Question about which wood to use

[Jimmy Williams]

My brother is graduating with his Masters degree in May from the University of Oklahoma. I want to make a frame for his diploma as a graduation gift and try some inlay on the frame. In keeping with the school colors I was thinking about using maple for the frame and bloodwood for the inlay (accent stripe around the middle of the frame).

My question is - Is bloodwood the reddest colored wood I could use or is there something else that might have more of a true red color to it? Bloodwood may look red enough against the maple but I thought I should ask those with more knowledge before I got started.

Thanks

[Mike Spanbauer]

Padauk is red too http://www.exotic-wood.com/african_padauk.htm
v. bloodwood http://www.exotic-wood.com/bloodwood.htm

There is also an indonesian hardwood that I can't remember the name of right now that is also very deep red.

The question I don't have an answer to is, "which of these age and remain red?"

mike

[Montgomery Scott]

Bloodwood is probably you best choice for colorfastness and durability. Padauk will turn brown relatively quickly if exposed to UV radiation and redheart will turn a pale pink with yellow hues. There are a few species of the dalbergia genus that are redish, but don't have uniform color.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Holly would be a good wood for the light color. Also I've gotten some birch from the local lumberyard that was about bone white. I don't have experience with a natural red wood, but you could use some dye on some of the holly (or birch). Or if you'd like to experiment and get some differents grains involved use wood bleach to take the color out of some wood for white and then dye some of the bleached wood red.

And then put a picture on here and ask for a wood ID. :D

[Doug Shepard]

This is maple and bloodwood
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=52967&d=1166581086
As you can see the red has turned fairly bown over time, which is the same thing you'll run into with paduak.



...
There is also an indonesian hardwood that I can't remember the name of right now that is also very deep red.
...


I wonder if you're thinking of Chakte Kok (s.American) which is about the fire-engine-redest wood I've ever seen. No clue on whether it stays any redder than the other though.

[Doug Shepard]

Just realized that if it doesn't need to be real wood there's another option that will stay red
http://www.turtlefeathers.com/text/inlace/inlace-dyes.html

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I use Bloodwood for red accents and it's beautiful over time. It is in the darker ranges when finished though. The trim on this table is Bloodwood...the center is Quilted Big Leaf Maple.

[Dave MacArthur]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=61472&highlight=chakte

Here is my thread on a cherry cabinet with chakte kok top. The chakte kok (red heart) ages to look like highly figured cherry. On this cabinet all the wood but the top is cherry, no stain, only a Watco clear finish, and they look almost identical in color. It's a shame, because when it was new the top was just a mass of flaming red and orange and purple.

[Jimmy Williams]

I hadn't thought about using Holly or Birch. After looking at these two I saw some Aspen that might work as well. Thanks for the input from everyone. I'll post some pictures of the frame when it is completed.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Forgot to mention, Jimmy, when you finish it (provided you do use a finish) use a water base material like Minwax Polycrylic. Oil based varnish, etc will yellow badly over time.