Category: Woods For Carving

Posts of this category describe different types of woods and their value as carving wood.

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Carving Wooden Ducks

Caving Wooden Ducks

Carving of wooden ducks from wood used to be the primary means that duck hunters made decoys for hunting. When ducks fly overhead and see (or think they see) other ducks they are more likely to fly down and socialize. Then the hiding hunter can shoot one.

Best Wood for Carving Ducks

These hunting ducks were commonly made from cedar wood or pine, which holds up well to water and is very buyont in water. Today ducks are carved from any wood as they are typically not used for hunting and are not placed in water.

Today the demand for decoy ducks is filled by plastics or rubber manufacturers. Injection molding of plastics or rubber is much cheaper and repeatable and can even create more realistic looking decoy duck. Similar to the plastic duck anchored in our pond that fools the real ducks flying by almost every April.

But carving decoy ducks from wood is still a great hobby. It is also a great way to make a unique household decoration, that can even be valuable. It is possible to purchase duck carving kits that help the beginning carver get started.

Our sun room, when we purchased our home was full of wooden ducks and other wooden birds. One of them, pictured in this post looks like a hand carving. I was also impressed with the cost and creativity of some of the wooden ducks being sold online. The average value of a carved wooden duck is about $100.

Painting Wooden Ducks

If you are really planning on putting your carved duck into water (which is rare nowadays) then a wood primer to first seal the wood is advisable. Use of cedar wood with a quality primer can help your duck last for years. After priming use finish paint a Satin finish looks more like an actual duck than does a gloss finish.

Cedar Ducks
Country Duck

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Carving Basswood

Basswood tree

Basswood is another common knife carving wood. It s commonly the wood you get when you buy a carving kit for knife carving in hobby stores.

basswood carving blocks

Basswood is similar to pine wood in that it is a soft wood. However its grains are tighter, it is classified hardwood. 

basswood grains

Basswood commonly grows in the Northeast of the US.

Some Details on Basswood from the Wood Database

Common Name(s): Basswood, American Basswood, Lime, Linden Scientific Name: Tilia americana Distribution: Eastern North America Tree Size: 65-120 ft (20-37 m) tall, 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 26 lbs/ft3 (415 kg/m3) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .32, .42 Janka Hardness: 410 lbf (1,820 N) Modulus of Rupture: 8,700 lbf/in2 (60.0 MPa) Elastic Modulus: 1,460,000 lbf/in2 (10.07 GPa) Crushing Strength: 4,730 lbf/in2 (32.6 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 6.6%, Tangential: 9.3%, Volumetric: 15.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.4

Color/Appearance: Pale white to light brown color, with sapwood and heartwood sections not clearly defined. Growth rings tend to be subtle, and color is mostly uniform throughout the face grain of the wood. Knots and other defects are uncommon.

Grain/Texture: Grain is straight, with a fine, even texture and moderate natural luster.

Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; medium pores predominantly in radial multiples or clusters of 2-4; growth rings indistinct or distinct due to marginal parenchyma; medium to large rays, normal spacing, noded; parenchyma banded (marginal), apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates.

Rot Resistance: Basswood is rated as being non-durable in regard to heartwood decay.

Workability: Easy to work, being very soft and light. Perhaps one of the most suitable wood species for hand carving. Basswood also glues and finishes well, but has poor steam bending and nail holding characteristics.

Odor: No characteristic odor.

Allergies/Toxicity: Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, no further health reactions have been associated with Basswood. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Pricing/Availability: Widely available as lumber or carving blanks. Prices are in the lower range for a domestic hardwood, though larger carving blocks are more expensive.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common Uses: Carvings, lumber, musical instruments (electric guitar bodies), veneer, plywood, and wood pulp and fiber products.

Comments: Species in the Tilia genus are usually referred to as either Lime or Linden in Europe, while  in North America it’s most commonly called Basswood.

Basswood is an ideal wood for  many woodcarvers. Its soft, fine, even texture make it easy to work with, while its pale, inconspicuous color doesn’t detract from the carved patterns of the finished product (which also makes it easier to paint and color).

Though Basswood has high initial shrinkage, the wood is stable in service after it has been dried. And though the wood is both lightweight and soft, it has an outstanding MOE-to-weight ratio. However, its MOR is on par with its low weight; simply put, when put under stress, the wood will remain stiff, but will still break (rupture) at a relatively average weight.

Related Species:

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Carving Pine Wood

If you are new to carving and are looking for carving information you are in the right place. Chances are you may have found this site because you have a pine tree that you will soon or currently have available for use and you are considering taking up carving, or hiring a carver. If this is the case you are in good shape.

