Thread: Best beginner timber to use for relief carving?

North American Basswood and the European "Lime" are popular.
I'd imagine that Jelutong is the best in your region with Camfor Laurel and others close behind.
Look for a local wood carving club and have a chat about woods and sources.
Chances are, they will tell you about woods and sources that you might never sort out on your own.

Hi, Pop's shed in Melbourne might be a good place to look, they have a large variety of woods and will advise you on the good types to carve, as RV said Jelutong is considered a good beginners wood because it's soft and fairly easy to carve. Woodturning Tools, Woodturning Timber, Woodturner Accessories, Woodcarver Supplies, Woodturning Equipment - Pop's Shed hope this helps.

Donnow if you can get some in your area, I think birch is quite easy to carve too.

No idea what's planted as Birch (Betula papyrifera) in OZ but I suspect it would be expensive.
As North American hardwoods go, never liked basswood but I'll carve birch any day.
Have been trying to remember names. Robthechisel: you know. Spout off the top 5 Australian woods.

Any wood is carvable. I would not recommend any sort of conifer wood as they all tend to split very easily,
a nightmare for starting carvers. Even if you find some Pinus radiata, look at the ring count, the number of rings per 25mm.
Less than 12 will be really soft and punky, keep looking. 15 - 40 will be really nice. King Billy Pine?

Here are some links for you that might help.

www.timber.net.au - The Australian Database of Timber - Species

Australian Hardwood Network

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/forestry/...f-timber-trees

From the comments, this might be the one you should try to find: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/forestry/...es/white-beech

The one I use here in the US is this: The Wood Database | The Wood Database You can compare AU woods to this for similarities...

Claude

I've been told by several credible sources, including a professional carver, that the finest carving wood from Australia is Queensland White Beech. As someone with limited carving experience, I can't compare it to much, but what I have carved is absolutely incredible. You almost have to be trying to get it to tear out. I have several pieces that I brought across the Pacific when I moved back to the US a year ago, and I don't plan to use them for anything other than carving. It's magic stuff.

Highly recommended.

Good luck,
Luke

I can't help from the Australian point at all being in the UK ! but can tell you that after carving many tens of species from all over the world Jelutong is the most characterless & bland I have ever carved .
Visually , in it's working properties - everything, only carving some hard foam might be worse .
However it can be got in big sizes & is cheap if either of those factors are most important to you.
Mike

Jelutong may not be the Rolls-Royce of carving woods. Who cares? Get the guy started with a wood that won't fight back.
Carving is far more important that never taking a chip from any wood. Then start exploring.

Hi RV, I'll give you my top 4 Aussie carving woods, Huon Pine, White Beech, Camphor Laurel, Western Red Cedar, just a personal preference, others may disagree.

Thanks Rob. I'm surprised to see western red cedar on your list. Is that the Thuja plicata from my part of the world?
It's the wood of choice for carvers in the Pacific Northwest native community. And few other fools like me.

Must ask in the city wood store if they ever see any of your listings.
I'll guess they stock 100 species in one form or another.

Aust White beech: Best carving timber I know locally.
google white beech carving to take a look at some pieces

We have some nice beech.
One 'plank' is 270x270x 3 metres long, one is 200x200 x 3 metres and have some 170x100 pieces as well as plenty of inch and 50mm.
located at Boutique Timbers mid NSW north coast
Greg

I had a good google of the white beech wood, the surfaces and the carving details. I could have told you it was our paper birch Betula papyrifera.
If similar, no wonder you like it so much for carving.

I was looking on the net yesterday to buy a cheap coffee table & I couldn't believe the prices , you know the self assembly bolt on the legs kind of thing.
There were 3/4" thick top in solid Jelutong 4 X 21/2 ft for £20 you couldn't buy the rough un-planed timber for that ,let alone the planing & jointing involved !

Yes you will have to take off the finish but that is nothing , don't use sand paper as it will leave glass or garnet etc embedded in the grain which will wreck any edge tool immediately .
You can use either a cabinet scraper or really high quality CLOTH BACKED abrasive paper which does not shed bits into the work.

Also second hand places often have all sorts of old stuff made of quality solid timber & of a size that would be very hard to find nowadays let alone afford !

Mike

another vote for huon pine but I am biased.

cheers,
shawn

disclaimer: I just love the feel and the smell.