Thread: WHAT TYPES of wood have you used to CARVE?

There probably isn't a wood in existence that somebody hasn't tried to carve at some time or other. You are on the right track... try the woods that you can get in your area. Compare the results, observe the outcomes as to ease of working and suitability to the designs chosen. Over time you amass a 'data base' in your head of what works and what doesn't. If you keep at it long enough this will change over time as your skills develop. If you want to see the results of four different woods on similar subjects look here: Basswood Blocks for carving

Originally Posted by Whittling

There probably isn't a wood in existence that somebody hasn't tried to carve at some time or other. You are on the right track... try the woods that you can get in your area. Compare the results, observe the outcomes as to ease of working and suitability to the designs chosen. Over time you amass a 'data base' in your head of what works and what doesn't. If you keep at it long enough this will change over time as your skills develop. If you want to see the results of four different woods on similar subjects look here: Basswood Blocks for carving

What a great answer to a complicated question. Of course wood choice would depend on skill level and tools being used. This would change over time. I hadn't quite thought that far . Lol.
I live in an area with a variety of hardwoods including maple, Apple and cherry but I'd love to try other stuff I find just from mere curiosity .
Maybe what I'll do is make reference notes here also. It might prove quite interesting.
Thanks Whittling
That link is great.

Hi Spiritwolfe, I've used quite a large variety of woods in the 5 years I've been carving, more out of curiosity, In West Australia most the local woods are hard woods so I buy mostly from the Eastern states now. I have my favorites and all I can say is if your not that experienced stick to the softer woods. Basswood appears to be the wood everyone in your part of the world uses mostly and why not, I've never tried it but have some coming from overseas so I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

there is loads of wood to carve , but mostly I use lime its comparatively cheap easy to get hold of for me . its easy to carve
I just buy planks of 2 inch thick that's been sliced of a tree and has been air dried .
But lime like bass wood isn't great for power tools it leaves a fuzz on its surface which means extra sanding . but good knifes and chisels slice through it no problem and gives a good clean finish
I also use apple and cherry there harder to carve but good for power tools
Have also used flowering cherry such a good looking grain on it but hardly ever paint them. the woods to nice. people seem to like thumb sticks from it which has been handy as only have small braches of it.

Originally Posted by Robthechisel

Hi Spiritwolfe, I've used quite a large variety of woods in the 5 years I've been carving, more out of curiosity, In West Australia most the local woods are hard woods so I buy mostly from the Eastern states now. I have my favorites and all I can say is if your not that experienced stick to the softer woods. Basswood appears to be the wood everyone in your part of the world uses mostly and why not, I've never tried it but have some coming from overseas so I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

Hi Rob,
You bring up a very interesting point; location. What's domestic wood to some is exotic wood to others so availability is definitely something to factor in. I'd much prefer to use what's available around me since I live in a mixed treed forest and while I'm new to detailed carving I'm not new to carving and finishing an assortment of wood. I've just used a bandsaw to do any major curves and a foredom tool or dremel as well as a varsity of sanders to help smooth and round them out. I've worked on some very tough wood like pau ferro, zebra, wenge, jatoba, olive, canary, etc., but all of these have very rigid grain patterns and are not at all suitable for carving. They do make great woods for inlay work though and they finish nicely. I think I've been spoiled in regards to finishing woods and realize that I just need to get used to using other different types of wood. Basswood might be the ideal wood to carve but it finishes much like soft maple which can be challenging.
I might spring for some butternut.Ive read many good things about using it to carve with. Poplar might be interesting to use, box wood or lilac but pine and fir are just too sticky and gooey for me. They just gum up my tools which I like to keep clean.
I do however have a small pile of favoured woods picked and am currently working on pear and maple wood and will add pics and details of my experience with it. I, personally find it very interesting.

