[Woodcarver] tupalo wood, swamp gum

[Lori Corbett]

Hi Larry...tupelo can be knife carved, but it tends to tear if your 
don't have a very sharp knife. There are special knives that the Cajuns 
use to hand carve Tupelo. The blades are long and thin and razor sharp. 
Tupelo is a fantastic wood for power carving, though (that's all I use 
for my birds).

Now, there are certain parts of the tupelo tree that are the very best 
for carving. This wood comes from the bell, or bole, of the tree, 
located under water to about 2-3 feet above. This part has less grain 
(meaning less hard and soft spots) and is much more consistent.  This is 
the most desired by bird carvers, as it is fairly easy to carve and 
holds extremely fine detailing...look for the grain to be spaced 1/2 or 
more between rings. You don't want anything above the bole, and you 
don't want heartwood. This stuff is NASTY to carve. You get extremely 
soft between the rings, and extremely hard rings. Also, don't use it if 
it is excessively yellow...this is a sign of decay, and the wood will 
disintegrate...it's really punky. Don't use tupelo with dark streaks 
through it either, as it's another sign that it didn't come from the 
bole, or is heartwood. The best tupelo comes from Louisiana, and some 
fine wood also comes from as far north as North Carolina...GENERALLY 
speaking, the further south, the better the tupelo.

A good way to test if you have an acceptable piece of tupelo is to make 
an "X" on the end grain with a key. If it glides smoothly, it's good 
wood. If you feel intermittent resistance (i.e., your key sinks, then 
raises, then sinks), then it's a not so good piece. Also, you can see 
the growth rings on the end...the tighter the arc, the closer to 
heartwood it is, or a sign that it's higher up on the tree.

Hope this helps,
Lori


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larry wrote:

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> I am a very new carver, about 8 weeks. I have an excellent teacher in 
> George Farrell.
> I have recently been offered a small quanity of tupalo scrops,some 
> rather large.my question; can this wood be used sucessfully for 
> carving. I find it wanting to crush under the knife.
>                                                            larry
>
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