What Types of Woods are Good for Carving?
Wood carving can be an incredibly rewarding and positive hobby, and eventually can even become a career. It is one of the oldest crafts in the world, and is both functional and artistically beautiful. Nearly every wood on earth can be used for carving, which gives the craft a huge abundance to choose from, and at times that can be overwhelming. There are a few especially popular types of wood used in carving, however, particularly among beginners. These woods are usually chosen for their softness and beauty, and also for their relative affordability.
Basswood is probably the most popular carving wood for beginners. Basswood is from the Tilia genus, and is often known as linden in North America as well. It is a white wood which grows throughout Europe and the Americas, and has been used in woodworking for centuries. Basswood has almost no grain, and is very soft, making it ideal for new woodworkers, and one sees it often used for small model parts. It is also popular in cheaper musical instruments, making up the bodies of some woodwinds, and electric basses and guitars. Basswood blanks can be found at most hobby supply shops, and are a great wood to start learning to carve on, since it is malleable and cheap.
Aspen is another white wood that is quite popular among woodworkers. Aspen is stronger than basswood, but is still quite soft, so it is fairly easy to use for carving. Aspen trees grow widely and easily, and so the wood is common and quite cheap. All sorts of low end goods, from matches to packing material, are made from aspen, and cheap aspen blanks can be found at most hobby supply stores.
Butternut is another good wood for beginner wood carving. It is browner than both basswood or aspen, so for those who don’t want to work in white it can be a good option. It is also sometimes referred to as white walnut, because it is still much paler than the deep hue of black walnut. Like black walnut, butternut polishes quite nicely, and so is a good choice for carving furniture. It is also quite resistant to most rots, and is lightweight when compared with black walnut. At the same time, it is a much softer wood, so beginners will find it much more suitable for carving.
Black walnut itself is a very popular wood for carving, although it is much more expensive than the other three woods mentioned. It is fairly easy to carve, but is very sturdy, and quite heavy, although not as heavy as oak. Walnut is used in all sorts of things, from furniture, to gunstocks, to coffins, and because of the relatively rarity of the trees, it can be extremely expensive.
Oak is probably one of the most popular woods for carving, with a range of features that make it almost ideal. It is an incredibly strong and sturdy wood, and is almost impervious to most rots and insects. The grain of oak is considered very beautiful, and it is one of the favorite woods used for carving furniture.
Written by Brendan McGuigan
