I'm doing my first couple of restores on a couple of Swedish 5/8 quarter hollows and a 7/8 Sheffield barbers notch wedge. I'll take them to a buddy's house to use his Dremel to get the pins out, but after that I'll be using all hand tools (coping saw, files, sandpaper, etc...). I might have to use a power drill to make new holes for the pins though...we'll see.

When I was designing and building furniture in college, I only worked with rosewood, teak, ironwood, mango, oak and pine, so I'm not familiar with how difficult other woods like beechwood, maple, cherry, etc..are to work with by hand. I'm definitely staying away from ironwood, rosewood, and teak since I want to enjoy making these. ha I have no experience with acrylic, G10, micarta and other synthetics except for lexan. I've cut, heated, and shaped windscreens for motorcycles. It was pretty straightforward except for cleaning the files and replacing clogged sandpaper constantly...

My question for you guys/gals is about the scale material to use. Are there materials and types of wood to stay away from since I'll be cutting and shaping by hand? Suggested materials and types of wood maybe?