wood hardness

[Basset1557]

I have started to get back into carving a lot again and its seems as if you never know when you order bass wood how hard it will be I have been getting it from woodcafters .com and it seems as though the larger blocks are a lot softer than
flat stock/thinner is this the norm ? I also like to carve small in the round pcs But love chip carving but I am starting to get frustrated

Thanks
Mike

[CV3]

I am not sure this is correct. I have been told that the higher up the tree the harder basswood gets. I have tried to look that up but I have not been able to find any thing that verifies that. Maybe some one else in the forum knows for sure.

[Dicky]

I have heard that the further South basswood grows, the harder it is. It could also be that the thinner pieces give up their moisture more easily and are harder because they are drier. Who knows?

[Old Scout]

I had a load of Southern Basswood & the center was as hard as any wood I have ever used, I finally used the center cuts for table legs. The center pieces were also very heavy!, The rest of the wood was OK, but not as nice as Minn. basswood

[pallin]

It also depends on how long the wood sat in the shop - some cuts sell more readily than others. But, the primary "equalizer" is tool sharpness. That is, if your tools are truly sharp it doesn't matter (very much) the variations in the wood.

[Old Scout]

If I was not clear on my earlier message When I said center I should have said HEART !! The heart wood was like steel!!

[carverwood]

I have some Bass from Northern Minnesota or Canada,,,,I can't remember which, and it cuts like butter. Some that I have from my own area which is southern Iowa is a little harder.

[Basset1557]

Thanks for the feed back I am from MD which is about in the middle but there is no telling where the wood comes from I have heard of the farther south you go the harder the wood and. I keep reading about Heinecke wood in WI they are North and there prices are good dose any one deal with them or have a name of another good supplier . Also all your hear about is Bass wood what is other good woods for chip carving?

Thanks
Mike

[My Chip Carving]

Originally Posted by Basset1557

Also all your hear about is Bass wood what is other good woods for chip carving?

Thanks
Mike

Hi Mike, I can provide you with quality carving MN and WI basswood. Let me know size and quantity and I'll get right back to you with pricing. Marty@MyChipCarving.com
Other good chip carving woods: butternut, western red cedar, white pine, black walnut. You'll find the Janka scale of wood hardness posted in this thread.

[yaksha]

Generally speaking, older trees are harder. Slow growing trees are harder. Where it growth is also a factor. Trees growing in rocky/dry land usually harder.