I'm new at this carving thing and basswood in general. It seems to move a good bit. What do I do to keep it from moving so much?
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I'm new at this carving thing and basswood in general. It seems to move a good bit. What do I do to keep it from moving so much?
I keep mine in a plastic bag between uses - both raw stock and projects. All my stuff is less than 2 feet long.
Is the wood green. Wood moves, but how much movement are you seeing?
I was told it's been air drying for 15 years. I don't have a moisture gauge. It's move just enough to teeter a bit on the back. It has gotten better after last coat of thinned shellac. Hold one side down flat and the other is up about 1/4". I think I'm just going to put a piece of MDF on the back up of it, press it flat one more time, and call it good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren West
Relief cuts on the back may help. What is done to the front should be done to the back. Carve/ cut, seal etc. Also sealing the end grain will go a long way to slow it.
I just posted a piece “William & Mary “ where I had to deal with this very thing and you can see the cuts i made on the back to compensate for the movement.
One other thing is if you’re carving into just one board carve into the bark side not the heart side of the piece. You’ll be cutting into more cells and limiting the movement as
the board will naturally want to cup/ warp away from the bark side.
hope this helps
Yep, I carved on the pith side because I liked the grain pattern better. Bark side would have probably been better. Love your W&M carving, BTW. This is only my third carving. Trial, error, and learn.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Yundt
Thanks. Trial and error never ends. They’re great teachers if you pay attention.