Wood carving. What's you opinion ?
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Birch, Sycamore and willow are nice easy carving woods. Sweet chestnut is a good one too. For looks and durability it's ash and oak for me. Never carved beech so can't comment. Fruit woods have lovely grain but wouldn't recommend for a begginer. I have attempted to carve holly but it's a nightmare. Constant sharpening of tools and blistered aching hands so I gave up. I am hoping to get my hands on a branch of a tulip tree that's up for pruning. It's full of burls hoping to make a nice noggin for myself if I can.
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I don't carve so I can't comment on what's easier. But based on the pure cosmetics of finished work, I'd pick olive wood.
woodspirits
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
try just about anything you can get your hands on 😊 Tulip tree is lovely to carve, with a remarkable 3D look to it
just having a go at carving a new kuksa out of beech. Damn its hard work. going to be taking me a while i think.
Birch and Sycamore for me, the sycamore takes more fine detail, and a better finish with a scraper. Although I will have a go at carving with whatever wood I can get my hands on.
For any carvers just starting out, Basswood/Tilia/Lime is usually thought of as being the most forgiving.
Many of the angiosperm (aka hardwoods) really tighten up when they dry.
Here in the PacNW, alder carvings (eg masks) are often submerged in a bucket of water until finished except for sanding
However, they do hold excellent detail. Birch doesn't stiffen quite so much, I've done many carvings in that and liked the texture.
Conifer wood of most any species is prone to long run-out splitting and chipping.
You have to 'learn' the wood. Maybe years, as it has been in my case.
I carve just about nothing but western red cedar and some yellow cedar.
But, I know now what to do and how to do it to avoid most of the common problems.
For example, you can skip any ideas about fine detail!
Many of the angiosperm (aka hardwoods) really tighten up when they dry.
Here in the PacNW, alder carvings (eg masks) are often submerged in a bucket of water until finished except for sanding
However, they do hold excellent detail. Birch doesn't stiffen quite so much, I've done many carvings in that and liked the texture.
Conifer wood of most any species is prone to long run-out splitting and chipping.
You have to 'learn' the wood. Maybe years, as it has been in my case.
I carve just about nothing but western red cedar and some yellow cedar.
But, I know now what to do and how to do it to avoid most of the common problems.
For example, you can skip any ideas about fine detail!
The only carving I do is chip carving. Maple is tough going but I've done it. Poplar and Pine are my favorite. Relatively easy to pop out chips.
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