Types of Wood

There are many types of wood that you can use. Ellenwood says that "if you're just beginning your carving journey, start with basswood or butternut" (Ellenwood 30). This is because they are the easiest to work with and a bad first experience can cause someone to stop wood carving or become frustrated with themselves that they can't do the project they are trying to do.

Basswood is a good starting, especially if you want to paint whatever you decided to carve. Butternut is also a good starting wood and would usually not be painted over with color because it already has a nice look to it.

Basswood

Butternut

Other types of wood like walnut or maple are a lot harder to carve because they are more dense. "Sharp tools are a must because walnut tends to tear as you cut across the grain" (Ellenwood 33). Ellenwood is stressing the importance of having sharp tools because if the wood tears, the carving will not turn out as well as you might want. Walnut and maple are very pretty, but take time to work up to carving.

Walnut

Maple

I think that when I did my first project, the one that failed, I used a wood that was harder to work because my father wanted me to use wood that he cut himself and he has harder, denser wood. If I had used basswood or butternut, My tools would have been sharp enough to cut through to wood and I cold have been successful in that project.

I ask you now, has there been an activity that you started at the wrong level or that you thought was too hard and gave up? If you did give up, do you wish you had stuck to it? Do you regret giving up?