Cook woods--   www.Cookwoods.com

Rare woods--  www.https://www.rarewoodsusa.com/

 

Hope this helps.

[Joe W.]

Marie,

I know you said "naturally white wood", but . . . have you considered bleaching a light colored wood to make it whiter?
I've come across a couple finishing books that describe using bleach to lighten wood.
Just a passing thought.

Now what was it I was going to do next? 

[MarieC]

15 minutes ago, Joe W. said:

Marie,

I know you said "naturally white wood", but . . . have you considered bleaching a light colored wood to make it whiter?
I've come across a couple finishing books that describe using bleach to lighten wood.
Just a passing thought.

Now what was it I was going to do next? 

Joe, Actually,  I am interested in how to lighten wood?  Do you have any tips?

[MarieC]

14 hours ago, trailfndr said:

I know that this answer is a bit late,  as I have not been on here in a while, but here goes.   Holly stays white.  It rarely yellows or darkens.  Aspen will yellow over time.  I use a semi gloss polyurethane on all my pieces and color holds fairly well, as long as they are not out in the sun.  I use a lot of both, and if I want really white, I use Holly, but it will cost as much as double what Aspen will cost, and is much more difficult to find.  A couple sources I have used in the past:

 

Bell forest products--  www.bellforestproducts.com

Cook woods--   www.Cookwoods.com

Rare woods--  www.https://www.rarewoodsusa.com/

 

Hope this helps.

Thank you, I checked out Cooks and their Holly is on Sale so I did buy a couple of small pieces..thanks for the links!

[Joe W.]

2 hours ago, MarieC said:

Joe, Actually,  I am interested in how to lighten wood?  Do you have any tips

The "go to" guy is Bob Flexner for wood refinishing/restoration.
My public library had a few of his publications - both written and DVD.
As I recall, he used bleach.
I haven't looked online, but I'm betting Ms. Google / YouTube will yield some information also.
Now you've got me interested again.  Time to revisit the library (free knowledge).

[GrampaJim]

Judy Gale Roberts uses Pickling White.  I have tried it on Aspen a few times with mixed results. 

https://intarsia.com/products/old-masters-finish?variant=27764086150

[Ron Johnson]

I agree with Lee. Holly is your best choice. Such a beautiful rare wood. I purchased from Windsor Plywood here in Canada a couple of years ago. There was only two pieces left available in Canada at that time. As for finish I use a polyurethane. It doesn’t yellow. 

Edited January 9, 2024 by Ron Johnson