Big box woods

[BrianHW]

I'm wondering what woods that are commonly available might be good for practicing my very limited skills. I've even used pieces of cedar fencing for lettering practice but it isn't very satisfying to use. I've got some big chunks of what I think are basswood (got CRS) but I'd rather not use it for just hacking. Any suggestions would be welcome.

[mobjack68]

Hey Brian...welcome to the forum, you will get very different results from different types of wood. The more detail you desire? the harder the wood needs to be. (the harder the wood, the smaller the cells...softwood has large cells, easy to cut, even easier to lose detail)

Your profile doesn't tell where you are located....there are a bunch of places that I have been able to "borrow" wood from....I like to follow the tree trimmers, one local company calls me whenever they get ready to cut a fruit tree.. (ain't small town life great!!) I worked part time for a guy that made wood molding...you know, take a big board, make little boards...take little boards, make sawdust....anyway, when he would get a shipment of wood, I would peruse the boards that separated the bundles. Got some GREAT 4"x4"x 6' basswood sticks (also cherry, ash, soft maple, etc..etc......not perfect pieces but very carvable.)

The palettes (here we go again) that are under 1/8" luaun (underlayment) plywood at the box stores are....Ta-Daa!! LUAUN (mahogany)... the overseas mills that make the plywood use the materials they have on hand...Mahogany!!

Sawmills are also a great source for oddball stuff. I landed a piece of Hemlock that was 10' x 14" x 12", laying in the scrap pile...sawyer saw a piece of metal, thought it was fence, scrapped the rest of the piece. When I got it home and did some scratching on it.....turns out, someone had used the tree for target practice...the pieces he hit were bullets...

Inner city areas still need places where they send yard waste and tree debris, find that special place, sometimes they will let you "pick up" rather than "drop off" if they have a zero removal policy, hang out outside the gate with a cooler of soft drinks to bribe the drivers, flag 'em down, offer them something cold while you clammor thru the trailer...

If you have a box store (lowes/homedepot/truevalue, etc...) western red cedar is available in pieces and boards. You can sometimes find clear, my Lowe's also sells (eastern) red cedar posts that would work well for carving practice...

sorry for all the dribble, just fortunate to live where I do and have the access to materials. Really sorry shipping is so outrageous...I'd send everybody some. Good luck in your quest...
jerry

[TreeWizard]

White pine works reasonably well as a carving wood and can be forund at most big box stores.

[mpounders]

I like poplar from Lowes or home depot. It cuts well, but some people don't care for the greenish tints it can have.

[brent]

Originally Posted by mpounders

I like poplar from Lowes or home depot. It cuts well, but some people don't care for the greenish tints it can have.

In my experience, it should turn brown most of the time.....over time.

[BrianHW]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm rapidly running out of excuses for putting knife to wood.