[torpidhummer]

Hopefully some of you folks out there that use or know more about tupelo wood than I do can help me out. I'm not to familiar with the grain (tight or loose) or hardness. I shifted over frpm basswood to tupelo as recommended being better for power carving.

First of all I had a hard time locating a good source of tupelo. I purchased a block from Woodcarft Stores, then a dealer in Mass.and from a tupelo wood dealer in North Carolina. All three purchases resulted in wide grain,very hard. I have used 50 grain sandindg tumblers, and every heavy artilery burrs and bits and the heavy wood grain stands out more dominent than the soft wood. What I doing wrong, is this the way tupelo works? Maybe I should put up with basswood fuzzies and sand the wood down after power carving, I'm starting to believe all the fuzzies are in my head I know I need help in that department as we all said before we are just happy being nuts. Come on folks clue me in about tupelo.
Thanks,
Oscar

[susieq]

Gads, I can't imagine! Tupelo doesn't generally even have much of a grain to it..... you can't gouge or chisel it but it power carves beautifully and I love it

You got this wood from several different vendors and it all had heavy grain and is hard? That is just bizzare. I don't know what to tell you Oscar. I have used tupelo for years and never had an experience like yours. I have to believe you have just had the worst luck in getting bad wood.......

I would love to see just what they sent you.

I usually (but not always) cut a blank out on the band saw and then carve it.
Some things I carve right from a block of wood without bandsawing it out first. Never had a problem. I find it to be not as hard as basswood. Now you have me real curious. a picture of this wood. Please.

[mark yundt]

Tupelo by mail can be dicey. I've had good as well as bad results. It can also depend where the wood was grown,,starting from around the Carolinas then south. It will also depend where on the tree it was harvested. The closer to the base of the trunk the better,,and that part usually grows underwater in the swamp.When I did a lot of birds I would always hand pick it. Now I have to take a chance by mail ,,,though my vendor said I can return anything I'm not happy with. I recently glued up two blocks both 5" X 12" X 24"..one was really nice,,the other had signs of some damage and wide rings,,,but I oriented them to my advantage. I was tempted to send it back,,but I managed O.K.. Where the wide rings really play havoc is when you go to burn in feather detail,,all sorts of ripples and waves ghost through the final finish,,though there are ways around that as well as the ripples left after sanding.

But generally speaking,,you shouldn't be able to see very much if ANY grain in the tupelo,,it's a great piece when you find one of those. You might try asking for that next time.

[Hugh P.]

I can add very little to whats been already said, but its a brute to carve if not good tupelo. Look for light and white, like Mark, I'm happier being able to pick it out in person, rather than through the mail. Also, if you keep tupelo too long it seems to get hard spots. In defense of the hard tupelo, it holds detail nicely, just run your bits slower, trying not to heat the bit, if the bit smokes up, slow it down, or change to one that has a different texture. Hope this helps.

[torpidhummer]

Susan,Mark & Hugh, thanks a lot for the imput,I will try running my bits slower and experiment with what ever bit that works, It's kind of hard to select my tupelo from 3000 miles in the opposite coast but I will inform my supplier to be more careful in selecting my wood.
Thanks,
Oscar

[Doug Ridley]

Call Curt Fabre and tell him to pick you out some extra soft Tupelo. You will be pleased. His contact info is-- 4033 Country Dr. • Bourg, LA 70343. 985-580-3014 • Fax 985-851-2328. Toll Free 800-523-8474
Hope this helps.
Doug

[torpidhummer]

Doug, thanks a whole bunch for your tupelo referral, I will contact Curt in the morning, By the way,I was admiring your web site and you have a great carving collection, fine work.
Oscar