[Woodcarver] White Birch

[Bill Judt]

Mike:

Birch is harder than Basswood. But it is the "softest" hardwood I 
carve. Others include Eastern (yellow) Birch, Cheery, Soft Maple, Red 
Oak, Hard Maple and Beech, in ascending order of hardness.

The question for me is not "how hard is this wood" but how carve-able 
is it? Then I ask, how much detail will it hold? And then I ask how 
stable is it? Last I ask, how beautiful is it when carved and finished.

A mallet makes most of the "hard" hardwoods quite carve-able. The 
cutting angles on my tools are already honed to accommodate the extra 
stress these woods place on the edges.

Bill

W.F. Judt,
46 Harvard Cres,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
S7H3R1
PH: 306-373-6649
Email: bjudt at sasktel.net
Website: http://www.wwwoodcarver.com

On Mar 3, 2004, at 6:02 AM, Joe Dillett wrote:

> White birch is excellent for carving and woodworking. Our beloved List
> owner, Bill Judt, uses it very often. It is hard but it takes the 
> detail
> well. For a hard wood it is quite stable. It is strong and durable and 
> takes
> any finish well.
>
> Joe Dillett