Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts: Selecting Intarsia Wood Selecting Intarsia Wood ================================================================================ Woodworking Plus on 08/12/2009 17:20:00 For me, the best part of an intarsia project is picking out the wood to use. I spend hours matching up different colors and figures of wood. Often, woodworkers don't realize the vibrant wood they use in their project will change over time. Careful wood selection and a knowledge of how aging affects the color of specific woods will help your intarsia project stand the test of time. I have been very fortunate to be able to use many different types of woods in my intarsia. I have learned a lot about the color changes wood goes through as it ages. When I created my first rose box, I used pink ivory for the rose. It was the most beautiful wood I had ever seen and it made the perfect rose. Unfortunately, pink ivory turns brown. I did some research and found bloodwood. As the name implies, the wood is red, and best of all, it stays red. To save you the expense of choosing wood through trial and error, I'm sharing what I have learned from experience. Please note this is not a complete list, but it does provide a range of colors to help you make the most of your intarsia projects. Species Color and figure Intarsia uses Effects of time African padauk reddish orange orange background wood darkens with age American walnut nice brown color good general dark wood no change Apple tan flesh tone darkens with age Ash wide open grain, light with tan stripes landscape no change Bird's-eye maple light tan great accent wood slight darkening with age Bloodwood red anything red no change Bubinga brick red with wild grain good general wood no change Canarywood yellow with orange streaks great accent wood darkens with age Cherry reddish tan frames and boxes darkens with age Cocobolo wild grain, variety of color and shades good background wood darkens with age Species Color and figure Intarsia uses Effects of time Ebony black anything black no change Fishtail oak reddish brown, unique grain tree trunks, bird feathers no change Holly almost pure white, tight grain anything white no change Honduran mahogany nice grain, reddish brown frames, boxes darkens with age Ipe greenish brown background darkens with age Jatoba nice grain, reddish brown background darkens with age Kingwood purple with black stripes, wild grain background darkens with age Lacewood light brown to silver, unique grain water, bird feathers no change Hard maple light tan good general wood darkens slightly Osage-orange bright yellow not recommended due to change turns dark brown Species Color and figure Intarsia uses Effects of time Pau amarillo yellow fall leaves, anything yellow no change Pear peach color flesh tone darkens with age Pernumbuco bright orange with black stripes, rare anything orange, fall leaves no change Persimmon light tan with tight grain cloudy skies no change Peruvian walnut uniform chocolate color, nice grain anything brown no change Poplar (green) variety of shades available anything green, trees may darken to brown with age Purpleheart purple mountain tops, anything purple darkens with age Sycamore tan, light unique grain feathers on birds holds color well Tulipwood red on creamy background, beautiful grain sunset, sunrise, flower petals no change Wenge black with brown stripes, coarse good dark wood no change Zebrawood black lines against tan background good background wood darkens slightly Click on the article attachment to download a printable version of this chart (PDF required).