Best wood for miniatures

[Kaity]

I have been carving some mini carvings (under 2") high and have not been satisfied with the woods I've used. Basswood doesn't take detail well enough and Castello boxwood is super hard. Is there a happy medium that is fine grained, easier to carve and find then boxwood, and readily available from retailers?

[Big Barn]

Have you tried Butternut ? Or maybe Fly Fisher can give some input here since he is the King of mini-carvings (IMO)

[Tom-H]

What tools do you use?

Tom H

[Kaity]

I use all hand tools. Mostly knives but have started using more chisels and gouges. I haven't tried butternut but I looked at some at the wood store. I didn't like how it had little "holes" in the grain... Maybe it was just bad quality though.

[Just Carving]

Sharp tools, a couple of mini tools for detail and try wood that is harder than basswood. Cherry comes to mind. But it is hard to carve so take small chips until you get used to it. Green wood--like maple or oak--might be a choice but it may crack as it dries.

Bob L

[Kaity]

I was reading about holly and plum wood. What do you all think about those as an "easier" alternative to boxwood? Are there any good sources you know of?

[Tom-H]

I try to whittle (knife only) miniatures out of Basswood. If I don't need a whole lot of real tight detail I use just plain ol' Basswood. But not all Basswood is the same. Some is harder. I keep the "harder" Basswood for those minis that require more tight detail.

Tom H

[fly fisher]

Hi Kaity Cherry, hard maple and pear are all good woods and will take a fair bit of detail [ not as much as box or ebony ]. I use scrapers not gouges or knives to detail the realy hard woods.

Heres a frog i just did out of Hard Maple, would of liked to have got a little bit more detail in him but the wood didnt let me.

[Kaity]

Fly: I love your frog. I have been following your posts on him! I vote that you do a post showing us what your scrapers look like and maybe how you use them ;-) I would be very interested. I have tried making a couple but they just dont do anything. I think I'm using them wrong.

I'll see if I can find some pear or maple locally to try out. Thanks for the tip.

[Buffalo Bif]

Soft maple might fall into the harder than bass but softer than boxwood, and should be available at most hardwood retailers. The holes you mentioned in butternut ar pores, you'll find them in ash, oak, mahogany, and spanish cedar too, among others. You may find you need a different bevel on your knives to help you with the hardwoods.