Originally Posted by cobalt32

there is loads of wood to carve , but mostly I use lime its comparatively cheap easy to get hold of for me . its easy to carve
I just buy planks of 2 inch thick that's been sliced of a tree and has been air dried .
But lime like bass wood isn't great for power tools it leaves a fuzz on its surface which means extra sanding . but good knifes and chisels slice through it no problem and gives a good clean finish
I also use apple and cherry there harder to carve but good for power tools
Have also used flowering cherry such a good looking grain on it but hardly ever paint them. the woods to nice. people seem to like thumb sticks from it which has been handy as only have small braches of it.

Hey cobalt,I wrote out this long post to you and my phone died. : /
I can truly relate to your post. Lime wood is something I've only just discovered but was under the impression that it's just another name for basswood or linden wood and while this is certainly an ideal wood to carve , it isn't so nice to finish with colour. It's so porous and soaks up colour and finish like a sponge which is probably why a sealer is often recommended for finishing by many bird carvers but I don't like it.
That fuzziness drives me nuts!! I'm used to using very hard wood that doesn't fuzz up at all so finishes nicely, unlike basswood. Lol!
The grain in cherry wood is fabulous and so is spalted maple. The grain just pops through which is nice and they do carve relatively easy with power tools which I have. It also turns very nicely and smells a lot like cherries. Apple and cherry wood peel off just like apple peels. It's very cool.
Here is some cherry wood with some pyrography added as an embellishment.
image.jpg


Have you ever considered doing any wood burning for detail around the eyes and such? That way you wouldn't necessarily have to colour. Wood burning looks beautiful and doesn't take away from the grain appeal like some coloured finishes can. Just a thought.


Spalted maple
Maple and spalted hard maple and very enjoyable to work with. It also turns very nicely. The only thing you have to watch for in spalted wood are soft spots since it is in a stage before decaying. It is however not from a dangerous fungus like many seem to think. A professor I from the university of toronto did a thesis on it and wrote a book about it called "Debunking the myths about spalted wood."
Anyway it's very nice to work with and really has interesting grain patterns that are truly unique to each piece. Here's a stick that hasn't been finished and some wood that has .
image.jpg

image.jpg


I do like the characteristics of these woods very much, plus the colour is light enough to hold true colour well. Cherry wood is a bit on the pink side though. Doesn't it smell Devine?
I can't wait to try carving cherry wood now but I've got many carvings on the go as is cause I just enjoy it so much.


Thanks a bunch cobalt. We have much in common. I'm seriously working on my finishes also.

We'll get better with practice I'm sure.

What woods have I carved ! Hell every thing I could get my hands on & was appropriate for the job !
It would demand too long a reply I'm afraid YET I have never carved or even heard of 75% of the woods that are Aussie - it's a very wide question.
When choosing your wood type there is always two main strands to the question , 1. what will the finished carving it look like ? - do I want lovely figure sweeping down that long curved back or will that grain pattern obscure a tiny face ?
& 2. How does it carve ? each wood has its own unique feeling in carving , they all feel & repond differently under the tool, some you carve & it is a fight to get to the end of a challange ! but you force your way through because the finished piece looks great ( in your imagination at least ! )
Other woods are very well behaved & do just as they're told you can find the shape in your minds eye with enjoyment , it is a delight to actually do the actual carving .
Yet if that piece ends up somewhat dull in it's final appearence because of the wood choice even though it was great to carve & is very well carved - What then ?!
I think you've got to find a harmony when wood carving between the wood species choosen & the design if you want to make a good sculpture as the priorities & let ease of working take a back seat.
I think if the sheer joy of actually carving is or you are just beginning then ease of working becomes more important when choosing wood .
When both of these two different & often conflicting intrests come together with your design , which is all too rare ! - it is indeed especially enjoyable carving.
Then again it availability , money & what you've got to hand often muddy this equation !
Mike
　
PS. when I look at your list of woods you have , I can see loads of different various characters among them them ! have fun exploring them all !
Some like plum & apple can vary massivly from one piece to another seeming like a different species ! they can take really good detail as can cherry BUT they will lose their lovely various colours over the first couple of years & will be boring brown.
Walnut is nice & well behaved although a bit stringy doesn't quite have the finest detail feel to it but looks good.
Maple is great for miniatures & caves well I love it.
Spalted maple ? Hmm.... Well keep the carvings big & undetailed , don't work the spalted parts with ANY force .Given the right piece you may find a lovely piece - Ilike the figure but is is difficult to work the softer parts.
Lime , well you already know it's a joy to carve & can be taken to crazy levels of detail despite it being so soft - one of the most subtle carving woods I have ever carved & probably the most boring looking too !

