Choice of wood for carving/whittling

[Jazzman]

Can anybody recommend the most suitable woods for making single piece models or sculptures?

I hear that Beech is quite good; but not as readily available as Pine in my local are.

Also while I'm asking, I may as well request some advice on the best techniques for carving or whittling wood.

thanks

-Gary

 

[Toddy]

Lime is the classic, but there are many beautiful woods you can use. Sycamore or even the Leylandii........PatrickM posted a thread showing a scoop carved from it not so long ago.
Fruit woods in general were kind of preferred.
I have a spinning wheel that is over 250 years old and the distaff is of Apple wood.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Rothley Bill]

Friut woods are good for carving, but then most woods can be if they are unseasoned or green. One of my faves is Holly, its great when its wet but hard as hell when dry.

You really need a close grain structure for carving, but try anything it great fun

 

[brancho]

Birch willow sycamore and alder are good use them green though

A smaller knife like a frost 106 and 120 are better than the classic woodlore colne

:BlueTeamE

 

[Jazzman]

Thanks for the responses people.

It's a Frost's Mora I'm using, cheap and cheerfull

 

[brancho]

It's a Frost's Mora I'm using, cheap and cheerfull

Ah but not as good as the 106 but better than something 4mm thick.

 

[Indoorsout]

Think hardwoods rather than pine. I have carved pine but it's not that great. The difference between the growth rings leaves you with alternating harder and softer wood which makes any sort of detail difficult.

 

[robin wood]

Can anybody recommend the most suitable woods for making single piece models or sculptures?

I hear that Beech is quite good; but not as readily available as Pine in my local are.

Also while I'm asking, I may as well request some advice on the best techniques for carving or whittling wood.

thanks

-Gary

Bi more info about what you are wanting to carve and whether you have done any of this type pf work before might help us give advice at the right level. First thing I would say is most "woodcarvers" work with blocks of dry wood. Most bushcrafty folk work with green wood straight from the tree. This works much more easily but you need to learn some basic principles to avoid it splitting as it dries, most important it don't use the whole round branch or trunk, get a piece much bigger than you want and split it lengthwise into quarters. Each of those pieces will now be much more stable and dry without cracking.

 

[shawn]

do beech trees grow differently in the UK? beech is the only suitable carving wood in my backyard here in here in the US, but i havnt yet found a tree with a proper limb to cut off!

its either a smaller beech with limbs that can be reached, but they are far too small even for a little spoon, and id hate to cut down a complete 12-20ft tall tree just for a small spoon made from the main trunk!

then i find huge ones with limbs several stories high that are so fat around i couldnt imagine cutting it myself.
is it necessary to climb to the top of hundred year old ones to get your limb for splitting into quarters? do you use a chainsaw?

 

[Jazzman]

Just in general for carving things really, as a pastime. Although I'm thinking as a project just to do my special lady's name as a present to her. (she likes the hippy, natural type thing... what better than a gift born out of nature with traditional techniques)

Will also have to learn how to make nettle-cord as a natural hanger.