Best types of wood to use for wood carving

Discover the qualities and specifications of the main wood species recommended for carving with
gouges and chisels. All wood species can be carved, but it is preferable to use power tools for
woods that have higher densities.

Linden (density .41):

Very soft white wood, with ideal grain for carving, recommended for beginners and experts. This is
excellent for enhancing shapes because its colour intensifies light to dark contrasts. Linden is ideal
for projects that will be painted because it is easy to carve and its grain is very subtle. This wood is
also ideal for carving faces and small sculptures that require very fine grain which will not distract
from the beauty of the work.

Grey Ash (density .45):

This is a very soft, light brown wood that is a little more brittle than linden. The grain is very
pronounced, similar to that of oak. Grey Ash is ideal for all projects where visible grain is desired.

Pine (density .42):

Pine is a relatively soft resinous wood, appreciated for its yellowish tint and often pronounced grain.
However, it can be brittle and have knots that are very hard to carve. Pine is ideal for beginner
projects because it is readily available and inexpensive. Compared to linden and grey ash, pine will
resist rotting and is therefore an excellent choice for outdoor projects.

Tupelo (density .50):

Tupelo grows in the bayous of Louisiana . It is widely used by carvers working with power tools,
because the wood fibers tend to crush and are not easily cut when using manual gouges and
chisels. Tupelo vaporizes to a fine dust and is easily carved with power tools. This wood's best
feature is that it can be carved in different directions and that the grain is almost invisible, thus
providing a higher quality finish. For example, decoy carvers (fowl in particular) use this type of wood
when very detailed plumage is required. Because tupelo is white and has no visible grain, wax or oil
finishing will not enhance it very much. This wood is best used for projects that will require painting.
This will provide a finished piece with lots of subtle, smooth and colourful details.

African Mahogany (density .53) or Brazilian Mahogany (density .60):

Mahogany is also a species of wood that is easily carved even though it is denser than the woods
previously discussed. Mahogany is a rich orange-brown in colour and seems to shimmer under
various types of lighting. The grain is quite rich and spectacular, and enhances the aesthetics of any
piece.

Pear Tree (density .70):

Pear wood is also an excellent choice for carving. Because of its high density, good quality gouges
and chisels and mallets are required. Pear wood grain is not very visible; its colour is flesh tone pink
which gives excellent results for carving the human form It is best to sharpen gouges and chisels
prior to working with pear wood .
Basswood (Tilia Americana) is easy to work, Europeans sometimes call it
American lime because it bears some carving similarities to European lime
(Tilia vulgaris). Basswood is an off-white, almost cream colored, tending
towards very light brown. The grain is straight, and texture is even. It holds
carving detail very well. The wood has no characteristic odor or taste. It
seldom warps after seasoning, making it close to ideal for larger pieces, as
well as great for smaller carvings. Cost is moderate, usually 25 to 50 cents
under the oaks.

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is also called white

walnut. Though it is much softer than black walnut,
it is related, and figure and grain patterns are very
much alike. The narrow sapwood is almost dead
white, but the heartwood is a very light brown, possibly with some pink
tones and the occasional dark brown streak…the streaks can make for very
effective carvings if handled well. The wood is lightweight, and the texture is
coarse. It works easily and holds detail well. It is a fine carving wood.

Cherry (Prunus serotina) is not as easy to work

as the above two woods. It classes as moderately
difficult, in fact, but the reddish brown color and
gentle figures make it an attractive wood to carve.
Cherry shrinks a lot in drying, but is very stable afterwards. Power tools can
burn cherry, but hand carving tools won't. Appearance is great, it holds
detail well, and is currently one of the highest priced American woods
because of its popularity for general woodworking. Cherry also darkens as it
ages, with color over the years becoming almost as dark as black walnut
(which, oddly enough, lightens as it gets older).

Maple (Acer saccharum [hard] and Acer rubrum

and others [soft]) are carving woods that present
some challenges. The grain patterns are not as
straight as in some other woods, especially in hard
maple, and create a tendency to blotch when finished that also shows up as
varying density when you're carving the wood. More careful planning of cuts
may be needed here. There are numerous special grain names for maple,
including birdseye, curly, fiddleback and tiger, which can create great special
effects in your carving (and make you work for every compliment as the
wilder the grain the harder the carving). Holds detail well and finishes to a
high shine.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra, et al) is a group of oaks

that are all porous (open pores run long distances, so
that it is possible to use a 5-6" long piece of red oak
to blow bubbles in water, as if you were using a
straw). Quartersawn red oak has many attractive rays. Grain is sometimes
difficult for carvers, but it takes decent detail (not as good at really fine
detail as basswood, cherry, and some others, but pretty good--and it lasts
nicely, as evidenced by my house's red oak newel posts that were carved
and set in place around 1915). Keep the tools super sharp for this one.

Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a semi-forgotten wood that is useful

for a ton of things, is best used quartersawn (it's not particularly stable in its
flat sawn form), and has a really lovely lacey ray pattern when quartersawn.
The wood is a silvery white to reddish brown and is a moderate item: it is
moderately heavy, moderately strong, moderately stiff, moderately hard and
has good shock resistance. It holds detail quite well, probably a little better
than red oak, and finishes nicely. Carving can be fairly difficult, but it
rewards the work.

Walnut, American Black (Juglans nigra) has

heartwood that varies in color from very light
brown to almost purple. It is usually straight-
grained and easily worked, as well as being heavy,
hard and stiff, with good shock resistance. It is a moderately open pored
wood that takes natural finishes well (and needs a filler to reach a really
high sheen). It is difficult to say enough about the good qualities of this
wood, but it is a very, very good carver's wood as well as being a very, very
good, and attractive, general use wood. Demand has recently been down a
bit, as the lighter colored woods are currently more popular, but the price is
still fairly high.
A Few World Woods Most of these woods are not commercially grown U.S.
and Canada woods, but some may still be available as local woods in some
areas.

Lime (Tilia vulgaris) is an excellent starter wood for carvers because it is

so small grained and easy to carve that it is very forgiving of many mistakes
that might ruin carvings in other woods. The grain is tiny and not particularly
distinctive. The wood is straw colored, or lighter. This may be found as a
decorative planting in America. Sharp tools give the best finish (but when
isn't this true?).

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is also

known as Honduras mahogany, with most now
coming out of Central America. Heartwood color
varies from light to a dark reddish-brown, right on
to a deep, rich red. Grain is usually straight, but may be interlocked. Texture
is medium to coarse. Mahogany has low stiffness and resistance to shock
loads, but dries nicely, without distortion, and is stable in use. It works
easily with sharp tools, and has been for a long time one of the premier
furniture and decorative woods of the world.

Pear (Pyrus avium) is difficult to work, close-grained and very hard, but
works nicely in small carvings. Strong and tough, but may distort, and has a
tendency to split. It is very stable once dried, and is widely used for fancy
turnings, as well as carving. A challenge to work, but again a rewarding
wood that holds detail exceptionally well.

Tupelo is also known as black gum, which is

slightly odd name for a wood that is very light in
color, with a pale brownish heartwood, sometimes
tending to gray, and fading into a wide band of
lighter colored sapwood. Tupelo resists splitting, is uniform in texture and
has interlocked grain. The grain makes it hard to work, but it is rewarding
for power carvers. Tupelo stains nicely, and can be finished well, is heavy
and moderately strong, and holds detail very nicely. - See more at:
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