[Mryooper]

does anyone here carve birch bark or use it? If so I found a sawmill that will let me have some that is tossed.

[Colin_Partridge]

Seems to me that Birch bark would be too thin to carve. Maybe for some woodburning. I have never seen it in this part of the country any thicker than about 1/8 inch.
Colin

[Irish]

Mryooper,

Look up Russian Birch Bark Carvings in Google's Image search. It's a fasinating technique where the birch bark is laminated to another wood then free form chip carved. The top layer of birch creates a wonderful contrast to the open areas of chip carving that let the walnut or maghoney that is the second layer.

Now ... the birch bark might be carved first then laminated ... not sure of the order.

There is another fun technique where you start with a low relief landscape carving of your favorite wood. Once the carving is done you add bark, branches and moss over the carving. Different barks as birch creates roof shingles and stone pavement. The branches become trees and the moss becomes leaves and grass.

Susan

[wade clark]

My Grandma had a collection of birch bark and moss relief landscape carvings when I was a kid. They were fascinating! I could get lost in them for hours! Well, minutes...I was a kid!
Wade

[AlArchie]

Here's an idea from another Yooper. This goes back a ways, but in '81 I did a couple of these birch bark canoes. I know, the real ones had the white paper-like stuff on the INSIDE, but this is still how most folks picture bb canoes.

I played with and cut paper patterns till they worked right, then transferred that to WET birchbark to mark, cut and form.

You can also make almost indestructible birchbark bird houses.....that stuff has absolute rot resistance!

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Thats a nice canoe Al! Must be a cargo canoe, wide and long? But you know, I have never heard a birch bark? Heard a Pine whine!

[AlArchie]

Son-of-a-birch, Dave ya gotta be kiddin! And ya can't make a cargo where a canoe can.

wine, maybe but NEVER pine. That would taste like gin.

Who the heck put that apple there??

Al

[wade clark]

I heard an oak croak, never heard a sycamore snore.
Wade

[artolver]

yew wood
art

[Clifford_Parker]

I have used birch bark for baskets and sheaths/covers for my knives and I have also seen Russian birch bark boxes but have never tried to carve it.