Woods for Whittling
Woods for Whittling
The Woods for Whittling
There are many types of wood suitable for wood
carving or whittling and the choice is around the type of project to be made.
Before using a wood there are some considerations. There are the issues of type
of grain, damage to the wood, imperfections and the wetness. Damp or wet wood is
more difficult to whittle or carve and then may distort or
crack on drying.
Branches and Twigs. You don’t need regular pre-cut
pieces of wood to whittle. A branch or a piece of wood from any tree makes for
great whittling. You may be in the middle of nowhere and grab a piece
while sitting around a campfire and start whittling away while you talk to your
buddies. Nothing more enjoyable. Or you may see a piece of random wood at a
building site or anywhere. It’s all good!
Balsa. The wood is a soft, inexpensive, lightweight wood that’s
perfect for whittlers who are beginners. You can buy it this from craft stores
and hobby shops for pretty cheap. This is available pre cuts for a few dollars
for a good selection. As said above you have to consider that the wood may be
too soft for the project.
Pine
Is another traditional whittling wood. It is readily available . It’s
soft, cuts easily generally, but it has its drawbacks. Some whittlers think
pine does not give detail very well. Pine can also be layered texture
wise that makes it tricky to work with. By that I mean that the grain may be
good but that the wood is made up of hard and soft alternate layering so you
cut through a soft layer to get to a hard boundary layer which is resinous and
tough to cut through before getting to the soft layer again. This carries on an
ongoing way. An experienced whittler can cope with this challenge. Also pine
can be knotty. The grain can also curve around a lot affecting your cutting
direction.
Basswood. This wood has been used for a very long time for
woodcarving and is also called Linden or Lime . This has been the preferred
wood of European carvers and sculptors from the Middle Ages for
crafting elaborate Religious and altar pieces for the churches. This is a very
good wood to whittle with because it’s soft and doesn't appear to
have any grain and be cut from any direction with ease. Basswood
blocks can be found up in various sizes at your local hobby or craft
store for a reasonable prices.
Mahogany
Mahogany carves differently and can vary from being easy to somewhat difficult
due to the various hardness’s and grain density found . If the grain density is
too hard then the wood chips especially when you are coming down to fine
detail. Mahogany is generally free of knotting. This wood is a stable and
sturdy wood which is to say it does not dry and crack with time like
others do.
Walnut This is a hardwood, which hold detail well but is harder to
carve and with woods like this you may need to use gouges and/or chisels to get
at the detail. The wood can also vary a lot in color this can give blotchiness
and color change which has to be considered in your design planning.
Cedar is a good soft wood and you can find it at a hardware store.
In a sense it is similar to pine with less difficult re the resinous layering .
Also it gives out a wonderful smell on an ongoing basis. This is
available at your hobby, craft or DIY store in pre-cut form
Oak
This wood is generally a light
yellow in color and is straight grained . Its properties are connected to how
its growing history lies. For example a slower grown oak has a tighter grain
and harder to whittle or carve. You need to look carefully at good
whittling knives to use here.
Maple
This wood is light in color and straight grained and it dries slowly but evenly. The wood is tough bends well and does
not shrink much. It finishes well in that it gives a fine sanded finish and
takes well to polishing,staining and varnishing