　

I totally agree with above its a joy to carve but bland
I do some wood buring it does fade but does give a good finish. the bull was also tinted with ink the horn was made from rams hornmallrd 007.JPG
bull4 ink 003.JPGtaken before the eyes where inserted and ink rubbed back to blend in a quick photo to show the effect ofthe burning process to enhance the look

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

What woods have I carved ! Hell every thing I could get my hands on & was appropriate for the job !
It would demand too long a reply I'm afraid YET I have never carved or even heard of 75% of the woods that are Aussie - it's a very wide question.
When choosing your wood type there is always two main strands to the question , 1. what will the finished carving it look like ? - do I want lovely figure sweeping down that long curved back or will that grain pattern obscure a tiny face ?
& 2. How does it carve ? each wood has its own unique feeling in carving , they all feel & repond differently under the tool, some you carve & it is a fight to get to the end of a challange ! but you force your way through because the finished piece looks great ( in your imagination at least ! )
Other woods are very well behaved & do just as they're told you can find the shape in your minds eye with enjoyment , it is a delight to actually do the actual carving .
Yet if that piece ends up somewhat dull in it's final appearence because of the wood choice even though it was great to carve & is very well carved - What then ?!
I think you've got to find a harmony when wood carving between the wood species choosen & the design if you want to make a good sculpture as the priorities & let ease of working take a back seat.
I think if the sheer joy of actually carving is or you are just beginning then ease of working becomes more important when choosing wood .
When both of these two different & often conflicting intrests come together with your design , which is all too rare ! - it is indeed especially enjoyable carving.
Then again it availability , money & what you've got to hand often muddy this equation !
Mike
　
PS. when I look at your list of woods you have , I can see loads of different various characters among them them ! have fun exploring them all !
Some like plum & apple can vary massivly from one piece to another seeming like a different species ! they can take really good detail as can cherry BUT they will lose their lovely various colours over the first couple of years & will be boring brown.
Walnut is nice & well behaved although a bit stringy doesn't quite have the finest detail feel to it but looks good.
Maple is great for miniatures & caves well I love it.
Spalted maple ? Hmm.... Well keep the carvings big & undetailed , don't work the spalted parts with ANY force .Given the right piece you may find a lovely piece - Ilike the figure but is is difficult to work the softer parts.
Lime , well you already know it's a joy to carve & can be taken to crazy levels of detail despite it being so soft - one of the most subtle carving woods I have ever carved & probably the most boring looking too !

　

Mike,What a terrific response you gave. From what little I know about carving I sure can relate to everything you've said so far.
What's an exotic or imported wood to some may well be domestic in their part of the world.
I like how you expressed the desire to be persistent with woods that might prove difficult to carve but hold the picture in your mind of how you imagine it to be and you'll eventually get there. That's exactly how I work. Many of the best suited woods to carve I do happen to find rather boring and there isn't much of a challenge, plus the wood is so light and porous that it doesn't finish as well as I'd prefer. However I'm not doing a lot of detail or adding any detailed painting but I can distinctly notice the ease of carving.
I'm also very fortunate that my projects are small allowing me to try out many different woods. There's something extra special about carving a piece of wood found or harvested wood from around where you live. At least there is to me.
I'm very intrigued by all the different varieties of wood we have from around the world which makes this site extra interesting.
Maple is some of my favourite wood especially the hard spalted variety. There are some wickedly awesome patterns that are found from spalted woods that it never gets boring but I tend to feel the opposite about choosing the right piece of wood. I feel it's advantageous to use small pieces of spalted wood. That way you get a better chance of having no rotting spots because you would find them when you go to cut the wood whereas big pieces might have the inside rotting . It would be disappointing to spend many an hour carving only to later find the inside is rotting away but in the end we all do what works for each of us which will vary and that's cool. Lol


The fruit woods that fade with time and all woods do but I know what you meant by that boring brown which is one more reason to add tint to the finish. Fruit woods can hold colour nicely.


