[Marci MN]

Thank you Al! Your post is such a big help. I feel like I'm out shopping for a car and all I know how to do is kick the tires.

[artolver]

I would recomend Cottonwood Bark. It carves real easy and it is beautiful.... and its addictive.
Art

[Butch_Speer]

Marci,
You might want to try the willow. We have river willow down here, I'm guessing it's probably the same or real close to your swamp willow. It carves really nice, not too hard & holds a nice detail. Try a piece about 1 1/2 - 2ins. around. Leave the bark on & try a Santa face. Paints up nice too. Lot's of luck.

[Mitchell]

You may want to breeze through the "Wood and Materials" topic as there are lists of possible suppliers and different discussions on Wood there.

[michael2]

I have just started carving and am wondering what woods are best to use in Australia. so far i have tried messmate, which was a bit difficult to carve cleanly whithout ripping up lengths of wood, and red gum which was realy nice but a very hard wood. Also is it possible to carve green wood or wood that is not seasoned, what techniques should be used.

[Donna_T]

The only green wood I've carved is fresh-cut pine---not sure which kind of pine except it came from the northeast US: Pennsylvania and New York. It carves really well--very wet--and to make it easier to carve a project that takes more than one day, you can submerge it in a bucket of water when you're not carving on it to help keep the moisture in it. It doesn't seem to warp as it dries, but with the three pieces I've carved, I did let it dry several weeks before painting and sealing it.

Wood of choice: good clear northern basswood is hard to beat. But, as you progress as a carver, try different kinds of wood, just for the heck of it and then you'll know what you like and don't like.

Donna T

[GeorgiaCarver]

My vote is Cypress Knees. Very light soft wood with beautiful grain when finished natural. The wood is very soft so easy to carve if you have a very sharp knife. (did I say a sharp knife?)

Greg

[wade clark]

Michael,
I carve green woods more than dry. They have their unique problems (splitting in particular) but even oak is relatively softer when green. Do a search on here about carving green woods and keeping them from checking or cracking. It's been discussed a bit, and lots of good advice from experienced carvers. Donna T's advice is good. Some keep it wrapped in a wet towel when not carving on it. Some microwave it if it'll fit in the microwave. Freezing might help between carving times. I seal the carving in wax (a product called Anchorseal) to keep it from drying when not carving. It works great, but then you have the wax to deal with later.
The real key is keeping it from drying too fast. The outside wood (sapwood) lets water move easily, the inside (heart wood) doesn't. So when the outside dries and the inside can't keep up, it causes splittling in the outside, which may continue to the inside.
Experiment! My Dad knows a carver who carves small carvings in green woods in one day, at the end of the carving he DEEPFRIES it in grease! Seems to work good for him.
Good luck! And any wood is good to carve, some are harder, some are more beautiful, but they're all worth trying once!
Wade