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Hey everyone who reads this-----I do driftwood carvings.All my raw materials come from the Cheasapeake Bay and it's rivers.The wood that I usually pick up has been weather beaten and stripped of it's bark.However the insides are where the gold is.I guess rolling around in the tides and beaten by the sun changes the wood.My question is most of the time I can identify the wood I'm working with by either the grain color or smell when I'm carving. There are times that I get stumped.......a mystery wood. I was wondering if there is a book out there or something that might help me out in the identification of these mystery woods.Most of the books I've seen deal with the identifica ???tion of the wood with it's bark on and thru leaves.Well the problem is I don't have any of those things to work with.Any suggestions? Thanks ??? ??? ??? ???
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Re: Driftwood carving
Yes, there is a book that identifies wood by it's wood. If you search barnes & nobel, Amazon, or other online bookstore, you should be able to find it. It isn't cheap, but it is comprehensive. -
Re: Driftwood carving
Dear.....um. Hey, forgive me, but my typing (reading/memory) skills aren't good enough to address you by name. --ok, got it--yomtatesusa--went down there and copied it.
okay, so you do caricatures in driftwood? interesting.
Most people just do wood spirits in driftwood.
You are lucky to have access to all kinds of driftwood. Sounds like you are getting some nice pieces. Bet some of it is pretty even without being carved. Have fun with it.Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving
This reminds me of a Show & Tell at our carving club.A member was showing his carving .,and someone ask what kind of wood is it .He replied Tree Wood.Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving
Hey thanks for the info. I do some shows and it happens every show where someone will come up and look at the lable on a piece I carved and say'why thats not Poplar thats Hickory' or something along those lines.I put the post in the wrong area on this forum page wasn't so sure where it ended up. Most of the carvings I do are tree spirits or what ever inspires me.Going to check out the Barns Book list to see if I can ID these trees.If you get a chance check out the site www.nanosite.com/wildwood--------Thanks again, Yom 8)Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving (if you really must know)
yet another cut and paste. if there is a wood you just have to find out about the above is a site for the U.S.D.A. Forest Products Laboratory. I seem to recall that you could send in 2 or 3 samples a year for I.D. If someone knows better please corect me. Seems to me the first few were free but after that it cost $. (Obviously I didn't surf the site after I found it).
DaveComment
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Re: Driftwood carving
wow the link worked!
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Re: Driftwood carving
:P I sent an e-mail to the US Forest Service to ask about the toxicity of Osage Orange. They replied that I needed to contact a local Extension Office. The local extension office said they had no information on toxicity of woods. Ummmm...what do they do with all the money we give them? Do they think money grows on trees? :-*Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving
Us Yankee's call osage orange..........Hedge. If you let that cure out, before carving, better be ready to resharpen the old tools SEVERAL times.
I thought that the only thing it was good for is fence posts and firewood. Sparks fly off of the chain-saw chain when you try to cut some that has been dead for a while and had time to dry out.
grumpy560Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving
Actually, the proper name for Osage Orange is Bois D'Arc. This was reported to be a French name indicating that the Indians used the wood to make Bows. It is really an Osage Indian word that, roughly translated means ' this stuff splits like a ripe mellon, next time I'm using Hickory!'
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Re: Driftwood carving
Cap'n, Learned something new there.
Remember the comment about firewood? The way the wood splits and the hardness is why I prefer to BURN the stuff rather than try to carve it!
As for weather or not it is toxic, I only know that if you get stuck by a thorn ( for those of you who don't know,it has thorns too!) it will sometimes turn the skin black, and usually stays that way a long time.
By the way, what were you making out of it? ???
No reason, just being nosey.
grumpy560Comment
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Re: Driftwood carving
Grumpy, So far, I'v only made chips out of it! No, actually, I made a carving knife handle out of it. The handle split. I have managed to extract about 6 feet of tap root, which I am allowing to dry slowly. I have no idea if this will result in anything good. For those who have never seen it, this wood is a bright canary yellow when fresh cut and turns a deep brown when aged. And yes, it is harder than nine dollars worth of jawbreakers!
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Re: Driftwood carving
Hey capt. It does turn nice on the lathe however. I have never carved it but I do know it is pretty yellow when wet. It does turn colors later. I think fence posts are where the wood should stay. Question. Is that where hedge apples come from?Jim McKinneyComment
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Re: Driftwood carving
Osage orange is considered by many to be THE premier bow wood. Difficult to work but results are worth it. The Indians used the roots to make war clubs. The stuff has more names than a runaway felon. Horese apple is another one I've heard. As for being toxic ... in the form of a bow or war club I'd say extremely so. .. to the woodworker can't help but certainly hope not because I've probably got a good case of something by now.Comment
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Indiana USA&&http://pyrogite.tripod.comComment
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