[Marci MN]

Me again with more questions.

I'm this close to getting a knife and some gauges. Now I need wood. Or I think I do. I'm not sure.

What would you suggest for a total beginner? I've been seeing basswood mentioned on almost everything. Why? Why is this wood preferred? Is it heavy? Light? Is it hard on the edge of a knife? Will I be sharpening alot if I use this type of wood? Are there other woods that are good for a beginner?

I would like to start out working on santa's. That looks about the simplest for me to start with. What sizes of wood do I need to look for? When I look at a pattern, can I assume the edge of the pattern is the edge of the wood block too? Or do I need excess wood beyond the pattern lines?

Any tips or suggestions on where to order carving wood?

[squbrigg]

Marci.....wood carving works better if you use wood! Basswood is a good wood to begin with. It is a hardwood, but a soft one, has good grain, it carves easily, is pale in colour, burns very well, and will take a stain. It finishes well too. A good stable inexpensive wood to practice on or do any amount of projects in. Supplies can be purchased usually locally, try a good building supply store or lumber seller, or in various thicknesses from on-line carving stores like Sugar Pine and a host of others. Check the advertizments in the latest issues of WCI.

Starting on Santa's, you may consider blanks to begin with, like the ones Goodie sent around. There are a bunch of places on line that sell those too. A blank is a piece of wood with the basic shape roughed out so it saves you effort and gets you carving that much sooner. Patterns work as guides to help show you where things belong on the subject. Start simple, practice first, for example, draw an egg on a piece of wood the size of an egg and carve it out. That way you will learn about grain, how your tools cut, and lots of other things. Sounds simple, but it is a great exercise. Once the egg is to your satisfaction, then carve a Santa 's face in it. Another challenge, but a good exercise.

Knives and gouges work well in Basswood, like any wood though, they will give best results when kept sharp, so hone often. Dull tools will make carving very frustrating, and turn off new carvers. Sharp tools will bring much joy and happiness!! Practice, practice, practice. Check our Rick's site for tips too. www.littleshavers.com a good place to start.

Bob

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Don't know where you're at in MN, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding good basswood. itascalumberproducts is probably handy, good wood, good service, good prices. You can the same service, prices, quality wood etc in Wisc. from heinicke (don't ever get the spelling right) the url is, I think, in the carving wood and materials section someplace. If not, somebody will come along with it, I'm sure, probably Rick.

[Just Carving]

You can contact Dale at Heinecke in Wisconsin. He can probably help you with what you need in either basswood or butternut. I just received two nice pieces of butternut within a couple days of ordering. Others here have also used Heinecke with good results.

http://www.heineckewood.com/

You can also try Poplar which you can get at the home improvement stores--Lowe's for me. It comes in small sizes which are good for ornaments or practice projects. I just got a 1/4"x4"X48" sheet for $2.50 plus tax. It's good for ornaments that'll be painted. It carves similarly to basswood. I find it has less fuzzies, and it doesn't bother my allergies as much.

If you want Poplar blocks try Groff & Groff Lumber, Inc.
858 Scotland Road
Quarryville, PA 17566
(800) 342-0001 (717) 284-0001
Fax (717) 284-2400
http://www.groffslumber.com/

Had the same results as Heinecke. I received two nice pieces of poplar within a couple days of ordering. Others here have also used Groffs with good results.

[AlArchie]

Marci, there are sevceral ways to get started with this carving business, and getting a "starter kit" is one of the more effective ones. Of course, Rick, at http://www.littleshavers.com/Beginner.html has an excellent starter kit for beginners, and there are others out there too. Not trying to slight Rick, but these are couple others. http://www.woodcarvers.com/begkit.htm

http://www.chippingaway.com/WoodCarving/

If you do a web search for wood carving kits, you should find a few more. I'd suggest that you compare prices, tools and instructions, then order one of the starter kits. They will get you off to a good strart I know where I'd go if I was just starting.

Al

[Marci MN]

First off I should have mentioned I will be ordering that beginners kit from Rick. For three reasons. 1. He will send them sharpened and will sharpen them for me down the line from what I've read on his website. 2. The kit also comes with gauges already picked out for me. 3. The kit comes with instructions on how to sharpen/strop? the knife. And if I'm doing it wrong I'm hoping Rick will tell me when he see's the knife come back for sharpening.

I went to the Itasca wood products site last night. That was one of the reasons I asked about weight of this Basswood. They have a note saying something about over 20lbs. and that shipping is different. (dont quote me here.. I just remembered reading something about that) I have no idea on what to expect if I order 5 pieces and if it will be anywhere close to 20lbs.

