# Green or dry wood for carving



## welderskelter (Jun 25, 2017)

I have heard talk of greenwood carving. I have heard it is easier to carve when green. Also greenwood turning. Is this true or have I just had my leg pulled? Help I am falling, and I may not get up. Harold


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

Green wood us generally easier to carve than dry wood. It is also easier to turn than dry wood. Many turners will turn a bowl using green wood down to greater than the planned thickness and then allow the wood to dry, by putting it in a bag with the wet shavings so it dries slowly and doesn't crack. Bowls will often warp significantly when drying. For carvings, especially in the round (3D), they will likely develop cracks as they dry. This may or may not be objectionable, depending on the design, etc. Some carvers, particularly in the NW of N. America remove a thin pie shaped wedge from the back side of the carving to help relieve the cracks caused by the stress of drying. The general rule of thumb for drying green wood is that it takes 1 year per inch of thickness to dry the wood. It should have the end grain sealed with wax, paint, etc. to slow down the drying from the ends. The wood should be placed outside in the shade and out of the rain, with stickers (small sticks) between layers and left to dry. Bringing the wood into a warm dry house will guarantee cracks as it dries. Hope this helps…

Claude


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Green wood can have fungus in it so take precautions if power carving, it can get in your mucus membranes. Dry wood takes detail better imo but green wood can be easier to pre-shape.


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## welderskelter (Jun 25, 2017)

If you were carving say a fish decoy would the moisture content matter much? Say 1 in. wide and 3 in. tall and about 7 in. long? Harold


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

duplicate post


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Think will find carvers like turning both wet & dry wood depending upon the project. Just remember wood is never as dry as we think it is or should be. Wood gains & loses moisture content through its useful life.

Wood Handbook, Chapter 13: Drying and Control of Moisture Content (fs.fed.us)

See figure 13-1 and table 13-2 knowing the recommended MC for your part of the country area good place to start. Basically you want your carving blank to reach EMC for your part of the country be carving.

The Wood Hand book has lot of technical info but the various chapter will bring you up to speed on what you need know to dry your carving blanks or lumber.

Forget the 1" per foot per year nonsense on good for one species of pine but not all! Expert over at Wood Web can explain in detail.


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

Green wood can sometimes be easier to carve. But the downside is that it will eventually dry out and could possibly split or check in undesirable ways that could ruin your carving. You can reduce it somewhat by splitting bigger pieces in half and removing the pith, keeping it in bags , or with wood chips to try and keep it from drying out too quickly, or using something like Pentacryl to try and slow down the drying out. I usually carve kiln-dried or air dried basswood now days to avoid all of these issues. But I did a large carving last year out of butternut that was a log split in half. It wasn't completely green, but I kept it covered in a plastic bag until I completed carving it and then finished it with a blo-poly mix applied several times and then waxed it.


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## welderskelter (Jun 25, 2017)

mpounders I have a lot of basswood on my place and And in the event of cutting firewood I have to saw a dead basswood out of the way now and then to get to the ash and maple.( I hate basswood for firewood.) And I dont remember seeing a split basswood even though it is drier than ever. I have some sawed up right now for selling and will have to watch it for splitting, Just a thought. Harold


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