Carving pine wood

[ocean1975]

Hi all,in the cemetery where my dad is they have cut down a lot of pine trees,I was wondering if it is any good for caving spoons or maybe a kuska.I have carved a few spoons before but have used sycamore and Hazel with happy results.
Cheers Andy.

 

[Mesquite]

I've seen some lovely spoons carved from them but they tend to be for more decorative style because the resins in coniferous woods have the potential to taint hot liquids.

That's ok for a nice cup of pine needle tea but not so good for a nice cup of java

 

[Robson Valley]

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Pine carving tends to develop long run-out splits if you're too aggressive with big chips.
Lots of stop cuts maybe 1/8" out from the line and shallow cuts to the stop.
This is pine, about 20" long. I didn't have wide wood so "restricted the design head and tail to fit what I had.

Every line was scored and cut as stop cuts. 38 pieces of copper inlay and a bit of abalone shell for the eye.

 

[Leshy]

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Pine carving tends to develop long run-out splits if you're too aggressive with big chips.
Lots of stop cuts maybe 1/8" out from the line and shallow cuts to the stop.
This is pine, about 20" long. I didn't have wide wood so "restricted the design head and tail to fit what I had.

Every line was scored and cut as stop cuts. 38 pieces of copper inlay and a bit of abalone shell for the eye.

That is lovely !
Really tribal and/or ethnic looking.

I can see how much work was put into it!
Well done man, wish I could turn out work like that!
Top notch
👍

 

[Robson Valley]

Thanks. All the patches of yellow ochre paint sit 1/4" below the brown (burnt sienna?) & black top surface.
The simple round eye is a strong clue that it isn't any native carving. They never do that, so I do.

It's a fair illustration of pine carving.
To keep from breaking out the ribs where the copper is, I had to cut around and around those cavities
and carve towards to cuts, very slowly. It works but it's really tedious.

 

[ocean1975]

Hat is off with that carving,I'm thinking I will leave the pine alone and hope to come across a fallen birch for my projects or failing that I could go to a local tree surgeon yard

 

[Robson Valley]

Birch? By all means! Absolutely lovely carving wood. The heartwood should be quite brownish in color and sometimes a nice figure.
This halibut platter was off a burn pile. Two huge knots that I cut off and pegged the rest together. Go easy, fairly fine cuts.

 

[mrcharly]

You can carve pine, but it varies a lot depending on variety. dome is so resinous it will just gum up your tools constantly. some has huge variations between winter summer ring hardness. I find that type not worth bothering with.

Most is quite soft and you need v sharp tools with a fine edge.

 

[ocean1975]

Thanks for the replies,I have decided to make a shrink pot with one of the pieces.it dose carve easily,think I will find a fallen birch for my kuska project tho as it was mentioned resinous wood would taint liquids in the kuska.