# beginning woodcarving



## tifftiff4 (Sep 10, 2014)

Looking to find wood to start carving. Where should I look and whom sells it?


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## FancyShoes (Aug 31, 2014)

Depending on how big of pieces you want, try to get them from other wood shops that have cut stuff down!


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

The best carving wood is Basswood as it is relatively easy to carve and holds detail well. It is also free of almost all grain markings. The major woodworking specialty stores like Rockler and Woodcraft sell Basswood carving blocks of various sizes or you can order some online. Just "Google" Basswood carving blocks". You might also find some locally at lumber yards. A telephone call will save you a lot of time. Forget Home Depot, Lowe's and the like. You can carve other types of wood, they are just harder to carve and have grain, wood pore, and other problems to deal with that are troublesome to the new carver.

Planeman


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## darinS (Jul 20, 2010)

+1 to *Planeman40* on the basswood. I've done a little chip carving with basswood, mostly just practice boards, and found a local place to get it. There may be other places you could get it close to you, but that's hard to say since you don't have your location filled out. There may even be other 'jocks close that could help you get started.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

What kind of carving?

For chip carving the top two are basswood and butternut.


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

Many woodcarvers buy from Heinecke 
They only sell basswood and they only sell great basswood. Seriously, these guys are great to deal with and their wood is fantastic for carving.


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## torpidihummer (Apr 29, 2013)

As Mike mentioned, the best over all Basswood is sold by Heinecke ,
this company sells just about any seize of Basswood you want.
There are Basswood sellers, however Heineke has been around
for quite some time. I carve Game Birds and Birds of Prey and have
been using Tupelo but since GREED has taken over most of the
Tupelo sellers and been pushing the worst of their Tupelo, I changed
over to Basswood sold by Heineke and is working just fine for me.
Oscar


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

Basswood is best for a new carver, as mentioned above. You can sometimes find basswood at a local store of some sort, but be wary: not all basswood is good to carve. Southern basswood, for example, is harder than Northern basswood, and also has more grain structure. Michaels and Hobby Lobby carry some basswood, but you'll be paying 3-4 times as much as what Heinecke charges. I've been buying from Heinecke for years - top quality wood!

Sugar pine is another wood that is apparently good to carve - although I've never tried it.

You can carved basswood with just a knife. Other woods such as maple, cherry, walnut are significantly harder and most people will need to use a mallet and gouge or rotary power tool to carve them.

Claude


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## tifftiff4 (Sep 10, 2014)

Im located in NH and any of you have ideas of where i can find basswood around here?


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

> Im located in NH and any of you have ideas of where i can find basswood around here?
> 
> - tifftiff4


You could check the local Yellow Pages under Hardwood Lumber. Or just go to http://www.heineckewood.com/ and order some. Usually takes less than a week to receive it.

If you are within driving distance of http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/505/woodcraft-of-portsmouth.aspx you might find some, but be cautious: it might be Southern Basswood, which is darker colored and harder with noticeable grain. The lighter colored the wood, the better.


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## Smokey583 (Sep 7, 2015)

New to forum and to carving. Doing a lot of research as I have yet to invest in chisels yet. I have some low grade chisels but nothing to get excited about. I want to invest in Pfeil, but the costs are enormous. I would have to get them one at a time. I have done some lettering with acceptable results with what I have. Did my house numbers in Walnut, and did pretty well. Other jobs were in Pine, but was a little disappointed with the fragility of the wood. I am sure it would be easier with the right tools and material. Look forward to starting and correspondence with Forumn.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

I want to invest in Pfeil, but the costs are enormous

Yep, brand new good chisels are expensive. I suggest you consider buying some really good carving chisels used through e-Bay or a tool auction website like Martin Donnelly (https://mjdtools.com/current_newsletter/index.htm). Subscribe to their weekly newsletter to see what they will auction. Your collection won't be matched, but they will be good tools. Another source for reasonably priced new carving tools is Wood Carvers Supply (http://www.woodcarverssupply.com/). They have their own brand of carving tools and they are very good.

Whatever you do, learn to sharpen them until they are razor sharp and can shave the hair off your arm as a test. It takes razor sharp carving tools to do nice work!

Planeman


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## Smokey583 (Sep 7, 2015)

I really have the sharpening thing down. You can shave with my knives and butt chisels. One of the reasons I was considering the u sharpened chinese brands. I went to woodcrafters and tried some Pfeil and flexcut. I liked them both, but again it is an enormous investment. I may order one or two Mastercarver chisels and see how they are. The price is reasonable. Will post my impressions.


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