# Where can I get wood?



## messiwoodworks (Oct 8, 2020)

Hi I'm new new to releif carving. Anyone know where I can get carving wood for a decent price?

Either basswood or hard woods.


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

I buy all my basswood from Heinecke. https://heineckewood.com Good Northern basswood!

Claude


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

My local lumberyard carries basswood in 4/4, 6/4 and 8/4. I usually just buy 8/4 and cut it to whatever size i need.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

Welcome to LumberJocks!

Finding inexpensive sources for quality wood is always a challenge. 
Did you ask Google maps for 'hardwood lumber near me'? 
Be surprise what you can find searching via Google maps.

If you put your approximate location (city, state or just state) in your profile; might find someone local who can help you find stuff local?

Cheers!


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

As a beginner, stick with basswood or maybe butternut until you get good at carving and sharpening your gouges. My local Woodcraft carries basswood and butternut for carving but make sure that it is northern basswood. Woodcraft had a sale on a special shipment once that must have been southern basswood because it was real stringy and not much fun to carve. Craft stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby may sell some as well but it looks like the stringy southern variety when I have looked at it.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Forgot to mention, Rockler carries Basswood blanks, although much cheaper on Amazon, especially if you have Prime. Can bags of blanks made for whitling/carving pretty cheap, good practice.


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

My standard smart-a## answer to that question as a woodturner is always: "you do know that wood grows on trees, right?" 
;-)

Seriously. It does. And downed trees are EVERYWHERE. I've always got an eye out for wood I have not turned before. Just recently I found out that Paulownia trees are an invasive hard-to-kill non-native that is soft as butter to carve. You do have to wait for it to dry, and it's a bit odd in that it's hollow inside, but it does cut very easily.
If you can find a downed walnut, ash, or red Oak, or even maple or cherry, they all carve nicely, even if a bit harder than basswood. I've found that poplar and alder carve fairly well. I don't like the look of poplar unless it's painted usually, but alder cleans up nice.

As for hardwoods that are dry, cabinet shops usually have tons of offcuts that just go in the trash- otherwise they get buried in scrap. You might make a trip to your local shop, and ask if you can have small offcuts out of the dumpster.

Can you tell that I hate to pay for wood?


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## wildwoodbybrianjohns (Aug 22, 2019)

+1 on the dumpster dives; I have a circuit, but mostly you find mdf and particle board offcuts; sometimes some gems.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I usually look for wood on FB marketplace, especially rough sawn costing a fraction of a hardwood supplier. I need Ash, Maple or Oak for a garage workbench I'm building and every retailer wants an arm and a leg, almost what stamped and graded construction lumber costs now. I found a guy selling 1×10 Ash at least 8' long for $7/bd. which is under $1/bdft., for that cost I can buy a bit of surplus if any has excessive defects.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Back to your original question - sources for wood for *relief carving*: Basswood is best, but can vary greatly. Craft stores often have overly dry slices intended for pyrography, cut cross-grain to retain the bark. Look for a supplier that sells a lot of carving wood so it will be consistent in moisture content and grain qualities. That typically points to Heinecke Wood Products.
For those that have developed a tolerance for less-than-ideal wood, Poplar from your local BigBox store is a possible alternative.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Also, forget the "for a decent price" caveat. If you are serious about relief carving, get the best wood you can.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Start with putting a location on your profile. Don't need a home address, just a rough estimate. I use SW Ohio/CinDay. It's possible you live in a mail to only area, but you could also have a place down the street to go look, touch, and shop.


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