Willow can be used for carving. Regular willow wood is softer than diamond willow, which makes it a good choice for beginners who are interested in trying out a new carving project.
Can you carve willow wood?
Willow is a beautiful wood to carve it carves a lot like bass wood. Only problem with willow is once you cut it down you will have problems stopping it growing. Even months after you cut it, it will sprout new growth. Jim - The Doing is as much fun as the Viewing!
Is weeping willow wood good for carving split logs?
Some of us have whittled whistles from willow twigs, but that means little for carving split logs. In general it is easier to carve wood when it is green, but you may have more problems with checking and cracking. I suggest you try it and give us the benefit of your feedback. Re: Weeping willow wood.
What is the best wood for carving?
Some of the best wood species for carving are Basswood, Butternut, Black Walnut, Cherry, Aspen, White Oak, Western Red Cedar, and Eastern Red Cedar. Each wood species has a Janka Hardness rating of 410, 490, 1010, 950, 380, 1335, and 900, respectively.
How long to dry weeping willow wood before carving?
Re: Weeping Willow Wood??? I used to burn willow almost exclusively for firewood, but it wasn't weeping willow. It would dry just fine in 6 months for firewood (not dry enough for carving wood). I've heard of buggy shafts carved out of it green, then buried in a creekbed for 6 months and cured, came out hard and durable.
Does willow carve well?
Woods such as Lime, Alder, Willow, Poplar and Birch are very soft to carve, making them perfect for practicing.
Is willow wood good for anything?
Common Uses: Baskets, utility wood, crates, furniture, cricket bats, carvings, and other small specialty wood items. Comments: White Willow is so named because the undersides of the leaves are a pale white. Historically, it's been the wood of choice for cricket bats.
Can you use willow tree wood?
Willow wood may be burned in a fireplace if it is adequately cured (dried). It produces less heat than many other woods, but it may be burned unless the tree was recently treated with pesticides. If it has been treated, it may still be possible to use the firewood, depending on what was used to treat the tree.
Which wood for carving is best?
Lime wood (also known as basswood) is the most popular type of wood for carving. Whether you're a complete beginner or a member of the carving elite, this species should be near the top of your list. Extremely soft and crisp, lime wood is perfect for intricate carving and works exceptionally well with hand tools.
How long does it take willow to dry out?
Willow wood may take a really long time to season, most commonly getting appropriately seasoned at two years. This is a much longer time than other hard woods, mostly because willow wood is lighter and takes longer to dry out completely. What's more, willow wood may rot before it dries.
Is willow wood poisonous?
Their bark has been used as medicine for thousands of years, primarily because of its pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. Willow tree wood isn't necessarily toxic to cats and dog. Its bark, however, can be poisonous, particularly to cats.
What good is willow?
Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions, such as bursitis and tendinitis.
Does willow wood burn good?
Willow wood has a low BTU rating compared to other hardwoods, which is why it's not a very good choice to burn. They are prone to have more water, and as it dries or burns, the water evaporates, carrying away the heat.
What can you use weeping willow wood for?
1:253:14THE WILLOW TREE and its many uses - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can use it for making a puka trap for bows if you get a long piece and you carve it down nowMoreYou can use it for making a puka trap for bows if you get a long piece and you carve it down now it's a light wood. So if you're going to make a bow out of willow.
What is the hardest wood to carve?
Here, we list the top 10 hardest woods in the world, and provide a bit of information about each type:Lignum vitae – 4,500 IBF. ... Piptadenia Macrocarpa – 3,840 IBF. ... Snakewood – 3,800 IBF. ... Brazilian Olivewood – 3,700 IBF. ... Brazilian Ebony – 3,692 IBF. ... Brazilian Walnut – 3,684 IBF. ... African Pearwood – 3,680 IBF.More items...•
What wood is easiest to carve?
Basswood blanksBasswood blanks can be found easily and are a great wood to start learning to carve on, since it is malleable and inexpensive. Aspen is another white wood that is quite popular among woodworkers. It's stronger than basswood but is still quite soft, so it is fairly easy to use for carving.
