Where to find wood for carving - advice for a noob!

[gorilla]

reading all these great tutorials has inspired me to have a go at a bit of carving - i was lucky enough to get a spoon knife and a draw knife from my local car booty last weekend for £3 the pair. my problem now is the wood!
i live on the wirral, and have access to a couple of good size woodland areas, so i wanted to ask advice on gathering timber - best woods, identification of a couple of the best trees/woods to use, wet/dry, fallen/standing etc. also, is it worth sourcing from a local timber merchant if i have no luck, or will purchased wood be too dry?
advice from any of the eminently qualifed members here will be gratefully received!
thanks

 

[rancid badger]

oaky dokey;
First, if you've never carved much before you dont really want to try stuff from a timber merchant. it'll be too hard, plus you'll probably end up paying through the nose for it.

do you have a folding saw? if so just wander about your quietest piece of woodland and see what you can find in the way of broken branches etc. the fresher the better as green wood carves much easier than seasoned or dried out wood.
Birch is very good and often grows as a bit of a 'weed' tree, sycamore is classed by many as an 'invasive' species too so you should be able to safely get hold of either.
you mention you have aquired a draw knife, do you have a shave horse?.
if you cant find branches etc. then make sure you have permission to cut the wood you fancy or you could end up in a world of trouble!
cut the branch or whatever to a manageable length and then take it home-if your woodland is public you would be ill advised to start carving etc, where people can get the wrong idea.

I assume there are several items on here regarding spoon carving etc but you could do worse than have a look at the totems I do as doodles from more or less straight sticks-this is an excellent way to 'sharpen' your skills-sorry!- most important; dont get disheartened if what you make doesnt come out the way you want first time-trial and error-practise-build up skills and knowledge.

kind regards
R.B.

 

[loz.]

Hi Gorilla,

This time of year the council may be limbing, go down to your local park - and have a chat with the keeper - he may even point you in the right direction. - they may store the stuff locally before collection/shreding

I have even stopped on the main road and asked one of the council guys if i could take a branch he had taken down. you'll find them now on most tree lined roads !!!

 

[gorilla]

thanks guys - both good pointers
i need a field guide for tree id - ashamed to say that my knowledge is poor

 

[JohnC]

Some of the older hospitals often have extensive older grounds and trees, they are often trimmed back by ground staff etc. I work in a hospital and have asked the grounds team if I can cut a few bits off the cut of branches in the past. Theres often unusual trees in the older sites..

 

[Eric_Methven]

The main trees you're most likely to find for carving is birch and sycamore as Rancid Badger has mentioned. They are also both easy to recognise. Silver birch has a silvery bark with patches of flaky paper thin curly bark peeling off it. This wood is traditional for spoon carving and kuksa's (wooden cups). Sycamore was introduced to this country by the romans, so is not a native species. Many local authorities want sycamore eradicated from their woodlands because it is very invasive and will smother out native hardwood trees. Sycamore is an ideal hardwood for carving spoons, cups, bowls and other items that will be used for food or drink. It has little or no grain to speak of, has no taste to taint the food and is very easy to carve while fresh (green). It seasons quickly but can split if dried artificially (like in the airing cupboard). Sycamore is easy to identify. It is the tree who's leaves look a bit like maple leaves (it is related to the maple).

Decide what you want to carve (spoons are good to start with) and select a bit of wood not much bigger than the spoon you want to do. That way you don't have as much wood to take off. If you find a nice bit, and you won't be using it straight away, either store it in water to stop it drying out (my water butt is great for this), or wrap it in clingfilm and put it somewhere cool.

Hope this helps a bit.

Eric

 

[gorilla]

thanks Eric - i reckon i'll be able to spot those 2!! off to the woods with the younglings tomorrow!

 

[Eric_Methven]

thanks Eric - i reckon i'll be able to spot those 2!! off to the woods with the younglings tomorrow!

Make them carry the wood back. It'll give them a sense of achievement

 

[gorilla]

bit of character building always goes down well