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Essential W o o d c a r v i n g Techniques

I.atian (Philippincs mahogany) (Sborea spp.) Various cimbers, ranging from pink to yellow, of varying hardness and toughncss. Hard varicties can be carved but have interlocked grain and can bc stringy. Tropical.

Lignum vitae (Guaiacum offtcitiale and G. sanctum) Very heavy, densc, brown or greenish-bluc and yellow rimber with yellow sapwood. Very interlocked grain. Very hard. Can bc carved but eye protection should be worn. Chisel bevels nced to be steep. Tropical.

Limę (Tilia vulgaris) Wbite, crcamy or pinkish, close-grained, evcn-tcxturcd fairly lightweight wood. Exceptionallv easy to carve. Takes fine detail. Will tolerate being carved against the grain. Bland figurę makes it suitable for lamination. Has no lustrc. Not usually attractive for large, simple forms.

Magnolia (Magnolia spp.) Smali ornamcntal trees and shrubs in Britain. Pale, greenish-yellow, close-grained, even-textured wood. Similar working properties to limę but morę atcractive because of lustrc.

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) Various types ranging in density from medium to hard. Colour varics with hardness from pink to deep rcddish-brown. Darker kinds have good figurę. Tends to have interlocked grain. Inclined to be brittle and to crumble on sharp edgcs on short grain, but can take detail with care. Tropical.

Mapie (field mapie) (Acer campeslre) Densc white or pinkish timber. Resembles sycamore. Very hard when seasoned but carves well when green. Decays easily. May have dark patches of silica deposits. Takes fine detail.

Mulbcrry (Morus alba and M. nigra) Bright yellow when freshly cut. Darkens to reddish-yellow colour. Ring-porous timber with simple figurę. Carves verv easily.

Oak (Holm oak) (Quercus ilex) Dense, hard wood. Pale brown with strong ray patterns. Very like white oak in appearance but hardcr to cut. Takes detail.

Oak (White/European oak) (Quercus peti-aea and Q. robut) Colour varics from fawn to dark brown. Ring-porous wood; much easier to work when slow grown. Even figurę and large rays. Not as difficult to carve as some people think. Can take fine detail. Sharp edgcs may crumble. Durable.

Oak (Red/American oak) (Quercus rubra) A redder brown than white oak. Wood morę open-grained and stringy but can carve easily and take detail. Inclined to crumble.

Obeche (Triplocbiton swietenia) An open-grained, pale-yellow or white wood; soft and crumbly with interlocked grain. Carves easily with sharp tools but uninteresting to look at. Difficult to finish cleanly. Can be used for maquettes. Tropical.

Padauk (padouk) (Pterocarpus spp.) The Malaysian variety is a startling orange-red on first being cut. It dulls to a purplish brown. The African type is morę brown. It is a hard, large-pored, splintery wood with interlocked grain. Not easy to carvc or finish with the chisel. Tropical.

Pear (Pyrus communis) A dense, fine-textured, even-grained timber. Maturę heartwood an even pink colour, occasionally with brown srreaks. Sapwood and immaturc hcart look very like

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