Sign Carving

[KTutt]

I am gong to be carving a address/name sign for the house. I have the following wood available but looking for one that will last the longest. Of course they will be sealed against Mother Nature, but in the end we know who win's.

I have the option of the following wood.

Aspen, Red Oak, Pine, Poplar. right now I am leaning towards the Aspen, but have never carved it.

All comments are welcomed.

Happy Carving
Kurt

[Steamboat Don]

I carve Aspen all the time. It is soft and easy to carve. It can have a good look to it when finished. It's considered the poor man's basswood because it's so abundant and free (if you live where it grows). Personally I've found pine hard to carve and quite knotty. Never carved poplar or red oak but it seems red oak (being hard) would last longer than aspen even when sealed. Good luck. Hope you enjoy carving whichever wood you choose.

[carvingbarn]

Aspen is a good carving wood . It is soft but may not hold up well in year around weather. cypress, cedar or redwood would be better for a sign. The oak will hold upbetter than the pine but is harded to carve.

[Magicman]

Hi Kurt
If you go to darkwood-woodcarving.com they have a tutorial for a beautiful House sign thats free
Larry

[torpidhummer]

Larry what a great site,thanks.
Oscar

[KTutt]

Thanks for the info guys, and Larry I agree with Oscar, great site.

Kurt