whats the difference

[ohioelcamino]

i am 100%new and i havent tried anything yet (till this weekend)
if this has been asked im sorry for asking but what is the difference between bass wood and balsa wood just wondering?
love this site hope i can do this!

thanks
fil

[Dan S]

Bass wood is a fine grained hardwood that is easy to carve and takes detail well.
Balsa is a lightweight (also hardwood) that is just too soft. I also doubt that it would take fine detail.

Dan

[ohioelcamino]

thanks dan i just wasnt sure but that makes sense

thanks

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, fil. It's nice to have you here with us.

[mobjack68]

thought about sending you a private message..being new and all..
what year is your el camino??
email me...mobjack68@yahoo.com

[chuckbolton]

balsa wood is the wood we used to use to make model airplane-- all i remember was that it splintered and broke easily-- im surprised its a hardwood

[BeckyLil]

I got a piece of balsa when I was just starting. When I tried to carve on it, it just turned into fibers and fuzz. I threw it away and got some basswood. Then I learned the difference between northern and southern basswood but that's another story.

[JimSawyer]

Aaaah, Basswood... Yum!!

[AlArchie]

Just a quick refresher on the "hardwood/softwood" issue.

There is HARD wood and hardwood, then there is SOFT wood and softwood.
HARD and SOFT describe characteristics.

Hardwood and Softwood describe genus.

Hardwoods are more accurately defined as deciduous or angiosperm trees, or those that produce seeds in pods or fruits and that are broadleafed and lose their leaves seasonally.

Softwoods are those "coniferous" or gymnosperm trees that produce seeds in cones and generally, with the exceptions of tamarac and larch, retain their leaves (needles) year round.

Here's a reference: Angiosperm or Gymnosperm?

It may be that the "hardwood/softwood" terminology can be originally traced back to the early timber harvesters who classed the oaks, maples, birch, cherry, etc as HARD wood, and the pines, cedars, spruce, etc as SOFT woods, which comparatively speaking fit into those categories.

That may help with any confusion between hardwoods and softrwoods.

Al

[chuckbolton]

alarchie-- man did u stir it up-- when i read your post-- i couldnt believe what i was reading-- i thought what then is a silver maple? a trashy treee in the midwest-- it breaks up easily and is all over the yard after a storm-- well as per your definition its a hardwood-- but id have to say its bound to be a soft one. i had never thought about elm as being a hardwood-- tho its nearly impossible to split with a wedge-- or for that matter red cedar or any number of ornamental trees many of us have in our yards-- well i learned because of your post and after i went to check on what you said-- im almost safe to say-- if it drops leaves-- its a hard wood. thanks for enlightening me.

chuck