[mark yundt]

Mahogany,,Butternut,,Walnut,,Spanish Cedar..Not in any particular order

[Thomp]

it would be hard to choose one favorite,

i like cypress knees cuz i can get um for a little sweat and effort.
depending on where you harvest them, there is a difference in how they carve,
I got a cypress knee out in the shed been drying 5 years and still as heavy as birch or maple of that size, it was dry land bald cypress, others that are grown in the lake and never have the water recede during the season are the best, kinda corky, some damaged or big old ones are pithy, but most I've carved require a sharp tool to deal with um, knives feel as though the wood is sticky, working it the knife barks and squeaks sometimes, and some noticeable effort has to be made to remove the blade after making some short stop cuts,
cypress knees when compared to basswood, id have to say basswood feels like it was oiled, versus the dry sticky feel of cypress knees on the knife.

sweet gum would be next, little harder than popular but easy to find here at sawmills in the south, and considered junk, unless the cabinet makers beat you to it. so its low cost.

some species of mahogany are as easy to carve as basswood, but hard to find and rough on your wallet cuz it don't grow in this country,,
willow and cottonwood and aspen are all good carving woods for ease of the effort... and somewhat fuzzy when worked with power.

[Just Carving]

Eastern white pine.

[jartzh]

Why exclude basswood. Its at the bottom of my list, along with sugar pine. Basswood has no character. I think the question would be painted vs non painted.

[Bob_in_TN]

Butternut & Buckeye. I like the buckeye if it's clear with no spalting. Got ahold of some that had a lot of spalting and it's very similar to trying to carve limestone.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Eastern White Pine, Eastern Red Cedar,Maple I could go on forever lol
Alice

[Ron Davidson]

I have always carved basswood and butternut. But after carving Spanish cedar I like it better than basswood but I will carve either whatever is available.

[stickman]

anything I can get for free! sassafrass,apple,oak,cherry,pine,elm are very plentifull around my area.

[Canopener]

I think a lot of people,including myself, prefer basswood because it is "safe". It is widely available and someone else is doing the quality control. You can also get whatever size you need.
But my favorite woods come from my own yard because I can control the quality and age of the wood. They are also free and good for trial and error.
I am always pruning my aspens and poplars, and as I have said before, I find a nice chunk of aspen hard to beat. The poplar limbs make nice woodspirits, even though it is a bit stringy, but I am familiar with it and make it work for me. Again it is fresh and free.
I also fool around with some maple, oak and pear or apple; what the heck, but I leave the ponderosa pine alone. The smell gets to me after awhile.
Quite a few of our members find good wood a short walk from home also.
I guess my point is that what you can find locally should be your favorite wood, not what I use in Northern AZ, or some one in Canada or down in the tropics. Unless you need to work in exotic wood, which is a whole 'nother ball game.
Best of luck in finding your favorite.
Jim

[Rogheff]

DIAMOND WILLOW!!! Soft, easy to carve, strong and gorgeous!