[BobD]

Rick,

You had me googling for Arctic Banna wood before I read your second thread...

Bob

[Colin_Partridge]

I am like Bob I am all ears now on this Artic Banana wood. My favorite to carve is cedar I love the grain and also the smell when carving it. Especially the aromatic cedar. Aromatic cedar is hard to find and looks the same as eastern white cedar when growing. I have only stumbled upon a small amount by accident but the heart wood is a beautiful pink color. Cedar has its downfalls the twisted grain can cause somewhat a problem. Just when you think you have the grain figured out it will twist completly the opposite way. Never the less I love to carve it. I like free wood also but not just the fact you dont have to pay for it. I like to go into the woods and discover it for myself, harvest it and bring it home and carve it. Finding wood sometimes is as much fun as carving it. I dont think there are too many of the common woods I havent carved my personal findings are the harder the wood the better detail it takes.
Colin

[missioni]

Zirbe Holz aka Austrian Stone Pine.
Takes detail like bass
Carves like butter
and smells better than anything you can get from the smell good section at Nordstoms.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

iz youse folks joshin' us? cuz ifn youse ain't, alpaca sack an go wit ya!

[Mitchell]

I suppose I would have to answer Bass because that's what I use the most. Butternut makes nice natural carvings. Bark is not so popular with me, but that's a personal thing.
One of the prettiest (natural) IMO is cherry. Walnut is nice too. Both are a little hard to carve though.

[Mitchell]

Forgot to add that Jueletong (Sp?) is a nice alternative. I have heard that Avacado is a nice carving wood also. Anyone tried it?

Others are Catalpa and Buckeye.

[jamesfa]

my favorite wood is any wood thats free-what i have been using is bass,cedar,old cedar rail fences.
also like bark, was able to pick some up several years ago when i was out in Co.
have got some walnut and cherry but haven't used it yet,waiting for inspiration the wood is to nice to use on caricatures.

Frank

[Lightningbolt]

Sourwood by far. Easy grain to carve and the bright white/creamy wood takes on my thinned accrylic paints so beautifully. I've also built a lot of furniture from this beautiful wood.

The local beehive farmers here in the Blue Ridge sometimes don't take too kindly to my lust affair with the sourwood but we've all gotta share.

[squbrigg]

Thanks folks, not a lot of surprises I suppose, except for the sourwood and Rick's Arctic Banana. Have just been curious, and considering some combinations of woods for effects, have always used different woods for different tasks on my ships, but was looking at different woods laminated into a cane, just to accent the carved area more clearly. Just ideas running around in this empty space I call a head!

Bob

[DiamondWillow]

I see someone mention Jelutong....Anyone have good suppliers of Jelutong in the States? Sounds like an interesting wood and I have never carved it.


Gene