What is the best wood for wood carving?
Best wood for wood carving should have a fine and robust texture; for this purpose, the woods of broadleaf forest trees are usually used. Of course, all broadleaf trees are not suitable for carving, as they have a large, heterogeneous texture, like oak or elm. The chosen wood for wood carving should be as knotted and rot-free as possible. Carving should be done in the direction of the wood (in the direction of the fibers), That is, the same vertical growth path of the tree if there were knots on the wood.
If you had to do woodcarving in knotted wood, you should divide the center of the knot into two parts and chisel from the center to the outside So that the knot is not untied from the wood. The woods that are used in wood carving are explained as follows.
Table of contents
Walnut Wood
Walnut tree is native to Iran and China and can be seen in northern Iran up to 1500 meters above sea level. This tree is still aged in most parts of Iran, and its wood is light brownish gray on the outside and lights brown to dark brown on the inside. The wood of this tree is relatively heavy and absorbs paint and lac well, and it also has regular and irregular fibers with beautiful patterns. Walnut wood has a moderate shrinkage property, and this wood is one of the best woods for wood carving and because of it, the so-called best wood for chiseling, Walnut wood is also very strong. The walnut tree belongs to the Broadleaf tree family. The texture of this wood is fine and dense. Another name for the walnut tree is nutmeg.
Beech Wood
Beech grows in Europe, West Asia, Iran, Turkey, etc. This tree is spared in Iran from an altitude of 650 to 2000 meters above sea level. The wood of this tree is red on the outside and reddish-brown on the inside, with parallel and monotonous fibers. This wood is odorless and is relatively resistant to bending and impact. It also absorbs paint and lac well and is the best wood for wood carving after walnut. Beech is widely used in Iran. This tree belongs to the Broadleaf family, and its trunk diameter may reach up to 1.5 meters.
Plane Wood
It is one of the most abundant trees that can be seen in Iran, especially in Tehran. The wood of this tree is light to reddish-brown on the outside and light. The old wood of the Plane is similar to beech. This wood is odorless and similar to beech but softer and relatively harder. The plane tree has a monotonous fiber, but its durability is relatively short. This wood is one of the woods that is used in woodcarving, and it is also called Dalby. It belongs to the Broadleaf family, and the diameter of the old trunk of Plane trees reaches up to 4 meters.
Alder
It is an indistinguishable wood, and it is pinkish on the outside and inside. It has a soft and light texture and has smooth, delicate, and fine-textured fibers. This wood is easy to work with and absorbs color well. It is also used in wood carving. It belongs to the Broadleaf family and has two species, winter quarters and quarters tree, which have been seen in the forests of northern Iran up to an altitude of 2,000 meters.
Maple
The maple tree is native to North America and Canada, which was brought to Iran years ago. This tree has a high growth rate. The Genus of it is woody, light, and durable. Its outer wood is milky white, and its inner and outer parts are not clear. The outer piece of the wood has liver and brown veins. A type of maple is called kikam, which is hard, pale red, and also used in wood carving. Maple also belongs to the latiofoliate family. This tree has clawed shape leaves. In some parts, the diameter of this tree reaches up to 70 cm.
Hornbeam
Hornbeam tree Grows in Europe and Asia. Northern Iran is the place where this tree grows. The sea height at the place where this tree grows is 200 to 1000 meters above sea level. It’s woody, white on the outside and yellow on the inside. It has black and gray streaks. It is odorless and has parallel fibers, is relatively hard, and resistant to bending and impact. This tree is also difficult to break. This wood is inevitably used in the absence of other woods in carving. This tree belongs to the Broadleaf family, and its trunk diameter reaches up to 80 cm. hornbeam is also called Alsh.
Other best wood for carving
Of course, wood from other trees can also be used, but these 6 types of wood are the most used. Woods such as ebony, berry, pistachio, Arghavan, etc., can also be used for woodcarving, but they are rare and expensive.