Best material for 3D carving..

[adam_m]

Just wanted to ask what people have had good success with when carving 3D objects in wood with high detail. I realize part of the success will come from using the correct bit and feed/speed but the material alone has to have the largest impact on the success of the project.

I'm about to start cutting my flourish and am a little undecided on what material I should use. Most of the project will be carved as a 3D object but I worry about losing some of the detail due to chip out, fussiness/grain of the wood, etc.

Will oak cut better than maple or mahogany better than both of them, etc.

Adam,

[Leo]

I find the most dense closed grain and plain grained wood to be best - for wood that is. Hard Maple is my choice. Cherry is good and grain wise is interesting, but the grain can compete with the 3D carving. Oak, being open grain is my least favorite - WOOD.

HDU on the other hand is a GREAT material for carving - especially if it is painted

[Rcnewcomb]

As Leo said, a dense, tight grained wood is great for CNC work.

Hard maple is a great light colored wood, and using a glazing finishing technique really helps the carving to stand out.
Bloodwood is an excellent darker colored wood.
Basswood is a good choice if you also want to do hand carving to enhance the detail.

[scottp55]

Oak least favorite.
Agree with Leo and Randall on pretty much everything....BUT don't forget Black Walnut!
scott

[adam_m]

Thanks for the input - I'll give some cherry and maple a try.

Great carvings Scott, what type of bit did you use for those?

Adam,

[scottp55]

Adam,
I used to make buttons, and a customer asked if I could make a Loon scene she saw in big leaf Maple into a button to bring to the National Show to sell.
Had to play a bit, and wound up using an Onsrud Engraving bit (.25"shank 30 degree with a .01"flat and a 20% stepover).
She LOVED them, and she sold a dozen at $40 each:)
Kinda got into the habit of going for every bit of detail there was in a model. I LIKE being able to tell whether a roof 1inch square has shingle/slate/or metal roofing:)
Extra detail takes WAY longer, but I like it when people ask for a magnifying glass
Got some Tiny Chinese(.25-1 mm Tapered Ball Noses) now, but haven't really had a chance to get into playing with them much.
Settings for the 3D engraving bit were 60-90 IPM in all axiis at 18K, but that will vary from machine to machine, and species.
These are usually for me, or gifts...I'd hate to use a bigger bit and save a few hours, just so I could say "I could have done it better, but I felt lazy"
To each his own.
scott

Oh...That's Bloodwood for the buttons. I liked how the beak was so thin you could see light through it:)

[dealguy11]

If you can get it, redwood carves like butter and holds good detail. The older the better.

[redwood]

I also use all heart redwood for a lot of signs. The yellow sap wood does not mill nearly as well.

That said, the hardwoods mentioned are probably better for really fine detail.

[mezalick]

Some red oak work...

Michael

[Ernie Balch]

3d horse head

I have gotten great results with Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)
It machined perfectly with no sanding required.

[adam_m]

Wow! Impressive works...

What bits are you using for the detail and how long is it taking to carve them?

Redwood, Cherry and Maple shooting to the top of my list..

Is there a specific type of redwood to use, my exposure to redwood has always been less than tight grained...

Adam,