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Does anyone know which of the listed Carvey materials is closest to basswood?
A bit of background: my school just got the Carvey and we were able to successfully carve a few items with the thin board (maple?) that comes in the kit. I got a basswood board, which is very similar, but it’s not an option on the list of materials, so I’m not sure which wood option is closest. I’ve read online that basswood is soft to work with, but is technically a hardwood, hence my confusion.
I’d say basswood has the density of eastern white pine. It was my go to hardwood for Tech Ed class back before retirement. Out of the choices in Easel, I’d probably choose soft maple. All the choices seem pretty dense. I don’t use Easel so take that into consideration.
Fun fact… In general, hardwoods are from trees that drop their leaves annually and reproduce through fruited seeds. Softwoods keep their “leaves” (think needles) year-round and reproduce through exposed seeds. Hardwoods are usually slower-growing and more dense than softwoods, but there are plenty of exceptions.
Basswood is one of those exceptions - a soft hardwood. In hardness/workability, it’s very similar to pine. It tends to have more interesting figure and color than pine, but it’s also a little harder to come by and so more expensive.
If you’re asking in order to get the right settings in Easel, pick either soft maple (as suggested by @MartinW.Mcclary), birch plywood, or MDF. If you’re asking because you’re looking to buy more material, and you’re somewhere in the continental US, get pine.
It’s funny you say that Basswood has more interesting grain than pine because without an oil finish, the grain is pretty non descript. A surface finish doesn’t really enhance it that much either.
We used to make gumball machines out of it and an application of mineral oil would make the grain pop. A few of the boards actually had some curl to them in the 1000 Bf bundles we ordered year in and year out.
Out here on the east coast Basswood isn’t that much more expensive than poplar. We’re lucky that we have hardwoods all over the place.
I basically have the same opinion. I think pine can look great under all kinds of finishes. It also takes stain great, so the possibilities are basically limitless.
I’m in the Midwest. Pine, maple, and oak are my life.
