essent�rving�76

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

largc. Pale greenish-yellow, finc-tcxturcd, even-graincd timber of medium density. Carves likc limę. May have pink or mauve streaks. Good lustre. Needs care in scasoning as rots easily, and is susceptible to woodworm.

Utile (Entandrophragma utile) A fairly coarse-textured, reddish-brown timber. Interlocked splincery grain. Difficult to carve but handsome, very likc sapele but coarser. Resembles mahogany. Durable heartwood. Tropical.

Walnut (European walnut) (Juglnns regid) Greyish brown with hints of purple, strongly figurcd heartwood. Sapwood pale brown. Looks coarse-grained but carves well and takes fine detail. Fairly tough. Very handsome. Very rich dark brown when finished with linsecd oil. Sapwood prone to crumble when carved. Moderatcly durable.

Walnut (American or black walnut) {Juglans nigra) Similar to Juglans regia but morę purple in colour. Grain and figurę morę regular. Carves easily and takes fine detail. Very durable.

SOFTWOODS

Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus Libani) Strongly figured golden or pale pinkish-brown wood. Brittle and soft, but can carvc well and look beautiful. Very strongly aromatic - deterrent to insects.

Cyprcss (Cupressus spp.) The sapwood is bcst avoided as it is cotton-woolly. Heartwood is firm, pale crcamy pink, and carves rather like limę. May havc many knots.

Fir (Picea abies) A whitish wood very like pine. Slow-grown wood with 20 or morę rings to the 25mm (lin) is best, but inclined to be mushy and have many knots. Not recommended.

Gingko (maidenhair tree) (Gingko biloba) A comparatively uncommon ornamental tree. A dense, even-textured, pale-yellow wood. Lightwcight but hard. Will take detail.

Larch (Larix de ci dna) Rich reddish-brown, open-grained timber. Not suitable for detailed work. Many knots. Splits while seasoning. Hardcr than pine. Moderatcly durable.

Pine (parana pine) (Araucaria brasiliana) An even-textured, fine-grained, golden-brown wood with pink and lighter yellow or brown areas. Denser than most pines, with a slight spongy feel when carved. Can take detail but is hard work. Best kept for high-grade joinery.

Pine (pitch pine) (Pinus palustris) A very resinous, dense, coarse-grained, reddish-gold wood. Strong demarcation between earlywood and latewood. Carves likc cheese when green but dries to be very hard with much splitting. Hard work but handsome if carved successfully. Can take fine detail.

Pine (Scots pine) (Pinus syluestris) Sometimes sold as European redwood. Modern trees are grown fast and seldom to fuli maturity, so are mostly sapwood. The earlywood of fast-grown pine is abundant and very crumbly when carvcd across the grain. Earlywood is white, latewood is orange. Heartwood of old, slow-grown timber is morc pink or orange with a morę even texture, and can be carvcd easily with fine detail. Look for wood with at least 20 rings to 25mm (lin).

Pine (yellow pine) (Pinus strobus) The kind to ask for is Qucbcc yellow pine. Southern yellow

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