Are you fond of carving sculptures or decoration items out of wood? Well, if you are, and also a bit confused about choosing the right kind of wood, then you are in the right place. Wood carving is one of the best arts. However, it needs practice and persistence to master — and the right tools.
All of this is only possible if you have the right kind of wood to carve. So, in this article, we will help you explore some options for the best wood for carving. Moreover, we will also discuss some important facts that you need to keep an oversight of while buying the wood.
Top 6 Wood for Carving
Here we present some of our top picks for the best wood for carving:
1. ARTEZA Basswood Carving Blocks
All the pieces are an equal length of 4 inches with a single block measuring 2×2 inches, and the rest measuring 1×1 inches. So, you get a lot of wood to carve your favorite decorative items out of it at a very reasonable price of about $14.
If we talk about the ease of use, the super lightweight design of the Basswood offers the artist absolute handling of the wood while carving. No matter the purpose, if you want to carve, whittle, or craft the wood, it will fully cooperate with you. You can use any type of woodworking tool to carve and make beautiful items.
Pros
- A super-smooth surface ensures clean carving
- Easy to use any tool with it
- Ideal for both beginners and professionals
Cons
- The size of the wood pieces may not be ideal for some users
2. KINGCRAFT 5 Pack Extra Large Basswood Carving Blocks
The package contains five blocks of Basswood. All the blocks are 6 inches long with two options for breadth and height. One of the blocks has a width and height of 3 inches. On the other hand, the other four blocks have a width and height of 1.5 inches.
As all the wood blocks are free from cracks or knots, it will be easy to carve them with tools. Because they are naturally lightweight so they can be easily handled. These blocks come pre-sanded.
Pros
- Good size wood blocks
- Ideal for beginners and professionals alike
- Free from cracks and knots.
Cons
- Wood blocks may get chipped out of shape while carving
3. KINGCRAFT 3Pcs Wood Carving Spoon
When you open the pack, you will get three unfinished blank spoon sticks. There is enough wood to carve either one large serving spoon or two small spoons. Each of the three spoon blanks is 10.2 inches long and 2 inches wide. The height of all the spoon sticks is 1.2 inches.
This package has three spoons made of different types of wood. You also have the choice of buying these blank spoons in a set of two or three. However, if you choose the 2-pack you will get two pieces of the same type of wood.
Pros
- Three spoon-shaped blanks reduce the work of carving
- Natural and smooth surface for easy carving
- It is available in five different sets
Cons
- It needs a bit of care while carving due to the narrow surface
- Three different types of wood if the 3-pack is chosen
4. JoePaul’s Crafts Basswood Premium Carving Blocks Kit
The packing contains five blocks of which one block is bigger, offering you enough surface area to carve just about anything for small projects. Other than that, you get four more blocks with the same length of 4 inches, but the width and height are reduced. The width and height of the small blocks are 1×1 inch, while the bigger block is 2×2 inches.
So, choose the best quality linden wood that will be perfect for your carving project. Moreover, it is ideal for both beginners and professionals.
Pros
- Made of premium quality wood in America
- Comes in two different sizes.
- Creamy white color can be painted and detailed easily
Cons
- Less wood compared to the other options
5. Walnut Hollow Basswood Whittlers Carving Blocks
The product contains 10 pieces in four different dimensions, making it great for a variety of purposes or simple practice. The height of all the pieces in the package is ¾ inches. It has two pieces of 1 x 2 inch, two pieces of 1 x 4 inch. Additionally, it also has three pieces sized 1.5 x 2 inch and three pieces sized 1.5 x 4 inch.
The Basswood is extremely lightweight, making it ideal for fitting it with the other wood pieces or projects and easy for handling. Plus, it is free from knots that makes carving difficult.
Pros
- The pack has a variety of lengths of wood
- It is free from knots that make it hard to carve
- Lightweight wood for easy handling.
