Part of the process
Choose the wood
Start with basswood: at about 410 lbf it is one of the softest carving woods and has a fine, even grain. Harder woods are carved green, and open-pored or resinous woods suit only some styles.
- First wood
- basswood, about 410 lbf Janka
- Spoon woods
- green birch, cherry, maple, walnut
The wood decides how hard the work is before the knife touches it. Basswood is the standard first wood: about 410 lbf on the Janka scale, with a fine, even grain that takes detail and paint. Butternut is a little harder and shows more grain. The wood for carving chart lists the common species by hardness with a verdict for each carving style.
Hardness is only half of it. Oak and ash are hard and have large open pores. Pine and cedar carry resin or a strong smell, and pine sold as lumber has hard bands that turn the edge aside. For a spoon you will eat with, carvers use closed-grain hardwoods such as birch, cherry, maple and walnut. See best wood for spoon carving and can you whittle pine.
Then there is moisture. Green wood, freshly cut and still wet, cuts far more easily than dry wood, which is why spoon carvers work green and let the piece dry afterwards. Blocks sold for whittling are dry. If you cut your own wood, green wood vs dry wood explains the choice and how to dry wood for carving covers drying without cracks.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Learning on pine lumber or oak because it was at hand, then blaming the knife.
- Leaving a fresh log to dry with bare ends, so it cracks from the end grain.
- Soaking a dry block in water to soften it, which invites cracks as it dries.