Which cheap timbers to choose for carving

[JDarvall]

If you had a shed full of regular building timbers.....like gum, pine, meranti etc....stuff that is readily accessable....

....which of these would be the best for carving ?

.... are there some I should completely avoid ?

...I'm thinking a species of pine probably the go,,,,but then I'll have to stain it to darken it up, which I'd like to avoid. Has anyone had any success in carving species of red gum. Maybe sap wood ? ...

I have carved a couple of times in bass quite a while ago.....

but I can't really find the money to be buying expensive timber.

I'm not into doing anything elaborate. No sculptures or anything like. What I'd like to do is feel confident in carving strings of floral like designs in places where I think a little something extra is needed in a piece of furniture.

Any tips ? ...I'll be doing it all by hand. No routers and templates.

Thanks

[Pat]

Jake, start in Pinus Crapias to get the feel for hand carving. Tas oak, Messmate etc are softer hardwoods. Red Gum, Jarrah, Marri, Ironbark are getting to the stage of requiring at least a mallet to pursuade the chisel through:)

Have a go, I take it you are carving emblems in furniture for your youngens to please the boss?:)

[JDarvall]

Thanks pat.

....for the boss mostly your right. The trick seems to be to do something for her, but really something for me as well.....:D

I like this sort of stuff in this attached photo. Not so much the patterns in the middle....but the floral patterns on the side.

Not tons of the stuff though. That just starts too look too busy IMO. Just a thin line of it, 1" wide at most, maybe runnning along say a table or even archatraves for doors and picture frames....I like the idea of planing up my own moulding then carving the stuff in.

I think carving really looks best set in dark red woods and not so much in pine. Which is unfortunate I suppose, cause pine would be easy to carve eh...

:)

[ozwinner]

The stuff in your picture looks like Meranti that has been stained.

Al :)

[Andy Mac]

Hi Jake,
I've done some reasonable carving with Hoop pine, and Kauri too. I say avoid radiata, its too stringy/pithy, doesn't feel nice with a gouge. I've been teaching with Macrocarpa offcuts, sourced from the local council when they pruned a park. A bit firm with a pushed gouge, but holds a nice edge. Other stuff I've tried: Camphor is really great to carve, but the grain is too distracting IMHO; Chinese elm (Celtis?) is bloody awful, enough to put you off trying!:eek: The lighter coloured timbers like the above, and white Beech and Jelutong, look good when carving, showing shadows better. Some darker timbers like cedar and esp. rosewood (rose mahogany) are really nice and easy, but the colour defeats shadows a bit, more subtle if you know what I mean. Maybe that would hide mistakes and misdirected lines, without the glare of shadow and light contrasts. But then you don't have to worry about that!!!:D
Sheesh its funny to be talking wood suddenly, I seem to be doing nothing but welding, grinding and spraypainting lately...but that cut down Renault is looking goood:cool:

Cheers,

[JDarvall]

Thanks Ozwinner....probably right. Its imported carving from indonesia. so that sounds right I guess.


Hi Jake,
I've done some reasonable carving with Hoop pine, and Kauri too. I say avoid radiata, its too stringy/pithy, doesn't feel nice with a gouge. I've been teaching with Macrocarpa offcuts, sourced from the local council when they pruned a park. A bit firm with a pushed gouge, but holds a nice edge. Other stuff I've tried: Camphor is really great to carve, but the grain is too distracting IMHO; Chinese elm (Celtis?) is bloody awful, enough to put you off trying!:eek: The lighter coloured timbers like the above, and white Beech and Jelutong, look good when carving, showing shadows better. Some darker timbers like cedar and esp. rosewood (rose mahogany) are really nice and easy, but the colour defeats shadows a bit, more subtle if you know what I mean. Maybe that would hide mistakes and misdirected lines, without the glare of shadow and light contrasts. But then you don't have to worry about that!!!:D
Sheesh its funny to be talking wood suddenly, I seem to be doing nothing but welding, grinding and spraypainting lately...but that cut down Renault is looking goood:cool:

Cheers,

:D Look forward to seeing that car. Sounds like a regular chop shop.

Thanks Andy. Need to experiment I think

I've never heard of Macrocarpa before. :o

I can see what you mean about Radiata. Its doesn't always handplane well either. End grain shoots poorly. stringy soft stuff alight

I'm with you on the lighter timbers showing shadows better. I could see how that would be important.

