[Gear Dog]

Pallets, man you guys are a great resource. I recently got rid of 2 that were sitting in my driveway from a cement delivery last summer. How can you tell what kind of wood it's made of?

[Just Carving]

Usually, I go by the color. If its snow white, I'd hazard a guess that it was aspen or basswood. But it depends a lot on where it comes from. Wherever the pallet manufacturer is located, is pretty much going to determine what wood he can get the cheapest that will do the job. If you got a crate or a pallet from South America, it could very well be mahogany or whatever native wood that's available.

As for pallets with cement or masonry, I'd be careful. The materials on the pallets could also affect your tools. So, the silica or the lime could very well damage your tools. Besides, my guess is the pallets were probably ash, maple, oak--any one of the woods that would be pretty tough to carve by hand.

Bottom line--carry a pocket knife with you. If you've been carving wood, you'll know what you can carve what you can't. Make a cut into a clean section, and see what's what. Even if it isn't good for carving, it might be good for firewood. Maybe you can swap with a buddy who has some cherry, or something that'll be a blast to carve!

Almost forgot, if there is a pallet manufacturer nearby, talk to him about trading some of your carving work for some scraps. If you get to know him well enough, he'll toss some "unuseable" stuff to the side and save it for you. Of course, make sure you bring him good carvings--anything'll do--he'll get a kick out of what you did with his garbage!!!LOL

Bob L