Getting Started

[DFader]

I'm looking at getting into power carving and have heard that the fur, feathers and fins dvd is a very good video for starting out. I was wondering if anyone knew what size off basswood was used in the video for making the carvings? I live in a remote area and would have to order the basswood at the same time.

[mpounders]

I'm not sure that there is a pattern for any of the carvings on the dvd, except maybe the rabbit? I found the dvd more useful as to how to use certain burrs and what techniques are used, rather than a real project guide, but I found it very helpful. I'll see if I can find my copy and see if there are any measurements.

[telecarver]

In my experience basswood is not the best wood for power carving. It's more difficult to get smooth cuts than with some other species of wood. It's great for edge tool carving but I recommend tupelo for power carving

[susieq]

Frank Russell uses tupelo most of the time. That is probably the type of wood he's using in the videos. One good source for tupelo is Cape Fear. You can probably google them.

but I do power carve with basswood too. It does require more finishing work but otherwise it power carves quite well and is a lot easier to come by than tupelo....and probably a tad cheaper than tupelo too.

[Claude]

Walnut, cherry, and maple are also good woods to carve with rotary power tools.

Claude