1. "WHAT KIND OF WOOD DO YOU USE?"
Basswood; also known as Linden and Bee Tree.
2. "DOES BASSWOOD GROW AROUND HERE?"
Yes. It is a rather soft hardwood found all around the world in the
temperate zone.
3. "WHY DO YOU PREFER BASSWOOD?"
Basswood, unlike pine, has no resin; It has a uniform consistency
throughout, without a hard and soft grain; It is soft enough to carve
fairly easily, but still plenty dense enough to accept fine detail carving;
It is readily available.
4. "WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BASSWOOD?"
I am blessed to have a friend not too far away who is happy to supply
me with all the Basswood I can use. Checking with your local sawmills
will probably turn up some Basswood, but, if not, it isn't difficult to find
online.
5. "HAVE YOU EVER CARVED OTHER TYPES OF WOOD?"
Yes, I've carved Jelutong, Tupelo, Butternut, Black Walnut, White Pine,
Maple, etc. But Basswood serves my purposes best.
6. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CARVING?"
I started carving when I was about 10 or 11 years old. You can read
about it on "My History" page, if you like.
7. "WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BIRD OR ANIMAL?"
I can't answer this question because I appreciate every species so much!
8. "HOW MANY CARVINGS HAVE YOU MADE?"
I don't know, exactly, but the number is probably around 3,000.
9. "DO YOU PREFER CARVING SOME THINGS MORE THAN
OTHERS?"
Yes, I prefer carving birds over animals, but always like to carve
something I haven't carved before - no matter what it is.
10. "HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO CARVE A BIRD?"
I usually carve six of each songbird. It usually takes me about two weeks
to make the six from start to finish. So, it works out to an average of
about two days per bird. I wouldn't be able to carve, paint, and mount
a single bird in two days; I average one bird every two days only because I carve six at
a time, performing each step six times before going on to the next step.
Basswood; also known as Linden and Bee Tree.
2. "DOES BASSWOOD GROW AROUND HERE?"
Yes. It is a rather soft hardwood found all around the world in the
temperate zone.
3. "WHY DO YOU PREFER BASSWOOD?"
Basswood, unlike pine, has no resin; It has a uniform consistency
throughout, without a hard and soft grain; It is soft enough to carve
fairly easily, but still plenty dense enough to accept fine detail carving;
It is readily available.
4. "WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BASSWOOD?"
I am blessed to have a friend not too far away who is happy to supply
me with all the Basswood I can use. Checking with your local sawmills
will probably turn up some Basswood, but, if not, it isn't difficult to find
online.
5. "HAVE YOU EVER CARVED OTHER TYPES OF WOOD?"
Yes, I've carved Jelutong, Tupelo, Butternut, Black Walnut, White Pine,
Maple, etc. But Basswood serves my purposes best.
6. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CARVING?"
I started carving when I was about 10 or 11 years old. You can read
about it on "My History" page, if you like.
7. "WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BIRD OR ANIMAL?"
I can't answer this question because I appreciate every species so much!
8. "HOW MANY CARVINGS HAVE YOU MADE?"
I don't know, exactly, but the number is probably around 3,000.
9. "DO YOU PREFER CARVING SOME THINGS MORE THAN
OTHERS?"
Yes, I prefer carving birds over animals, but always like to carve
something I haven't carved before - no matter what it is.
10. "HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO CARVE A BIRD?"
I usually carve six of each songbird. It usually takes me about two weeks
to make the six from start to finish. So, it works out to an average of
about two days per bird. I wouldn't be able to carve, paint, and mount
a single bird in two days; I average one bird every two days only because I carve six at
a time, performing each step six times before going on to the next step.