Carving with old wood

John Fraser

John Fraser

Well-known member
I like to carve decoys with white pine that I buy at a mill. A friend gave me a pile of white pine 4" x 8" 's that were left over from when he built his house. They are about 25 years old. I tried carving some magnum sized heads out of a piece of this wood. It seemed much harder than the pine I am used to and it was difficult to work with. Does wood get harder with age? Or could I have just grabbed a bad piece for my first carving attempt? Wondering if I should give this wood another try or just use it for lumber.
 
Does wood get harder with age?
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As a general rule the answer would be yes, some woods more than others. Try remodeling an old house and see how brittle and hard the 2x4's have gotten. Sometimes it is almost impossible to drive a nail into one.
 
That is good to know Dave... I was afraid you were going to say that it doesn't get as hard with age.......
 
Thanks Dave. Luckily I have some 2" and 3" pine that I bought last year. I'll just use this newer stuff for the carving I hope to start soon.
 
If it's leftover from a house construction, odds are better that it's DOUGLAS FIR and not white pine. Way harder than white pine.
 
These were hand hewn beams that he had in one of the rooms. I thought he would know what kind they were. But it's also crossed my mind that they might be something harder.
 
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A friend gave me a pile of white pine 4" x 8" 's that were left over from when he built his house.
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Some pines are much harder than others..."white pine" as lumber may not be from a tree of the species Eastern White Pine.
 
Does wood get harder with age?
Click to expand...

As a general rule the answer would be yes, some woods more than others. Try remodeling an old house and see how brittle and hard the 2x4's have gotten. Sometimes it is almost impossible to drive a nail into one.
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When my brother and I remodeled our family farm house the 2x4s were hard maple!
 
Phil,

You will know soon enough. That is you will if you live that long.

sheesh kids now days have no respect for their elders.
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No Dave, we respect our elders...it's just you!
 
I've been lucky enough to have both white pine and sugar pine from the 1930's. Both woods were dry and carved like butter and if I could get a truck load I would be ecstatic.

Bandsaw some your wood, and it will only take a few strokes of what ever you carve heads with to find out the quality for decoy purposes. And if it is no good, throw it in a wood stove or summertime fire.
 
John Lawrence is the guy to ask. If I'm not mistaken, he carves from 2x4's and what I would call non-traditional mediums...but his work is unbelievable.
 
I carve exclusively with white pine that I have salvaged from old barns. One barn was built in 1865 and the other 1897 or so. The wood carves really nice. Wouldn't surprise me if the wood you are working with is something else.
 
Thanks for all the responses. Maybe it is some other wood. I'll try working with a couple other pieces to see if they're all that hard.

If they are hard then I'll rip them down into some trap stakes, spring beaver trapping is coming.
 
A trick I learned from a Santa Claus carver is to mist your pine or other tough wood with a mix of alochol and water. 50/50 mix. Makes the wood cut like butter. Breaks the surface tension. Some even keep it wet through the carving process in a ziplock bag. I've used it on tupelo on bill area. Hope it helps. Jim
 
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