Practical guides and workshop articles
Short, useful articles drawn from real workshop practice — written for the people who actually cut and bend the wood we mill.
Guide · 9 min read
Swiss Pear vs Castello Boxwood
Colour, grain, hardness, bending, laser and CNC behaviour compared side by side — and a straight recommendation for each job.
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Article · 6 min read
White Wood for Ship Models
A workshop comparison of American Holly, European Maple, White Hornbeam and Aspen, including machining qualities and practical recommendations.
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Guide · 10 min read
Wood for Architectural Models and Miniatures
Scale-by-scale stock sizing in mm and inches, why fine hardwood beats craft basswood, and laser and assembly notes for model makers.
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Guide · 10 min read
Wood for Marquetry, Inlay and Intarsia
Solid sheets from 0.6 mm instead of brittle veneer — building a palette, choosing thickness, cutting and gluing panels flat.
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Guide · 10 min read
The Best Wood for Pen Turning and Knife Scales
Pen blanks at 19×19×130 mm and knife scales at 40×30×140 mm — species, drilling, stabilising and finishing for turners and knife makers.
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Guide · 11 min read
Wood for Luthiers — Fittings, Purfling and Inlay
Boxwood pegs, CITES-free black hornbeam as an ebony substitute and pear bindings — plus an honest note on what we do not supply.
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Guide · 12 min read
The Best Wood for CNC Routing and Carving
Stability, small-cutter detail, tooling and workholding — which hardwood to run on a router or carve by hand, and what stock to order.
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Guide · 12 min read
The Best Wood for Laser Cutting and Engraving
Maple vs alder vs pear at 3 mm on a Glowforge, xTool, CO₂ or diode laser — engraving contrast, cut speed, char control and workflow.
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Pillar guide · 35 min read
Why Precision Hardwood Matters
The complete reference: what precision hardwood is, all seven species compared, lumber vs sheets vs strips vs blanks, and how to choose thicknesses in mm and inches.
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Guide · 5 min read
Black Hornbeam vs. Real Ebony: Why We Use It
Why Black Hornbeam is a practical, affordable and safer alternative to real ebony for black detail work in ship modelling.
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Guide · 7 min read
Milling Planking Strips with a Byrnes Table Saw
A practical, step-by-step walkthrough on setting up a Byrnes table saw to mill consistent planking strips — fence setup, hold-downs, feeding technique and troubleshooting.
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Guide · 8 min read
Bending Wood for Ship Models
From a flat strip to the curve of a hull — water, heat, steam, and edge-bending techniques that actually work.
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Guide · 6 min read
Choosing the Right Wood for Your Ship Model
A practical comparison of the species we mill — grain, hardness, workability and what each one is best suited for.
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More guides on planking, finishing, and turning are in the works.