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mtylerfl
04-03-2014, 10:12 AM
I ordered 27 basswood carving blocks (online) from Bell Forest (1.5x1.5, 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4 - all 12" long stock, but they have longer if you want).

They have all kinds of other woods as well, in case you guys ever need to get some. Here's the URL:
http://www.bellforestproducts.com/basswood/wood-blanks/

edzbaker
04-03-2014, 01:53 PM
Michael, Here is another place that sells by the foot, and they have a variety of woods to choose from. They also have Free shipping on orders totaling over $35.
http://www.hardwooddowel.com

mtylerfl
04-03-2014, 02:04 PM
Thank you, Ed! The more sources the better!

cestout
04-03-2014, 07:10 PM
When I was in wood shop back in RI in the early 50's we used bass wood. I recently tried carving it and did not like the result. Poplar is cheaper (here in CA) and carves better. BUT - when I tried to make a "rope" with the open inside on my Craftsmen Rotary Crafter (or what ever is was called - still on a shelf in my shop) it exploded - twice. Finally used Doug fir and it worked.
Clint

mtylerfl
04-04-2014, 07:17 AM
When I was in wood shop back in RI in the early 50's we used bass wood. I recently tried carving it and did not like the result. Poplar is cheaper (here in CA) and carves better. BUT - when I tried to make a "rope" with the open inside on my Craftsmen Rotary Crafter (or what ever is was called - still on a shelf in my shop) it exploded - twice. Finally used Doug fir and it worked.
Clint

Hi Clint,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with the various wood types.

I probably should have consulted here before ordering those 27 blocks of basswood. I sure hope they carve alright on the rotary - kinda thought they would be perfect because of the clean (no knots or pitch) and straight grain of basswood that make hand carving go so smoothly.

I have done a little hand carving on basswood and like it, but never tried rotary with the stuff. We'll see how it goes! I should receive my blocks next week. I'll give them a try on the rotary and post comments and photos.

cestout
04-04-2014, 07:06 PM
It was fuzzy, and as I remember it (about a year ago) when the fuzz was sanded it left pours. I do like poplar, but you probably should not do anything that relies on diagonal strength. It carves nicely, and as someone here pointed out to me, gel stain is the secret for poplar.
Clint

mtylerfl
04-11-2014, 08:47 PM
Reporting back on the Basswood blocks. I've carved several rotary projects with it now and I can say I am very pleased! It carves easily on the rotary and the results are really clean for what I've carved thus far.

cestout
04-13-2014, 04:30 PM
MT,
I saw the eggs and the video (thanks for that). the gees were nice and cute kids - none of mine are that young anymore. Youngest grand kid is 11 and oldest is 19, total of 11. The eggs were sharply carved; but, to me, the smooth surfaces didn't look and glassy smooth as poplar would have been. That was what was my disappointment with bass wood. Just my opinion from my limited experience.
Clint

mtylerfl
04-13-2014, 04:52 PM
Thanks, Clint. I know what you mean about the smooth surfaces, but I'm pretty sure it's not the fault of the wood...it was my rush job getting it done in two-and-a-half days. I really needed several more days for full cure and wet sanding/recoat for a glossy project like this.

Interesting that I have had terrible luck with the Poplar we have in our area (bad, bad fuzzing). Many people do swear by it, and that used to puzzle me since my experience was not very good. I found out later that there are so many different types/species of 'Poplar' being sold (someone told me 37 types??is that even possible?) the quality varies by where it comes from. I would like to try some of the "good stuff" if I can ever find it!

SteveNelson46
04-13-2014, 06:45 PM
The availability of Alder is about the same as Poplar and, IMHO, it carves much better. It also takes stain nicely and you don't have the green shades like in Poplar. Professional cabinet shops use a lot of it because it's relatively inexpensive and readily available.

mtylerfl
04-13-2014, 08:16 PM
I LOVE Alder...built an entire kitchen with the stuff back in the 80's...oops, I meant the late 70's. (Well, I also used some Birch Ply with that build, too.)

It does machine well on a CNC, as well. Trying to remember which POM I used it on...was it a CarveWright or Vectric POM? ...can't remember. I'll look for some Alder blocks for the rotary...I also found some Poplar blocks at the place I bought the Basswood, so I'll try some of that too. I've not tried Poplar on rotary, so maybe I'll get lucky this time. ;)

cestout
04-14-2014, 07:21 PM
My 2 main woods are poplar and alder. A cabinet maker I met a my lumber yard told me that it mimics cherry when stained properly, so I tried it. It has better grain patterns than cherry and is more consistent in color. Someone here told me that gel stain is the secret to staining poplar (very true), so I will tell you that secret to poplar fuzzes is a 180 grit then 220 grit mop.
Clint

mtylerfl
04-14-2014, 08:17 PM
Thanks, Clint. I like Poplar for its ability to make it look like a variety of close-grained hardwoods via staining. I have a narrow (depth) hall table I built with a Poplar top surface. I swear it looks just like Walnut! (used a warm walnut stain - I think I mixed my own custom batch back then).

I'm anxious to try some Poplar and Alder blocks with the CW Rotary!