other materials to carve on
Moderators: ddw, al wolford, sbk, Bob, Kayvon
other materials to carve on
Ok guys new to this so I have been reading and watching videos one thing I would like to know is some material s to carve on and were u get them..
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basecircle
- Posts: 488
- Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Re: other materials to carve on
Hi Stewali I hope this will help.You can use just about any material to carve.To start try some mdf or pine.Some of the good stock to carve is Maple.red oak,Of course Walnut.These woods have tight grain.Holds detail real good.It all depends on what you are doing.Two different woods look good.If you plan to do any acrylic cutting for L e d signs.Make sure you are using cast acrylic.Stay away from the big box stores Plexi.Its cuts bad and gets gummy ect.If you want to do a lithopane you will want to use corian at 1/4 in thick.All in all.It's all what you want to accomplish. Basecircle Ps I do not know how much you know and I do not mean to overstep.Keep at it. it is alot of fun.
Re: other materials to carve on
My personal preferences are maple and cherry but I also like western red cedar, red (aromatic) cedar, birch, cypress and walnut. I don't use oak for several reasons.
I've also used corian, aluminum, brass, mdf, mdf covered in fiberglass, pine, cabinet grade plywood, treated plywood, luan, tupelo, holly, chinaberry, hedge, hickory, poplar, and any number of mystery woods.
If I can mount it on the Shark, I'll find something to carve on it.
Where to get it?
Lowes and Home Depot as a last resort.
Our best finds are from saw mills, cabinet shops and contractors. And of course every friend we have calls us when they cut down a tree, thinking we can magically turn those green, dripping hunks of logs into pristine lumber.
If you have a bandsaw, storage room and patience you can saw up some smaller logs and sticker/stack it. Stumps usually have beautiful, tight grain.
Even seasoned firewood and a good planer can turn out very nice, very usable stock for carving.
Yard sale furniture for a few bucks and some time to disassemble can yield some great lumber. Old cabinet doors with solid panels - nice.
Corian can be found on eBay - sink cutouts are a good place to start. You might call around to counter top installers for some of theirs, too.
Materials to carve are all around you and the more you get into using your Shark the more you'll see.
I've also used corian, aluminum, brass, mdf, mdf covered in fiberglass, pine, cabinet grade plywood, treated plywood, luan, tupelo, holly, chinaberry, hedge, hickory, poplar, and any number of mystery woods.
If I can mount it on the Shark, I'll find something to carve on it.
Where to get it?
Lowes and Home Depot as a last resort.
Our best finds are from saw mills, cabinet shops and contractors. And of course every friend we have calls us when they cut down a tree, thinking we can magically turn those green, dripping hunks of logs into pristine lumber.
If you have a bandsaw, storage room and patience you can saw up some smaller logs and sticker/stack it. Stumps usually have beautiful, tight grain.
Even seasoned firewood and a good planer can turn out very nice, very usable stock for carving.
Yard sale furniture for a few bucks and some time to disassemble can yield some great lumber. Old cabinet doors with solid panels - nice.
Corian can be found on eBay - sink cutouts are a good place to start. You might call around to counter top installers for some of theirs, too.
Materials to carve are all around you and the more you get into using your Shark the more you'll see.
Karen