[Woodcarver] Softwood or Hardwood

[Bill Judt]

Bob:

The technical distinction between "hardwood" and "softwood" is no mere 
technicality.

This distinction separates resinous woods (softwoods) from all others. 
Resinous woods are generally inferior to hardwoods for carving in that 
they have a grain structure less conducive to carving with hand tools. 
These woods respond poorly to even a sharp tool edge because they have 
a soft, almost punky layer of fiber sandwiched between two tough, thin 
membranes. Even a sharp tool, when it presses into the hard membrane 
cannot cut cleanly through before the pressure crushes the punky layer 
below, causing rip-out.

It is true that cedar is used for Totem Poles. But that is because the 
large scale of carving done eliminates small detail. Rip-out in this 
instance is a non-issue. It is also true that some "hardwoods" carve 
poorly. But the general rule is that carvers should avoid resinous 
woods unless they know what they are getting into and have a plan to 
deal with the limitations of these woods.

My experience is with the more common North American species of Pine 
and Cedar which people try to carve because they are "soft" to the 
finger nail. These woods generally need to be sanded in order to 
produce a "smooth" surface. They do not allow for detailed carving.

I've tried the following softwoods for RELIEF CARVING with only poor 
results:
Cedar (wester red, aromatic, Alaska yellow, southern, etc)
Pine (white, jack, amuga, etc)
Spruce (the worst of them all)
Fir (hard, with an impossibly long grain that likes to split at the 
slightest provocation)

Hope this is helpful.

Bill
List Owner

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

On Oct 4, 2004, at 6:31 AM, Victor Hamburger wrote:

Bob Campanaro wrote:

I've heard two different versions of the softwood vs hardwood 
controversy. One says that all deciduous trees are "hardwood" and all 
needle bearing trees are "softwood".
The other says that if you can leave a fingernail imprint in the wood 
then its "softwood", which would be a more traditional description of 
'soft vs hard'.
So what do you think?  Basswood is a deciduous tree yet you can leave a 
fingernail imprint in it.  Is it a "softwood" or a "hardwood"?
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