Birch cherry hickory

[Tom Gi]

What kind of wood is your go to wood for scrolling

i just got a bunch of cherry boards and thinking about what else would be good to scroll

i can get birch hickory and poplar 

but I understand that when poplar is cut it will warp right off from the saw mill

[BadBob]

That is an interesting question. I don't have a favorite, so I never considered it. When I want to make something, I look through my stash until I find some wood that will work. That said, I cut more poplar than any other wood. I mostly make toys, and poplar is perfect for toys.

The worst wood I have encountered is ipe. I destroyed two bandsaw blades and one table saw blade trying to resaw ipe to a thickness I could use. The bandsaw blades were good for about 2 feet before they became so dull they would not track. I managed to resaw one piece on my table saw. When sawing the second piece, the saw began making weird noises and smoking. The blade had two broken teeth.

[Gonzo]

Poplar is wonderful wood to scroll, with the added benefit of different colors. It is one of my favorites, along with black walnut and butternut. 

[Bill WIlson]

Like BadBob, I don't necessarily have a go-to wood.  I try to pick the material based on the project and what I have available.  I normally steer away from really hard woods (such as hickory).  Red oak, cherry, soft maple, sassafras, walnut, poplar are readily available around here and all scroll very well.

[barb.j.enders]

Depends on what I am making.  Currently into Intarsia so there are lots of woods used.  For my puzzles I will use poplar.

I purchased some poplar a couple of years ago. It was supposed to be dry, but had been cut a few days before I picked it up.  I now have two very cupped boards that are unusable.

[kmmcrafts]

I cut whatever wood I feel best fits the project at hand.. I mostly use Cherry, Walnut, Poplar, Red Oak, Soft Maple, and many other domestic hard and soft woods. Main thing I cut is Cherry because I got a good deal on a bunch of cherry years ago and just kind of stuck with it. A lot of people say that Cherry is hard to cut without burning as it likes to scorch easily but I've not had any issues with that so long as I use a good blade. Poplar is very nice to work with as it's not to dense so it cuts good, sands good etc. Red Oak is my least favorite to work with because I don't like the smell of it.. and there are a wide variety of softer / harder spots within the grain too so you can be cutting a long and all of a sudden it takes off on you in a soft part of the grain so it may not be a good choice for a beginner. 

[MarieC]

I am in line with Kevin @kmmcrafts but I do love the color of all the Walnut woods (native and exotics) and I enjoy cutting it.  I really do not like cutting purple heart though.

 

[Denny Knappen]

I also look at the project and fit the wood to the project.  I use mostly domestic woods.  Back when I did intarsia, I had a lot of exotic woods.

[tomsteve]

as with others, my go-to depends on what I'm doing. when I built the dome clock, red oak was the main choice with purple heart, bubinga, lacewood, cedar, and a few others in the mix for detail work.

I've scrolled all 3 species you mention. imo hickory was just about like scrolling red oak. birch and poplar just about the same.

 

idk about poplar warping right off the sawmill. IMO, pretty much any species can depending on how the tree grew, how it was dried, and how it is stacked.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

When I was scrolling, red oak was my favorite choice and went through alot of Board feet of that stuff over the years. I also use all the other woods for detailing and have scrolled walnut in place of red oak because people wanted a darker wood. Big difference is if walnut is kiln dried or air dried. being air dried it is a much natural deeper brown and nicer wood than kiln dried for sure as with many other woods like that. people liked Mahagony also. Not much maple but did some baskets from it over the years. I still have a wider selections of woods that I am hoping to deplete over the next few years making a bunch of boxes and other items. I do not plan on buying any more lumber for things to make unless it really calls for it because I am to the point in life now I need to deplete what I have. I figure the family can give projects away easier than piles of wood. At least this is my thought process now but health will dictate that.   

[Dan]

Any wood that's free. Or, depends on the project. Love the smell of walnut and cherry, curly and ambrosia maple, colors of bloodwood and yellowheart. The list goes on.

[OCtoolguy]

I use a lot of mahogany. 

[Tom Gi]

Sounds like any wood will work for scrolling

i just got a pile of cherry cut yesterday 

I think I will cut a birch and a poplar to add to my stash

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, Tom Gi said:

Sounds like any wood will work for scrolling

i just got a pile of cherry cut yesterday 

I think I will cut a birch and a poplar to add to my stash

Well to a point. You get into heavy grained woods then it gets tough to control blade movement. Early harvested pines do not do well. You can tell woods like this with the wide grain lines. Also you get into burl woods then they too can present problems. But your basic woods work well as mentioned. 

[Ber Gueda]

On 1/8/2025 at 6:43 PM, Dan said:

Any wood that's free.

I totally agree with this. In my case, it's pine. It's easy to cut, easy to sand. Maybe it doesn't look the best, but... in my case, it's for free.

[Scrappile]

One of my favorites is Beech.  Not many mention it.  Not a lot of color variations and little grain, but I love scrolling it.  

[kmmcrafts]

15 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

One of my favorites is Beech.  Not many mention it.  Not a lot of color variations and little grain, but I love scrolling it.  

I got some Beech from my brothers sawmill several years ago.. recently needed a piece for a project and I couldn't find any anywhere locally.. Is it somewhat more rare of a wood species? You mentioned it and I've only used a small amount over the years and like you say.. not many people mention it.. It is nice to work with.. I just don't see much of it here in Michigan. 

[rjweb]

Paul, that heart tree pattern is beautiful excellent job cutting, who's design is that, I like to cut for my wife for valentines day, Thx RJ

[Joe W.]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

got some Beech from my brothers sawmill several years ago..

My backyard neighbor's large beech tree feel down a few months ago and I got several large pieces from it.
Milled some of it into useable blocks and I like the color and grain pattern of it.  Reminds me of a creamy colored wood.
 

[Scrappile]

15 hours ago, rjweb said:

Paul, that heart tree pattern is beautiful excellent job cutting, who's design is that, I like to cut for my wife for valentines day, Thx RJ

At this site, click on "Shop" then "Scroll saw patterns"

www.fionakingdon.com

Be prepared to sit for at least 30 minutes just watching her amazing scroll art scroll by.  You will see what I mean.