What's the softest wood to carve?
The softest wood for carving is the Ochroma Pyramidale, also known as balsa. Balsa wood is by far the softest wood for carving, resisting a force of only 400 Newtons.
Willow: Hardwood or softwood
Willow is a lightweight hardwood. It has a lot of moisture in it. This makes the wood very heavy when it is green. But, when it is dry, it is very light. Because it is lightweight, it burns very quickly when it is dried.
Willow BTU's
Willow produces about 14 million BTU's per cord. This is not very hot, but it is a good heat. Most people that burn willow use it as a shoulder wood. It is hot enough to burn in the north during cool weather.
Burning willow
Willow is best burned in a fire pit due to the smell it produces. You can burn it in your fireplace, but it may leave an unpleasant smell.
Does Willow spark when burned
Willow doesn't produce many sparks when it is burned. Some woods produce more sparks when they are wet. Willow doesn't pop much when it is wet, it just won't burn well, if at all, when it's wet.
Cost of willow
Willow is very cheap to obtain. Some people don't want to spend the time drying it, so they give it away. It really boils down to if you have many willows growing in your area.
How does willow smell when burned
Willow is known to not smell good when burning. Some people say willow smells like pee when burned. Others say it gives of a sweet odor; kind of like antifreeze. Many others believe willow loses its stench when it is completely dry.
Does willow firewood smoke?
Willow doesn't smoke much when it is burned. If it's not dried well, it will produce more smoke then if you season it correctly.
What Is the Best Wood for Carving?
Some of the best wood species for carving are Basswood, Butternut, Black Walnut, Cherry, Aspen, White Oak, Western Red Cedar, and Eastern Red Cedar. Each wood species has a Janka Hardness rating of 410, 490, 1010, 950, 380, 1335, and 900, respectively.
10 Best Wood for Carving
Although there are many other wood species that woodcarvers work with, below you will find the best wood for carving for both beginners and experienced woodcarvers.
Other Wood Species That Can Be Carved
There are several other types of wood species, each with its own properties and characteristics, which makes carving more diverse and enjoyable.
Red Oak
Red Oak has a Janka rating of 1290, which makes it more difficult to carve than mesquite. Janka is the industry benchmark for comparing the relative hardness of different wood species, and it is durable enough to withstand flooring use.
Southern Pine
The hardness of Southern pinewood is 690 pounds, and however, this is a bit low compared to red oak. The softness of the light-colored wood in each annual ring makes it low, and this strength is ideal for structural components.
Chestnut barn beam
Chestnut barn beam takes 540 pounds of force, which is why it is rated 540 lbf or 540 Janka. The chestnut tree is a native of eastern North America, and it is now known as southern Maine, and it grows west to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf Coast.
Bloodwood
Janka’s hardness of Bloodwood is 2900 pounds of force. It air-dries fast with little or no degradation unless it has tension wood, and it becomes prone to warp. The Bloodwood tree grows in sandy ground in the upland rain forest.
Purple Heart
I have carved a purple heart once and discovered that it is too hard to carve, and its Janka hardness varies from 1,850 to 2,100. Purpleheart belongs to 23 flowering plants in the Fabaceae family, native to Central and South America; from Guerrero, Mexico, through Central America.
Australian Buloke
Australian Buloke is the hardest woods in the world. It has a Janka hardness of 22,500 N (5060 lbf), and the species grows across the area of eastern and southern Australia. That is mainly north and west of the Great Dividing Range, within the Murray-Darling Basin, and New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria.
Schinopsis brasiliensis
Schinopsis brasiliensis belongs to the cashew plant, which originated in Brazil. It is a tough wood with a Janka rating of 4,800 lbf. The ironwood tree is also a native of Australia. The wood is sturdy and for construction, and the high value lies in its durability. However, it planes well when cut with an angle of 15°.
