Key Elements of Timber Selection
① Wood Grain
Fine and even grain: suitable for fine carving, the finer the grain, the easier it is to carve with delicate effects.
Natural texture and aesthetics: e.g. patterns, knots, can enhance the ornamental value of the work.
② Hardness and Density
Moderate hardness: too soft to collapse, too hard to carve. Moderately hard wood is more suitable for hand carving.
High density wood: more wear-resistant, less likely to crack, but more difficult to carve.
③ Stability of wood
Dryness: low moisture content of the wood is not easy to deformation or cracking.
Corrosion resistance: choose wood that is not easy to corrode and has high durability, especially for carvings that are used outdoors or kept for a long time.
④ Wood color
Light-colored wood: easy to color and suitable for pieces that need to be painted.
Natural dark-colored wood: e.g. rosewood, mahogany, which comes with a high-class feeling and is suitable for unpainted carvings.
⑤ Economy
According to budget and usage, choose cost-effective wood to avoid waste.
- Commonly used wood types
① Hardwood
Redwood: dark color, hard texture, suitable for high-grade furniture and carvings.
Rosewood: fine texture, stable color, used for statues and handicrafts.
Rosewood: beautiful texture, moderate hardness, is a common carving material.
Chicken Wing Wood: unique texture, strong corrosion resistance, suitable for decorative items.
② Softwood
Nanmu: fine texture, good carving performance, suitable for large-scale sculpture.
Basswood: moderately soft and hard, fine texture, widely used in fine carving.
Pine: soft and light easy to carve, but the texture is coarse, mostly used for low-cost carvings.
③ Special wood
Cypress: natural aroma, insect-resistant and anti-corrosion, mostly used for Buddha carving.
Camphor wood: with camphor incense, good insect prevention, suitable for storage carvings.
Jujube wood: high hardness, good crack resistance, suitable for long-term preservation of carvings. - Recommended wood for different purposes
Buddha carving: cypress, camphor wood, rosewood.
Furniture carving: rosewood, mahogany, chicken wing wood.
Decorative crafts: basswood, nanmu.
Outdoor sculpture: wood with strong anti-corrosion properties, such as teak. - Wood treatment
No matter what kind of wood is chosen, proper treatment is needed before carving:
Drying treatment: Reduce the moisture content of the wood to prevent cracking or deformation.
Antiseptic treatment: Apply preservatives to extend the life of the wood carving.
Surface treatment: Remove rough parts to ensure smooth carving.
With the above methods, you can choose the most suitable wood for wood carving according to the usage, budget and aesthetic needs.
