Читать книгу Chip Carver's Workbook - Dennis Moor - Страница 14

You will often find carvers using pine for small caricature or figure carvings. Pine’s abundance and low cost, rather than its carving characteristics, are the reasons that many carvers choose this wood.

While pine can certainly be chip carved, it would not be my first choice for a couple of reasons. First, pine’s consistency, or perhaps I should say “lack of consistency,” of grain restricts the amount of fine or detail work that can be carved (See Figure 1-4.). Because the grain is not very tight, motifs that have sharp edges or ridges must be avoided to prevent breakouts (a ridge that breaks because it lacks rigidity) or fuzziness (See Figure 1-5.).

Figure 1-4. Pine.

Figure 1-5. Sharp edges, in designs such as this one, can break easily in some woods.

Second, the darker grain in pine is much harder than the light-colored grain. You may not notice this characteristic when cutting pine using power tools or a hand saw, but if you draw a chip carving knife across the grain of a pine board, you will soon discover that it is very difficult to control your cuts.

This is not to say that you should avoid chip carving pine altogether. On the contrary, if you already own or are presented with pine items, such as a blanket chest, a toy box, or a set of shelves, you can certainly beautify these functional pieces with chip carving. Simply avoid sharp edges. A pine chest can soon become a cherished heirloom once you add a chip-carved name or a simple motif. If you have a choice, however, have the project made from basswood because it is much nicer to carve.