[RJR]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and new to carving in general.
My question is what would be a good wood to use for a small residential sign that i am planning on carving for myself using both hand and power carving tools?
I was thinking in the lines of cedar since its fairly easy to get at local home center like lowes or home depot, but i don't know if thats a good wood to work with or not.
Any help or ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-Rich

[Eddy Smiles]

Rich.... Any sign that you make and use in an exterior application in Florida is going to get baked to death in under two years.... even with multiple coats of exterior varnish. The thicker that you can get the wood the longer the sign will last. Cedar might work if you can get it in 2" thickness but it seems a little brittle, at least what I've seen at the home stores. Since you live in Florida see if you can get a hold of some cypress. It should give you fairly good service. Stay away from straight pine if possible. I recently made and posted a sign on the forum that is made from Tennessee white pine and it is already showing signs of deterioration. If you're power carving and don't plan to get too carried away and wear adequate respiratory protection perhaps you could try some pressure treated lumber. The new treatment that's used is less toxic to the environment but I wouldn't recommedn breathing or eating it. It is also a lot less green and once dried looks almost natrual and can be coated with a finish. I think that the key is the power carving.

[RJR]

Thanks Eddy for the info, i think theres a sawmill thats a few towns over that i might try and see if they have the cypress if not i do know of a place in Sorrento near Mt Dora area that sells it for sure and has cypress knees as well for smaller projects.

-Rich