Another option I have is that I will be close to Elk River next month and could possibly stop in at that wood store. And shop in person. I have seen the add in the back of WIC. But again.. not knowing a thing about wood types I wouldnt know what to look for when I am holding a piece in my hand. I hear 'tight grain'..."soft wood'...and 'white'... Are these the only three things I will be looking for when observing a block of wood? (I'm also hoping there will be someone there to ask questions to).

A new one mentioned in this post. Sugar Pine. Is this a common wood? Whats the difference in this pine wood that a regular pine board from the lumber store wouldnt have?

When I was fired up about starting a carving hobby I figured all this wood in my woods would be good enough. Now I'm more confused than when I started. I dont want to ruin my new knife on some piece of wood from the fallen trees around here if I dont know what kind of tree/wood it is and how it will affect the knifes edges.

Thanks again. Marci

[Just Carving]

Marci

Carving found wood can be rewarding--especially if you don't need to pay for it. I've yet to carve found wood--only because I'm waiting for a few small pieces of cherry and maple to dry. But if you don't know what kind of trees you have, take a few pics of the trunk, the leaves, and the bark. Then search on Google for trees or get a book from the library. Either way, there are enough resources to help you learn the trees. Compare the pics with the resource and try to determine the tree. If you get stumped, you can always post the pics here, and we'll try to help you out.

You never know, you might have a whole yard full of basswood trees! If you do, then you can get a chain saw, and start cutting them down (Just kidding!)

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

There is lots of basswood around and some is less desirable than others, avoid southern basswood and if possible, avoid basswood with the dark spots and knots....I cut into a piece of scrap last night that was really white and it carved like butter! so the whiter, and less pronounced grain the better I think!

[Marci MN]

I've been working on identifying some of the trees out here. So far I have found boxelder (the big boy that fell near my house), some oak (not sure on definate type yet) cedar, three different pines, willow (swamp kind, not sure if its diamond type) poplar or birch (I just know the bark is white and will have to wait until spring to find a match in the book). And I 'think' I have ash out here. Again I'll have to wait until spring for a better leaf to identify. Oh..and cottonwood. But none of them seem to have that thick bark on it. We cut down an ornamental pear tree two years ago..and thats still out there in the pile. And I have to trim down a crab apple tree.. is this wood any good for carving?

So most woods can be carved? Its just the hardness of the woods that make folks have a preference? Or is there certain things about wood types that do not make a good carving wood?

And to confuse me more.. (not hard these days) I was surfing carving sites and found some to say woods need to be at a certain percentage of drying before carving. ???? Where do I learn this drying process if I decide to use wood out of the woods here?

[AlArchie]

Marci, learning to pick a good piece of wood is like any other skill.....it develops! But here's a few pieces of advice on buying basswood.

First, don't worry too much about color as good wood can vary in color from a very pale white, to a creamy color to a light tan. It may even have some grain that will show as darker streaks, but unless there is a strong contrasting grain, it shouldn't affect the carving qualities of the wood.

Second, looking at the end grain of a piece, it should be dense with no torn or ripped fibers, which would indicate a "punky" piece. Punky is a term used to describe vaying degrees of degredation due to fungal infections. Severely deteriorated pieces may even show dark gray or black spots or streaks.

Third, a fair indication of quality is the "fingernail test". Press a fingernail into the wood (side grain) and you should be able to make a slight dent in the wood. If it's too easy to push the fingernail in, you probably have a piece of wood that is not going to hold detail well . If it's really hard to put a dent in, you may have an exceptionally dry piece that will be a mite hard to carve, but will hold detail really well.

Sugar Pine is a western variety that you probably won't find around the midwest, unless you find a specialty lumber supplier. It is a very straight grained, easily carved pine. Eastern white pine would be a close match here in the central or eastern states. Standard "builders" grade lumber may be white pine, jack pine, spruce, red pine, yellow pine.....well, you get the idea. Time was when lumber suppliers were pretty meticulous about what species they carried, but those days are pretty well gone, as timber supplies have dwindled. Now they even market some woods as "white wood". I've seen that as aspen, poplar, pine and a few "mystery woods".

If you can find a sure source of sugar pine, or clear white pine, they will be good for carving (generally speaking anyway) but for beginners I'd say "stick with good northern basswood!" From what I've read and seen, the woods that grow in the north usually have a shorter growing season, therefore a tighter grain. Northern trees may only put on 1/8" to 1/4" growth per season, where the southern, with a longer growing season may double that. Cyclical variations in precipitation may also affect the growth rates.

A great source of information on wood characteristics and qualities is the USFS Wood Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. They are very helpful, and usually respond to your questions promptly and have very solid information.
Really, a government department that seems to want to help, even the little guy asking questions for personal use! Wow, how rare is that today?

Al