couple of newbie questions

[Brownie710]

so i've drawn a few designs of some ideas of reliefs I am planning on doing. Since I'm sure my ambition will exceed my ability at this point I know I'll mess up... so is it foolish to use pine 5/4 board left over from a shelf building project to practice my first piece? Is the quality so poor that it will give me a false impression of how difficult carving is? Second, if it is ok, is it possible to glue two pieces together to make a thicker block for another project? What type of glue would I use? thanks again for the guidance.

Josh

[morganwoodcarver]

I have heard of people using pine boards for relief. I work with a carver that has made several signs from a pine 1x8 and the response i got from him was that the pine is okay to carve, but sometimes the grain would really give him problems more so than basswood does. Hope my two cents helps.

[Dan S]

I would suggest buying wood from Heinicke.com. The guys are great and the wood is not as expensive as you might think. Learning to carve is difficult enough without fighting poor quality wood.

Have fun,
Dan

[rales]

I'd test a piece of similar pine to see if you really want try to do some fairly deep relief in the 5/4 (which is what that depth of wood really calls for). I'd hate to see you get discouraged using the pine when basswood might make your first attempt a real joy... but hey - if you've got it and want to try it....

[Joy]

I had the same idea when I started....I'm only a beginner why use expensive wood to practice on.....wrong!!!! A beginner should not handicap themselves with "iffy" wood or bad tools. I survived the pine and cedar period, but it was only after I started buying basswood that I really improved. Hope my 'experience' helps

[SeaLeveler]

Sharpening is # 1 in carving and needs the most attention.I started with mahogany and a pocket knife and a broken screwdriver sharpened.For me pine is harder to carve than mahogany or walnut.After that first disaster I ordered a $30 set of 12 chisels and with those I done ok and worked on my sharpening.As far as glue I have found that Tite Bond glue works well for glueing wood together and as long as you have a tight fit and enough clamping presure or weights you souldn't have a problem.I am still a newby in carving so my 2 cents worth.Tony

[Lynn O. Doughty]

When learning a new skill it's best not to look for shortcuts, especially with something as important and the material you will be using. Shelving is meant for shelving not for woodcarving. Buy a nice piece of Basswood and save yourself a lot of aggravation.

[Brownie710]

thanks everyone, I had a feeling it would be a mistake to use the leftover pine. I'll look up the basswood supplier suggested. Thanks again!

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

You could pick up a piece of basswood at most craft stores, not the best quality but it will get you started.

Dave

[trevwinn]

I found pine to work quite well for practice. It got me to be more careful to cut with grain. It takes much patience to carve pine, for it is unforgiving. Thins is what makes it so great for beginners in my opinion. That and you can simply start over on another piece if (when) you do mess up, without having to spend $10 per foot or whatever. I started with pine board ("2x"8x'8 for $8) and because I knew nothing else I thought all wood to be this way. I never actually completed a pine carving but I carved basic shapes and figures, allowing me to become comfortable with tools, which I find much more important than comfort with wood. Once I felt I had sufficent practice I try hard woods and all of a sudden carving becomes super easy, and I'm able to make wood do whatever and I real begin to show improvement, but really made most improvement while practice on pine even though I didnt realize at time.