TYPES AND KINDS OF WOODS USED IN CARVING

In carving, there are various types of woods and tools used. The kind of wood and tools used for a particular sculpture depends on how the carver wants the sculpture to look like and the kind of finish work that is expected.

In terms of wood, choosing the appropriate wood for carving can depend on many factors. Some includes; is the wood soft enough to cut easily with a chip-carving knife, or do you need a chisel and mallet? , will it have a natural finish that shows the grain, or it will be painted or polished? These woods after carving can be polished with normal shoe polish which includes brown or black in order to give it its colour. At other times, potassium is used to give it a particular colour.

         A carved bowl made from the Base wood( Os3s3)

When a wood is fresh, it presents problems since it is filled with a great deal of moisture. Also, if the log dries too quickly it may crack badly. It is therefore best to let the log air dry for a long period until it reaches an acceptable level of moisture content to prevent unwanted cracking. In the case of carving small, hand-held craft objects such as decorative designs on flat surfaces like the sides of jewelry boxes, base wood is an excellent choice. It is soft and easy to carve, and it is stable when dry. However, base wood’s softness makes it difficult to apply a stain evenly on carved surfaces or attain a glossy finish. Hence most base wood carvings are painted.

For sculptures with a natural wood finish, walnut, cherry, butternut and mahogany, provide rich colour with an attractive grain pattern. Butternut is very soft and the easiest to carve with hand tools. Walnut, mahogany and cherry are rich in colour and are somehow difficult to carve because of the dense grain. Therefore gouges and a mallet will be needed for these woods.

                              Pieces of Ebony wood

Some possible woods that can be used in wood carvings and their characteristics includes;

BASE WOOD is cream coloured, easy to carve and excellent for whittling and painted sculpture. There is also the BUTTERNUT which is light brown in colour, has a distinct grain pattern, good for natural-finish sculpture, very easy to carve but it quickly dulls tools. The CHERRY on the other hand is reddish brown, has a wavy grain and can be difficult to carve. It is however excellent for natural finish-sculptures. MAHOGANY is a dark reddish brown wood and an excellent choice for natural-finish sculptures. There is also MAPLE which is creamy, very hard and is difficult to carve, though it finishes well. OAK or WHITE OAK as it’s commonly called is light yellowish brown and very hard when kiln dried. It is difficult to carve but finishes well. There is also the PINE WOOD which is aromatic cream coloured, soft and is good for whittling; the prominent growth rings may however be difficult to cut through. There is also the EBONY WOOD that is black and cream in colour. It is good for all types of sculptures and carvings. Lastly, there is the WALNUT (BLACK WALNUT WOOD), which is dark brown and excellent for natural-finish sculptures. It finishes well too.

These wood types vary in different places or environments. The carver also makes it a point to choose the one he or she deems may give a good finished work.