Carving decoys from Jelutong

[Zach Houvener]

Im running out of wood and cork and needing to get some more I found a place in seattle that has 2x8 white,clear, jelutong for 3.00bdf

Does anyone have experience with jelutong for decoys? I know alot of fish carvers use it.. I'll be using mostly all hand tolols for carving. If anyone has carved it before I'd love to hear what ya thought about it.

Thanks Zach

 

[MLBob Furia]

Zach,

Works about like sugar pine. It's real popular with patternmakers because you can detail well with it and it's priced right. Not real dense either so your decoys will be pretty light. I can recall running into slit-like pockets when I carved it (that had to be filled). Thought that they might have been caused by the tree growing around grasses. Someone later told me that they are "latex channels", and that Jelutong trees are tapped in the process for making latex. Seal them (the decoys) up very well and you should be o.k. as this is not a real durable wood.

 

[Lee Harker]

That would be 3.99 a lineal foot. so figure 11.97 per deke. pretty cheap if it is nice and clear and split free. Are they full, rough sawn 2"x8"?