>>410684>>408865 Here again, Birch has always worked well for me. Not sure about your part of the world since I'm UK but pine would make a decent hearth board. If you get willow trees then get some of that, willow is fantastic.>>410685It looks straight enough but it does look a bit too long. Same wood for both parts does work but you're better off with a softer hearth and a harder spindle.
>>410686Best method for sizing the parts is against parts of your body.
Hearth board should be as thick as your thumb, spindle should be as thick as your little (pinky) finger and as long as your hand span, bow should be as long as your inside leg (from your balls to the floor).
That method gives you the ideal sized set for the person using it, it's smaller for kids or women and gets bigger the bigger you are.
>>410690One inch thick is fucking massive, that's far too thick, you'll just be wasting energy.