Best Carving Wood for Beginners

Pine wood is a great wood for the beginning carver, whether you are carving with chainsaw or with knives. Pine wood is a great wood for carving. It is soft wood that is easy to hone skills at carving with. White pine is the best one to use.

Pine however, at certain times of the year can have a lot of sap in it, which can quickly gum up carving tools.

To get around this problem it is advisable to not cut the pine down in the spring or early summer. Instead, if possible try to use pine for carving that was cut when the tree is more dormant like in the fall or winter.

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Can Willow Wood Be Used For Carving?

Carving Willow Wood

To my disappointment willow wood is not useful as a carving wood. It is very soft and may be a good wood to practice carving with. But it rots fast, it is often full of parasites and bugs. And does not hold up as it shrinks and cracks upon rapid drying.

I have two 6’+diameter willow trunks, about 15 long and much more of every size in my back yard this summer (2020). I was hoping to carve these into something large and beautiful, but I realize now it is probably not a good idea.

Willow wood is not useful for much more than fire wood for a bonfire. It is not good for home heating either because it burns with creosote. Which poses a fire hazard in a chimney. And it does not have a lot of energy per unit volume compared to other woods.

So if you’re like me and have a ton of willow wood, only use it for practice carving, hone your carving skills, perhaps in front of a bonfire. Then just burn it when done. Don’t waste your time creating something you want to keep and showcase. Instead use a wood like cedar or black walnut or cherry for that.

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Best Wood to Carve

What is the best wood for carving? If you are like me you have asked this or are currently asking this question as you get started in carving. And if you are also like I was, you are a beginner in wood carving because you are asking it. Seasoned carvers don’t seem to ask this and seem to scoff a little at the question.

If you are like me you may have some wood and are looking for something useful to do with it. Or you may have a tree you want down and are just wondering if you can turn it into a wooden bear or an eagle or an outdoor bench. For me it was two 6′ diameter 200 foot tall mega-willow trees. And two unwanted pine trees that were dumping sap on our vehicles.

The quick answer to that question is that most woods can be used for carving but some woods are far better suited for carving than are others. As was in my situation, willow can be carved, it is very soft, but it dries out fast, it cracks easily and it typically full of parasites. All of which happened, but I was able to do some initial caves and I developed some carving skills. Both with my chainsaw and with a carving knife that I bought at a rummage sale for $0.25.

I asked what is the best wood to carve to dozens of professional and hobbyist wood carvers. And most of them said not to make anything valuable with willow but carve it anyhow for practice and to just enjoy the process. They also pushed back on the question a bit before answering. They helped me to split the question up into several questions in order to answer most appropriately.

  1. What is the best wood for a beginner to get started carving with?
  2. What is the best wood to carve with a chainsaw?
  3. What is the best wood for whittling? (carving with a knife)
  4. What is the best wood to make valuable carves that are kept for decoration and/or sale, like wooden ducks?

So the best wood depends on what tools that you are carving for and carving with.

What is the best type of wood for a beginner carver to start with?

Answer: White pine that is freshly cut in the fall, not cut in the spring or early summer. This is because there can be high amounts of pine sap in the wood if it is cut in the spring. This sort of wood is the best for beginners to gain carving skills with, especially when carving with a knife. Freshly cut wood is softer and easier to work with. White pine is also good for chainsaw carving but chainsaw carving can be a bit more forgiving.

What is the best wood to carve with a chainsaw?

Answer(s): White pine, cedar, or cherry. But wood type is not all that critical, just start carving with the wood that is available. Develop carving skills, develop your cuts and grooves to accomplish the shapes and details you are looking for. Also smaller chainsaws are easier to get started with , 14″ to 16″ bars are easier than larger 20″ bars for detail work.

Best wood for Whittling?

Answer: White pine cut that has been freshly cut in the fall or winter. As the beginner increases in skill they should expand out to other woods. It is not a huge deal what wood you use to carve. Some other great options include: birch, cherry, black walnut, cedar, and Sumack. Beginner carves are spoons and perhaps a duck. Not too much detail and rewarding at the end of the carve. Some woods are too hard and are hard on your tools but if that is not a problem grab a piece of oak or maple and start carving.

What is the best wood to make valuable carves for decoration and/or sale?

Custom Wood Carving

Best Answer: black walnut, cedar, birch and cherry.

As I researched this and started carving myself I quickly realized this is a common question for beginner carvers. But for the experienced carvers it is not as big a deal. There are many woods that are good options for carving with either chainsaw or knives.

The important thing is to just get carving, improving skills and if you mess up, have a bonfire, cook some smores, or use it to heat your home.

Check out my related post:

Best wood carving tools for beginners.

What woods have you carved with? Please share your insights in the comment section below.