Cons
- Smaller surface area might be tough to carve for beginners
6. JoePaul’s Crafts Basswood Large Carving Blocks Kit
When you open the pack, you will find four pieces with dimensions of 6 x 1 x 1 inches. Aside from this, the pack also has two more giant pieces of 6 x 2 x 2 inches. The Basswood pieces are a specific type of premium quality wood known as Tilia Americana, or Linden wood.
The wood is extremely soft and smooth and delivers easy carving for both professionals and amateurs. It is also lightweight so that it is easy to handle while carving, cutting, or shaping. Its creamy color makes it best for painting and adding small details.
Pros
- The size of the wood is ideal for better larger artwork projects
- The smooth, knotless design makes it easy to carve
- It has a creamy color ideal for painting and adding fine details
Cons
- This Basswood is slightly more expensive than other options
What to Consider While Buying the Best Wood for Carving?
Caring and woodworking is pretty easy to get into if you have the right tools as you can make beautiful home decorations of your own. But for all this to happen, you first need to get the best wood for carving. Unfortunately, a wealth of options makes choosing the best wood is not a walk in the park.
There are a number of factors that govern the quality of the wood. Here, we are going to explore some of those crucial factors that need your utmost attention while buying the best wood for carving.
Type of wood
The very first factor that you need to check is the type of wood. There are various types of wood that are used for carving. Some common options include:
- Basswood
- Aspen
- Butternut
- Black Walnut
- Oak
Now, the key difference lies in their application of use and who can use it. For example, Basswood is best for those who are new to carving. It is extremely soft and smooth and does not take much effort to carve.
On the other hand, Oak is better for professionals. This wood is strong and sturdy. It is a good option for making premium-quality furniture. If you want to carve small items for your home, go for Basswood or Butternut.
However, there are literally dozens of types of wood to choose from. In general, softwoods may be easier to practice with, but hardwoods tend to be used for projects that need to last.
Number of Pieces
The number of pieces in a package is another factor that needs to be considered. This is highly dependent on your preference and skill level. If you have a decent hand at carving and want to make a few items, you can go for the one that has fewer pieces of wood.
On the other hand, if you are a beginner in wood carving, you can choose to buy more pieces for practice as you may end up making mistakes.
Size
The third consideration is the size of the best wood for carving. Now, the size that you choose is also dependent on your plan of artwork. If you want to make a bigger sculpture or project, you can go for wood pieces at least 6 to 10 inches.
On the other hand, if you are going to make something small, choose the smaller pieces. Carving wood packages also come in the combination of both big and small wood pieces. So, you can start small, and when you are experienced enough, you can go for the big projects.
Weight
The weight of the wood pieces is another important thing to consider. When you are carving any wood piece, you should have a good grip on it. Lighter weights are easier to handle but may also be less sturdy.
Moreover, if the wood pieces are heavy, you won’t be able to easily
add many details to it, as it will be tough to handle. Also, if they are heavy,
they will be tough to fix or glue to each other. Hence, lightweight wood is better
for beginners.
Paintable
If you are spending some of your precious time on carving decorations for your home, you probably would like to preserve it for a long time. So, it is essential for you to consider if you can finish or paint that wood.
There is a plethora of wood types that can be easily painted like Basswood, Balsa, and many more. You can pick anyone you want but keep the necessary factors in mind. In fact, almost any type of wood can be finished or painted, but some types may be less susceptible to this. Research a wood first for the best results.
Price
Last but not least, is the price. You need to be very careful while paying for the product you are buying. Make sure that you consider all the necessary features that you need in the product. Also, consider the user reviews related to the product.
After analyzing all these necessary factors, you should pay for products that represent a good value – some companies will overcharge for basic features.
These are all the crucial points that you need to consider while buying the best wood for carving.
Final Words
In a nutshell, we can say that there are many great choices of wood meant for carving on the web. Moreover, you will also get a number of dimensions to choose from as per your preference and requirement. This article digs out some of the best products that you can consider buying to make your artwork a masterpiece. Happy carving!