Finding basswood hard...

[rbourque77]

total newbie here...

Bought some basswood from Midwest and for a complete beginner like me I felt that it is pretty hard, not at all soft like I have seen in the videos. I'm using a very sharp Case Stockman (I have some beginner FlexCut knives coming). I was somewhat dissapointed at the hardness of the wood. I'm carving a snowman for my granddaughter.

I was expecting the hardness to be somewhere in between balsa and the basswood I am using. Am I wrong to assume that basswood should be softer?

Bob

[richipper]

It depends on how it is dried and where it is grown. I find the northern stuff to be softer.
Richard

[BobT]

Good kiln dried basswood is not hard. The air dried variety seems more like a rock. Then too, the very best wood is grown in those cold northeast climates. Do yourself a favor and order a little bit of wood from Heinecke. You will never go back. They have the very best wood. Bad wood makes you hate carving.

Heinecke Wood Products

[mobjack68]

There are varying degrees of hardness in basswood. I have carved basswood that cut like butter...(I am hanging onto those blocks!!!) and I also have some that is as hard as a mother-in-law's heart...I have carved basswood that cut like rock maple....
Has to do with growing conditions, drying conditions and how long it has been cut. I believe that wood continues to harden as it dries. (some, not all) The drier, the harder....age is obviously a function of that.
I frequent a local sawmill and asked the sawyer about custom cutting some basswood for me, He told me he will sell me one board or the whole tree...and he had some trees on hand. He also told me the trees he had were cut out of West Virginia and for some reason the WV basswood was harder than tress he got from other areas...I told him to call me when he got some softer stuff. He is expecting some in Feb....

As you cut/carve, try spraying with a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water...use a small mister bottle, dampen the surface you are cutting ( please try this on a scrap piece before you get too serious about it) and continue to apply water as needed. The water causes the wood fibers to swell slightly, makes slicing a tad easier.

It seems there are a lot of complaints about basswood from some of the chain "art supply" stores....let us know how it is working out??

[richipper]

I agree Heinekce is great stuff. Our club orders some 4ft sticks to use for simple 2x2 or 1x1 projects.
I would also suggest testing the wood you have with the flexcut. They are very sharp out of the box. I have seen sharp pocket knives not cut the softer materials as well.
How are you trying to cut? Cross grain cuts from a sharp blade should look glossy and smooth, no crushing of the fibers. As you cut with the grain the wood curls up.
Richard

[Bob K.]

There is a huge difference between northern basswood and basswood grown in southern regions. You should check that out before you buy it.

[Buffalo Bif]

Since you are a beginner, I have to question the sharpness of your knife too. Did you have it sharpened? There is a long distance between a sharp pocket knife and a sharp woodcarving knife.
No offense intended.

[rickm]

well i was going to say everything everyone already said, but i will add, its not necessarily the sharpness of the knife, biut dont forget about blade angle. if you stock man is sharpened like a pocket knife and has a wide blade cutting will be a nightmare. thin is in and then the bevel needs to go

[Robert Cahill]

For a long while I used just a push cut not a slicing cut when carving and that made a difference. I also bought a banana box of wood from a carving supply place in Colorado and the wood is as you described . Perhaps you can check the sharpness of your knife on a different piece of wood.

[Midnight Carver]

There has been alot of good information provided in the previous posts. I want to second what rickm said about the angle of a pocket knife blade as compaired to a carving knife.
Another think to think about is most of the people making the videos have been carving for years. They have plenty of experience, hand strength and technique to make it look so easy. Give yourself some time and you will start making it look easy too.

Eric