Need some general project advice..

[keyesc]

Howdy, brand new to carving. I have got a small project to do and I trust you guys will be able to help!

I would like to carve a sculpture that will mimic the surface texture of a walnut. The piece will be small, maybe 5 inches tall, and it will sit in a corner. Imagine cutting a walnut in half, and then into quarters, leaving a piece that would sit nicely in a corner. So ideally the piece would look just a like a chunk of walnut sitting in a corner of a display. I can get the piece close to shape using any means possible, but I thought the texture of a walnut would best be achieved using carving techniques (which might not be true).

The extent of my carving abilities come from the good 'ol woodcarving merit badge fro the boy scout days. So it is safe to say I have no experience, however I am generally crafty, determined, and have some good time to spend on this project.

So what wood would be best for this application? I dont know if its possible, but a darker, grainy wood would be ideal. I also thought a medium hardness wood would be ideal, but what do I know. Also, I dont know if I will have access to a block of wood, i might have to glue a few boards together... maybe that wont be a problem. What would be the best wood to use?

Texture I am going for:




Thanks so much for any help!!!

[Dileon]

Honestly you have a lot of work ahead of you, this is a hard one....why? because all woods have grains that will break at this thinnest. And the only tool that you could use and be successful, is a micro motor using top diamond burrs...with a magnify lens. Wood, I think I would use basswood because of the massive detail work, but unsure if would not break apart.... all I can say is try your best, you may have to do it more then once but you will learn along the way.

[keyesc]

Well what makes it easier is the size of the project. Think of an eighth of a black walnut blown up to be about 5 or 6 inches tall. Also, the details do not have to be exact. I reckon I could find a dremel, which is starting to sound easier than carving.

If I chose to use a dremel what kind of wood would work best?

[Claude]

Welcome to the forum!
At 5 inches tall, you'd likely need a 3 x 3 block of wood. I'd recommend giving the folks at Heinecke Wood Products a telephone call. If you go to the web site, you can see the price for a 3 x 3 x 12 inch block. This would be enough to give you two tries at the carving, if the first one didn't go well. Heinecke ships quickly and has premium quality basswood. I agree with Dileon about a micro carver or maybe a Dremel with the flexible cable attachment - as I think it would be extremely difficult to get those deep crevices carved with a knife and gouges.

Does it have to be that particular walnut you show in the photo? As I remember, English walnuts have a much smoother shell, and I thought black walnuts did also...

Claude

<edit>
Just did a Google image search...I see where you got the photo, and it's a black walnut, according to the text. However, I did find a similar one that looks like it might be an easier carve: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGE...ack_Walnut.jpg. Hope this helps you.
</edit>

[keyesc]

It does not have to be that particular walnut, i just ripped that from google to save time. However, I am looking for a similar texture. The exact texture is up to my creative control. The texture of the walnut Clause posted would satisfy the project. The initial texture does not have to be so precise, and remember the walnut will be blown up x10 making it easier to achieve the grooves.

Would I have to use block wood, or would it work to glue three or four pieces together? I only ask because I think I have access to basswood 2x4s, but not blocks.

How would other woods work? If I use a Dremel instead of carving can I instead use a harder/darker wood?

Thanks guys!

[Claude]

You could use block wood, or glued-up boards. Two six-inch long pieces of 2 x 4 should be just about right. Just have to make sure your boards are flat, use a good quality glue, such as Elmer's carpenters glue, and that the boards are clamped together in multiple places while the glue dries. Be careful of the grain orientation. For example if you lay one board on the table and look at the end grain, and see the grain cupping upward, then I'd put the second board on top of it with the grain also cupping upward.

You could use other types of wood. Walnut would be good, if you're going to use a Dremel. Depending on how deep your crevices are, you could even use small gouges and v tools on basswood or walnut. Another readily available wood is the "white" wood at Home Depot - likely birch or aspen. It's harder than basswood, but should carve ok. Personally, I'd stay away from pine - the grain structure would make it difficult to get the fine and deep detail, in my opinion.

Once the carving is complete, you can stain it with any darkness of stain you'd like. Seal the wood first, then stain, as end grain will suck in the stain and get very dark. Just test out the stain on a piece of scrap, let it dry, and see if the result is what you want.

Claude

[keyesc]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I will make sure to post the results!