Camphor...I don't like the stuff either. Scary looking. Scary to plane too. But interesting that it can carve ok. Best smell though. I like planing it just to smell it.

:)

[Ianab]

I've never heard of Macrocarpa before.

Macrocarpa cypress (or Monterrey cypress)
It's not usually available as a commercial timber anywhere but NZ, but it's a nice wood to work with. Looks similar to Kauri when finished. I believe that it's common in Tasmania too, and there was a post in the timber section a while back from someone that had several tons of it to cut and sell. :)

This thread shows the process of one going from a tree to a blanket chest
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=18314

Cheers

Ian

[JDarvall]

Thanks Ian..and for the link. Thats a good thread that. Looks like a lovely looking place to live too. I like green rolling hills.

I now know more about Macrocarpa. Thanks.

How long did you let it rest for after chopping it down ?

[Ianab]

How long did you let it rest for after chopping it down ?<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I think it was about 3 months from sawing it until most of it was T&G panneling in friends new house. I did check the moisture and it was down to 14% in that time (12% is equlibrium around here) That was only 1" thick stuff, but it does dry easy. I leave the thicker stuff a bit longer.

Ian

[JDarvall]

Ta Ian. :)

[scooter]

Camphor...Best smell though. I like planing it just to smell it.

Amen to that, I do the same :o:)


Cheers....Sean

[Paul NQ]

I am like you trying to use wood that was at hand to start carving with. I found that the Guild of experienced carvers that I was picking up tips from, quickly recommended that I get good carving timber to work on.

I am inclined to think that the tools you use may have some bearing on how well you can produce a good carving for the timber that you use. I started with carving chisels, but have been doing "small" work with a Dremel and dentist's bits lately and with the liitle experience that I have with such equipment suggests to me that "power tools" may allow a wider range of timbers to be carved. This doesn't mean that the finished product will survive long term with out all the drying/durability characteristics inherent in that particular type of timber.

I have found that the QLD DPI website has links to a list of Timbers for Carving and Turning. You will probably also find that various documents/books are available from libraries and websites that list features of timbers that are good for carving. Try http://www2.dpi.qld.go.au/forestry/13205.html and http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/hardwoodsqld/7689.html for a start.
:rolleyes:

[Slow6]

I've had a few bashes at carving.. the results were less than perfect but I second the Macrocarpa cypress advice.. for smaller carvings, maybe figurines or small sculptures.. I had a lot of luck with some of my fruit trees. Peach was particularly nice to carve although I used it fairly green and I'd advise whacking it in a plastic bag in the shade while you're not working on it. Lemon was easy to carve and interesting with some bright yellow patches against a greyish timber.. Plum looks good too but I have yet to cut it.
salvage anything you can get from orchids or the old lady next doors fruit tree's is the lesson I have learned.

[spoinky]

I am currently carving redgum (love the stuff) making a ornate bed with carved details in the posts and the bed head (appx 1.8m tall)
A long ongoing project.
Redgum is very hard, almost as dense as water (doesn't really float)
but being so fine grained and dense, hold beautiful crisp details.
The biggest problem is which chisels to use.
Roughing out, I use Titan Reg. mortice chisels sharpened at 30, honed 35.
Carving, Titan bevel chisels sharpened at 25, honed at 30.
Various firmer gouges for final shaping.

Find these bevel angles quite good for this tough wood, and don't
bother with any sand paper, as the surface is left almost shiney smooth.

Best of luck

[LimeTree]

hello! try for central part cedar (classic for scrollsaw) If this your 1 carwing use jelutong or obeche or meranti. You like pine smell (Aracaria pine )-chip. Some one use for rockin horse (legs) Best wishes colleague ! Mikhail

[JDarvall]

Thanks Spoinky on that info. Good too hear of how others do it. I've little experience with carving, but I know what you mean about red gum....I find it actually planes quite well compared to other gum species.

And thanks Mikhail....working cedar at the moment. Try and find some time to practise on some of the offcuts.

Have a good week fellas.

[mic-d]

Hi Apricot, I just started carving and by accident the first timber I used was Jacaranda. It's beautiful and white and easy to carve although the sapwood does seem to tear a little bit. And there's plenty around...

Cheers
Michael

[JDarvall]

Hi.... just cut down a jacaranda the other day. Didn't think of ever working it though at the time.... more interested in solving the gutter/water tank stink problem once and for all....

I should have saved some.

Seeya Micheal.