Some of the Timbers used in Wood Sculpting
( * indicates wood used most frequently in my work )
|
| Alder (Common) |
A greenish-white wood that turns reddish-brown
after seasoning. |
| Ash
|
Heartwood can have a slight pink or black colour to it. |
| Apple |
A soft working wood that is close grained and takes a
good finish. |
| *Beech
|
This wood has a light brown colour. It is hard and usually
has a close straight grain. Its texture is fine and very durable,
but does not always give the most appealing finish. |
| *
Birch (European) |
This straight grained wood has a colour that
is white to pale brown. It is not too hard, has a close texture
and takes good finish. |
| *
Bog Oak |
This is a fossil
timber found under bogs with a blackish or grey colour, which
turns a silvery grey colour when exposed to the air. It was
used for roof timbers and domestic woodwork many years ago
and often ended up as firework. It cracks easily when drying,
but lends itself very well to bases for carvings in other timbers. |
| *
Bog Yew |
One of my favourite
woods for carving, when freshly cut it has a pink appearance.
It develops a beautiful patina and often gives the appearance
of a work in bronze. |
| Boxwood |
A fine-grained and durable wood that has a rich ivory
colour. |
| *
Cherry (European) |
The distinctive red colour of this wood often
grows darker as it ages. It has a fine even texture and a straight
grain. |
| Chestnut (Sweet or Spanish) |
After it has worked on, chestnut
can look very like oak. However, it is much lighter in weight
and does not have the silver grain. Horse Chestnut is not good
for carving. |
| Cedar |
This soft wood is fine-grained and its colour ranges
from light straw to dark brown. |
| *
Driftwood |
Many various shapes
and sizes, which makes looking for driftwood so interesting
and rewarding. |
| *
Elm |
The cross-grain that
is often found in this wood can make it difficult to work,
but it takes a good finish. The colour
of the heartwood can range from light brown to reddish and light
yellow sapwood. Wych Elm, which is paler in colour than common
elm is straighter grained making it easier to work. Elm is now
very scarce due to the devastating Dutch Elm disease. |
| Hawthorn |
A creamy coloured
wood with dark texturing making for unusual contrasts. A little-used
wood for carving and not easy to get in sizes suitable for
carving. However, when a suitable piece is found, it carves
beautifully. |
| Lime |
With a yellowish-white colour that tends to turn a light
buff with seasoning, this straight, close-grained wood cuts well
in all directions. |
| *Oak
|
Varieties include Japanese, American White and European,
Slavonian, Polish and English. Each has distinctive features
and variations in colour and weight. It is generally hard and
very durable. It works well and takes a good finish. |
| Pine (Many Varieties) |
It has a soft to medium hardness depending
on the variety. There are many variations in colour from creamy
white to reddish-browns. One of Its distinctive features is that
it can often have many knots. |
| Sycamore |
Its whitish colour can tend to turn pale brown. Sometimes
it has an undulating or wavy-grain which shows itself as an attractive
ripple. |
| Teak (India, Java, Burma, Ceylon, Africa) |
The colour of this
wood varies from light yellow to light brown. It has a hard,
even grain that is sometimes subject to tearing. However, it
is durable and takes a good finish. |
| *Walnut
|
There are many varieties including English, French,
American, Italian and Spanish. The colour and grain differ, but
generally it varies from rich purplish brown to a greyish background
streaked with dark brown. It works well, is hard and durable
and takes a fine, smooth finish. |
| *Yew
|
This is a fine-grained, hard and durable wood. The heartwood
has a reddish-brown colour and its sapwood is creamy white. It
often has a very attractive run of grain. It smooths to a fine
surface and takes a good finish. |
