Thread: Basswood

I see you are on the Gold Coast, so am I. I got mine from Lazaridies. Unfortunately I have used most of mine up but if you have not used it before and want to compare it to American basswood I can let you have a little play with some so you are confident that jelutong will do the job.

Send me a pm and We can take it form there, I am a beginner carver who dabbles in the small stuff, but if I can help please contact.

ps. I am in Mudgeeraba.

Pete

Originally Posted by schaf

Whittling, can I ask where to purchase Poplar. Never seen it here in Queensland.

Terry

Masters Hardware are stocking it. I purchased some for a kitchen extension but really wanted it for Toy model making. It is ideal and pine cannot compare. 3.88 times the price but ten times the quality.

A member here told me that masters import it from North America besides the red oak they have.

I have not tried to carve it but will be interesting to check out.

Pete

Thanks star much appreciated I'll send you a pm now.

I was in Tasmania a couple of years ago and picked up some huon pine at a very good price. If you want to see an example of carving with huon pine google Wall in the Wilderness.
I visited the wall near Derwent Bridge. No cameras are allowed inside and the work is incredible, it is a WIP and is now about half done.
Check it out.

Thanks for that, that is mighty fine work. To think its 3m high and going to be 100m long.

I want to publicly thank Star for the time he spent introducing me to a variety of timbers and for giving me his wealth of information, The toys he makes are beautiful antique style that could even be classed as collectables and boy can he sharpen.

I also want to thank each and everyone of you for all your help, I sincerely apologise if I offended anyone it was never my intention. I defintely found my timbers of choice it's just now a matter of finding them at the right price.

Lastly I want to clear what maybe a misunderstanding, when I made mention of machinery in the negative I wasn't referring to table saws, bandsaws or routers even though I personally limit the use of all of them. I was referring to mostly of CNC Machinery, there are people out there who use these machines and claim that work as their own.

Woodworking for most of us is a passion and a skill thats develops over time with plenty of practise. By resorting to these machines we deny ourselves the ability to develop these skills through the use of hand tools. I personally couldn't value a project if I resorted to using a cnc machine plus I couldn't live with the guilt if I were to pride myself on a machines work as my own. But that's just me others are different, these cnc machines do deny skilled craftsman artisans their daily bread because anyone can do it by the push of a button.

I would like to see these machines recycled and proper woodworking schools open up, I think we should look at the furniture that was made 150 years ago that is held together by mortise and tenons, fish glue, hide glue and even nails were extensivley used but not the rubbish we have today and ponder why this furniture still exist today and why modern day furniture with all these machineries clogging up our workshops do not last more than a year if you are fortunate.

Again please do not misunderstand me I am not suggesting to throw away your table saws frankly its better than ripping by hand but I am suggesting not to rely heavily on machinery but develop your hand tool skills. Believe it or not hand tools are much quicker in getting a job done than machinery, it's more accurate, quieter and safer. By the time you set up a tenon jig on your tablesaw you would have finished it by hand. How well you finish it depends how well skilled you are and the only way to develop this skill is through devoted practice.

One last note before this ends up a novel, I have written an email to Masters requesting them to import a variety of different timbers. There's a good chance this will fall on deaf ears but not if more woodworkers write requesting the same.

Before Masters came along we were stuck with the worst kind of pine at Bunnings and now we have Poplar and the highest grade of pine available. Even what Masters consider their lowest grade is pretty bloody clean. This say's something, they actually give a crap and they have the potential of becoming better by stocking a variety of other American timbers. You can even by Besser clamps which you will never find at Bunnings and they're much cheaper than Carba-tec, they stock titebond wood glue that's under $4.00 this forced CT to bring their prices down. So you can imagine if they stocked a range of timbers how this will force others to slash their prices down and make woodworking more affordable for the rest of us. Plus you wouldn't have to drive a gazillion km's to get the timber your after.

Thank you for taking the time to read this

Section, what did your timbers of choice finish up being.
We have been through 37 posts here trying to help you chose a timber, be nice to know what your decision is.
REgards
Terry

lol I forgot to mention this part I chose White beech and Houn. Jelutong was ok and basswood was easy to slice as white beech. So defintely them two, Huon is the cheapest and easier to for me to get but the dimensions I want will mean constant glue up and flattening but that's ok I flatten every board anyway.

Also I got a response from Masters they said they are happy to provide what the customers want another words "yeah right" but if you guys start emailing them I reckon they would seriously consider it. What have we got to lose.

Schaf.

Section 1 was lucky we live not to far away. When I read his posts I thought that I may be able to help, not because I knew the answers, I don't, but had been asking the same questions myself a few years back.

Many in this forum have gone out of their way to help me and I can never thank them enough. Guys like Whittling,and Robson Valley who replied and tried to help have been invaluable to me also.

While I did not know what Section ! wanted and I had difficulty understanding what he was looking for I thought because of my beginner travels that I might be able to offer some assistance.

Because of the friendship and genorisity of a few guys in the States I had a small sample of the types of wood Section 1 was thinking about.

Jelutong I had left over from my life size Nutcracker Toy Soldier, Plus othe timbers I also had some White Beech which I thought was a better selection then Jelutong for what he wanted it for.

He had a play with his knive and gouges to help him. What he thought was sharp was sharp but he now realizes that it is possible to get sharper and when you get sharper Carving is a lot easier.

For those that know me they would know I have asked on here ' How sharp is sharp " I am also on a Woodcarving site in the States and asked the same question.

To satisfy my curiosity I purchased a carving knife sharpened by somebody who the consenus opinion recommended. I then realised that sharp enough is not good enough and because I now had a reference knife I had something to aspire too.

Since then, I have realised that we have someone on this forum who is as good as the guns and had I known at the time would have asked him to sharpen a knife for me.

That gun is a person I have great respect for and his name is "Whittling '

Star

Thanks Section1 and also Star for his last post.
This has been a very interesting thread on a great forum.

To Star, how about a run down on sharpening a carving knife I would be very interested, and would like to learn . I do not think my knives are ever sharp enough.

Many thanks
Terry

Terry.

Unfortunately, I am not the one to teach anybody anything about woodwork, carving and especially sharpening.

This has been a journey for me, when I first joined the forum I knew nothing and about sharpening even less. I would be embarassed to do a tutorial here because and rightly so I feel that my efforts and approach would be scoffed at by the purists.

But what I might do, providing it is understood that it is my way and my way only.

Star

Don't worry star just make on there is always something to learn. I'm writing this from the hospital as I have two stone in the kidney. It couldn't of come in the worst time.

Take care, section1. I suspect that STAR and I can make some bedtime reading for you.
No foolin'. Serious. Get better. What a hello of thing to happen. Ka-ka happens when you least expect it.

Originally Posted by section1

Don't worry star just make on there is always something to learn. I'm writing this from the hospital as I have two stone in the kidney. It couldn't of come in the worst time.

Gees, that come on quick,
You were fine when you were here yesterday.

Get well

Pete