Carving Signs

[billp]

Can I use white pine to hand carve a sign such as address, etc;?Smile

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Sure, you can carve a sign out of anything you want....the secret isn't so much the wood as it is the finish. Some woods do withstand the weather better than others..but some finishes make up for that.

[billp]

The reason I asked is I used white cedar and it was real grainy and hard to carve. It came out in chunks rather then shavings even with a sharp gouge. Is pine going to be the same? Thanks for your immediate reply!! Bill

[squbrigg]

Pine and Cedar will carve similar, with Pine being a little more forgiving. But, Pine will not stand up to the weather as well as Cedar.

Bob

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

You can always try a piece of redwood, but it has a tendency to chip as well.

[Just Carving]

I've carved eastern white pine and it carved fine. I also carve cedar. Tools need to be super sharp and you need to pay attention to the grain. If it starts chunking, chipping, etc., carve from the opposite direction. That usually helps a lot. Otherwise, take smaller bites of the wood.

Bob L

[Mottles]

Looks like your question has been answered so I'll just say WELCOME!
Kathy

[billp]

Thank you all for your quick replys. BillSmile

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Redwood is the way to go. While it might be grainy it will far outlast any other wood. I did one back in the 70's for my Mom & Dad's place and it's still there today, exposed to the weather and laughing at it.

[VAwoodcarver]

IMO the harder woods such as cherry and walnut work best for incised lettering like i do. I usually use pieces of cherry and i think it holds the deep incised lettering and detail much better than some of your softer woods..but i use a v tool to do my lettering so it may be different for using gouges..