Click here to pick up a small variety pack for carving. I have only found one good source on Amazon that sells carving blocks big enough for whittling and wood carving. The majority of hobby stores or online stores only sell balsa wood in thin planks or very small blocks. Most balsa wood is sold in strips for creating models and is harder to find in carving block formats. Balsa wood is not ideal for carvings smaller than 1″ tall as you will not be able to add much detail and may easily deform.īasswood carving blocks are much more widely available than balsa wood blocks. Basswood is more than 4 times harder than balsa wood and requires a much larger impact for deformations to occure.īasswood is capable of holding finer details and are best for both small and larger designs. While basswood (also known as lime wood or linden wood) is the next obvious step up from carving balsa wood, there are some notable differences that one needs to keep in mind.īalsa wood has a slightly spongy texture to it, where that if you squeeze the wood or drop it on a hard surface it will start to deform. If at all possible use well sharpened, purpose made whittling knives for best results. If you use a standard pocket knife with the manufacture edge, it probably won’t be sharp enough to create a clean. Use thin blades designed for whittling and wood carving like these Flexcut Carving Knives on Amazon. Since balsa wood is so malleable, thicker knives may cause more drag and make it harder to cleanly cut the wood. Slicing allows for smoother, deeper, and less deformed cuts. If you simply press the blade in, it will deform the wood and then cut into it. Carving with balsa wood feels like cutting into a firm block of foam.
Simple shapes and designs go a long way with balsa wood as you won’t be able to create fine details that will last. Here are some of my must do tips for carving balsa wood:
#Balsa wood blocks for carving how to#
Since balsa wood is so soft, you have to handle the wood properly and know how to cut into the wood to allow for the most detail. That being said, balsa wood is a great option for those of you who want to see what wood carving can be like or wish to introduce a younger child into whittling and wood carving. This will prevent you from adding intricate details and having long term durability that you will typically see in harder woods like basswood. There is one consideration to keep in mind when carving with balsa wood, because it is so soft it can easily deform. Comparing this to eastern white pines score of 380 and american basswoods 410, it is substantially easier to carve when compared to other popular carving woods.
While Balsa wood is still considered a hardwood, it is the softest of its category with a Janka Hardness of 90. Once you start building up your confidence by carving with balsa wood, you may want to try carving with harder woods like basswood or butternut. Carving a softer wood like balsa wood is a great way to build a new carvers confidence and teach them the basics. These differences can be extremely important to a beginner or young wood carver that wants to start whittling wood.īalsa wood is perfect for beginners who want to start whittling or wood carving as it soft enough to carve with the most basic tools. After carving with a wide variety of woods over the years, I have found some wood that is an absolute joy to carve while some are stubborn or just difficult to work with.
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