Acceptable carving woods?

[Learning2CarveDaily]

Hello again, I have another question I am hoping someone may be able to help me with. =)
I live in central Mississippi, so my lumber selection is rather limited. I am currently looking for a local supply of the much recomended basswood and butternut flavors I hear about, but it does not look promising. It would seem that my best options would be mail order.
1st... The local lumber yards deal mostly with Red Oak, and Select Pine. I know from experience that oak is a very hard wood, and haven't seen it recomended much for carving. The select pine is essentially knot free pine, I am not sure of the exact species. A knowledgable carpenter friend suggest it my be north pine, or pacific? It has a slight red tint to it. Would this be an acceptable alternative to basswood?
2cd... Is it possible to glue two 3/4'' pieces together to get a thicker wood to carve from?
3rd... Any recomendations on a good mail order supplier for carving wood would (no pun intended) be appreciated.
Once again thank you for your time and for sharing your knowledge!

[GeorgiaCarver]

Pine is poor to medium, easily chips and is very grainy to carve. Relief carving is ok but characture carving would be very difficult.

Gluing two boards together would work but I would recommend buying thick blocks of wood.

Others will put recommended suppliers list together for you. I buy most of my wood off ebay with mixed results. Heinecke is a good supplier of wood. Reliable and good quality of wood.

http://www.heineckewood.com/

Being new I would stick to basswood for learning.

Greg

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Heineckewood is the place to go. Won't find any better in quality or price.

[Claude]

Oak is good for some carvings - generally larger ones without fine detail, but it is hard, so it will take longer to carve. I agree with the recommendation for Heinecke. I'm very pleased with the wood I received from them. Price was 1/3 of the price at Woodcraft, and the quality was better.

Claude

[mdallensr]

I like good basswood for beginners since it gives good results with less effort. In the south, you might try cypress. I got a couple of really nice pieces of harder cypress that carved nicely, held detail well, and finished beautifully. The softer cypress I've tried is too soft and fuzzy and just won't cut cleanly. Tupelo is a good wood that should be available near you and is a favorite of decoy carvers. Most southern butternut and basswood aren't favorites of most of the posters on this board. The slower growing northern trees produce the best carving wood. In addition to the previous suppliers, you might check Tuckaway Timber, another northern timber supllier of custom carving wood. Mike

[Learning2CarveDaily]

Thanks for the replies!
I am going to order a good amount of basswood since it is highly recomended. Heinecke does have excellent pricing compared to other sites I've seen! Just hope the shipping isn't bad as other sites I've looked at (shipping was more expensive than the wood in most cases).

[Donna_T]

On the question about desirability of having to glue two pieces of wood to get thicker piece for larger carvings...I don't mind doing this if I'm going to paint the carving. But if It's to be finished in natural wood, the difference in the two pieces really shows up. I've been carving for several years (15 or so) and haven't had any glued piece split apart yet.

I'd rather have one piece the thickness I want--but sometimes I just don't have one piece that big.

Donna T

[DADDIO]

you can check at hobby lobby or a michaels if ya need it like right now,when i first started i was the same way,sounds like we're in the same general area,i'm in mississippi also,then started trying different woods i could find here got a good cedar hook up and i love carving it,although it can be tricky.also check with smaller sawmills in your area,they sometimes have a variety of woods there other than just pine,glad to see some more mississippians on the board and welcome aboard also,need any help just hollar

[Scott]

Cherry is a nice wood to carve. It's on the harder side. It takes and keeps detail very well and it ages into a rich dark brown colour. Beautiful wood.

We pick it up from local orchards and season it. It carves very nicely when it is green (unseasoned). Keeping it moist while your carving and then seasoning it is a little nerve racking but the results are worth it. Scott.

[Ashbys]

Well the question should be asked , are you using chisels and knives ot power?

If your using power any wood should work , some just take a bit longer to cut.

Hand tools new to carving

Well I will never tell some one not to try a new wood, as a beginner , I would strongly suggest you stay away from

Apple , Hickory , Pecan , Chery , Pear , Peach, almost all fruit woods, are extreamly dense and hard , making them frustrating for a new carver.

Look to Basswoods , poplar, red cedar , clear white pine , and don't work too small. Give yourself room to make cuts and mistakes , your learning , white pine can give some great results , well all pine can , but you have to learn the wood.

Basswood , just is a more forgiving wood as the fiber is like threads and at one time was used as thread.

Poplar , is a good replacement for a temp fix.