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E SS EN T I A L W O O D C A R V I N G T ECHN’!QUES

FlG 2.8 Stripy figurÄ™ in a mahogany-type wood sbowing light and dark stripes.

FlG 2.9 Satimuood when planed and sanded smooth has an attractwe lustre in its celi walls. The different angles ofithe grain oisible where it bas been riven make caroing along the grain oirtually impossible.

bcst to usc this figurc for simplc, broad forms where a sanded finish could bc acceptable.

Burrs are knobs growingon the tree, and are caused by insect, microbe or virus activity which stimulates the producrion of many leaf shoots or cddies in the grain. The result is rhar the grain grows in many different dircctions and is usually

Fig 2.10 Ripples on sweet chestnut as tbey appear afier planing.

very bcautiful. It is also unpredictable, and so has to be worked with the sharpest chisels or rasps and sandpapers or rotary cutters. Some burrs are racher likc dense leather. The root of a particular French heather (bruyhe) is carved into ‘briar’ pipes for smokers and is essentially a burr which is very pleasant to carve.

Another visuallv attractivc feature which may pose difficulties for the carver is ripple figurÄ™. This is sometimes visiblc on the underside of a leaning tree and is commonesr below a branch where it comes out of the tree. When the wood is cut cleanly it may look as chough the surfacc undulates (Fig 2.10); the cells are holding the light differently as thev risc and fali over what were folds in the growing wood. In a splintery wood such as yew this is hard to cope with, but a morÄ™ cheesy wood can be worked easily and look good roo.

Definition of Softwoods AND HARDWOODS

The terms softwoods and hardwoods can cause confusion, particularly ifone contrasts yew, which is a softwood, with balsa {OchroniÄ…pyramidale), which is a hard wood. When the exilcd court of Charles II was in EuropÄ™ during the Commonwealrh they

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