Wood for Carving

WOODS, like so many materials we use, are subject to fashion.

For instance, pitch pine and mahogany suffered an eclipse at the close of the nineteenth century but now they are again gaining favor.

Fresh treatments and new designs make us see these woods in a different light. Those who can look back far enough remember the pitch pine school desks, still surviving in the 1920's.

They were usually ink-stained and scarred and for me associated with being 'kept in' on sunny afternoons. Now less pitch pine is imported but the strong resin-filled grain with its striking pattern would lend itself to modern treatment.

A wood craftsman I met recently talked sadly of the time when he burned quantities of pitch pine veneer because at that time it was out of fashion and unsalable.

Of course, some woods are more pleasant to carve than others. Some will carve in almost any direction, others are stubborn with difficult grain, and some blunt the tools.

Continued...From the wonderful wood working book "Wood Carving" by Freda Skinner. We are in the process of placing most of the book here on our site.  If your tired of reading it in pieces, send us a message on the contact page asking for the book and we'll send you a link for the entire book - free.

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