I'm looking forward to trying as many different woods as I possibly can and will factor in my findings.


Thanks for adding to the discussion.

Originally Posted by cobalt32

I totally agree with above its a joy to carve but bland
I do some wood buring it does fade but does give a good finish. the bull was also tinted with ink the horn was made from rams hornmallrd 007.JPG
bull4 ink 003.JPGtaken before the eyes where inserted and ink rubbed back to blend in a quick photo to show the effect ofthe burning process to enhance the look

Yep! That's what I was talking about. That is very nice work.

I've finally got a chance to carve some maple so wrote out a nice long post only to lose it so I'm making this in point form.

- more difficult to carve than linden wood but has a nicer sanded finish
- holds curved edges well that shows off the grain
- beautiful and versatile grain pattern
- light enough that it holds colour well
- most varieties finish nicely, except soft maple
- it turns nicely on a lathe ( which is a form of carving using chisels)
- it's very lightweight yet has solid structure
- it's inexpensive because it's native here in Canada and I live in a forest
*the maple leaf is our national emblem*


So far I really like carving maple . I was able to carve petal overhang on this one which I'm quite happy about.
I'll show pics once it's finished

I love to carve British field maple but can say that Maple from around various parts of the world varies enormously from kind & helpful to rock hard & & not worth the struggle !

I must disagree that turning is a form of carving , I find it another craft entirely with no similarities at all in practice.
Mike

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

I love to carve British field maple but can say that Maple from around various parts of the world varies enormously from kind & helpful to rock hard & & not worth the struggle !

I must disagree that turning is a form of carving , I find it another craft entirely with no similarities at all in practice.
Mike

You are right Mike the knife . There are so many varieties of maple and I should have specified that around the area where I live AND from the many types of maple I've worked with ( over a 30 year span) Sugar Maple was horrible to work with. The fact is that I'm not positive it was sugar maple since it was given to me by a friend but it was definitely a type of maple. After searching the data base of the varieties we have domestically in our area I basically 'guessed' it was sugar maple. I also made the assumption that it was domestic maple and for all I know it could have been from somewhere else. The main thing I wanted to point out (but written in short form ) is that not all maple is the same. Most maple I've worked with has been a pleasant experience and until I got this 'dud' piece of maple I assumed ALL maple had similar characteristics but I was wrong. It was an interesting but eye opening experience.

No turning really isn't anything like carving. You're right.
I didn't really know how to convey the idea that turning a small piece of work that I might be considering working on , really brings out the grain pattern , giving me a great example of what the grain pattern will look like.
Since I am currently carving flowers then I really like to see what that roundedness looks like and by turning it I can. It also gives me a really good idea what it's like to chisel away wood against the grain as well as sand. Some woods chip away smoothly and effortlessly and some chip away like tough acrylic almost. One wood I'd probably never attempt to carve is Wenge. It is even tough to turn. So much so that it wears down my chisels more than turning any other wood, BUT that's also not to say that all wood that's great to carve is great to turn. Linden wood doesn't turn nicely at all. It's too soft and fuzzy but then again , for MY personal perference, it IS soft and fuzzy.
Fruit wood in general peels away like an apple is peeled. The wood comes off in coiled strips like an apple and the smell is heavenly. This tends to give me a basic idea of how the wood acts.

I'm not sure if I explained that well or confused it more. At times I tend to over explain things so I'm trying hard to simply . Lol

To a carver who only uses hand held chisels to carve with there are no similarities between turning and carving. To the carver who uses hand held power tools there is.
With using a lathe you use chisels to carve into the wood. The wood turns which helps shave off the wood.
With using power carving tools , the tool itself spins which shaves off the wood.
Clearly I see things a bit different.