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Tauby
29th July 2012, 06:54 PM
Hi everyone, I'm a woman from Gold Coast, Qld relatively new to woodworking. My interest is carving for now. I would be interested to know of any courses that anyone may know of in South East Qld.

Also I would like some advice on what timber to use for relief/chip carving and where best to source it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers :U

cedargirl
3rd August 2012, 05:25 PM
Hi Tauby
I bought some chip carving knives from Wayne Barton in the US last year, but couldn't find any suitable timber here in Australia. Someone recently put me onto Jetulong (imported) and White Beech (Aussie) as being good for carving, so I picked up a couple of pieces of each at the Sydney WWW Show recently. I haven't tried them yet, but they feel light/soft. Not sure where you'd get them in your area, though.

cava
3rd August 2012, 08:34 PM
Merbau, whilst not the most exotic wood around, is easy to carve.

Robson Valley
13th October 2012, 03:00 AM
I'm a retired wood science type with both a personal and professional interest in wood anatomy for some decades.
I've been carving for less than 10 years, keep mostly to western red cedar for carving in the round.
You can find examples of what I've done up in the Wood Carving Forum.

You're looking for straight-grained, relatively soft wood, crack and knot free.
Having said that, conifer wood splits easily, and holds little sharp, crisp detail.
Consequently, Huon and Pinus radiata would do no better than practice.
Chris Pye is a leader in the relief carving field. I agree with his recommendations
of pear (Pyrus sp.), Jelutong, British Lime (like American Basswood), possibly mahogany.

Can you find a cabinet/furniture shop to beg for off cuts? The experiences would do well before
you pick some timber for purchase. "Carving-sharp" tools are an absolute must, given the "push-cuts."

Relief Carving In Wood, A Practical Introduction
Chris Pye 1998
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications
ISBN 1 86108 096 4

And now I leave you.