Above, two boards of basswood in the rough. Below, a planed board, showing the very subtle pattern. For carved frames that are going to be finished, basswood is my preferred wood, as it mills readily and carves with and across the grain easily. It does not dull tools, and only occasionally is the wood "difficult".
The Wikipedia article.
I've carved from walnut, oak, mahogany, maple, ash, hickory, butternut, and they all have worthy attributes, but for finished picture frames, basswood is supreme. It can also be clear finished, having a subtle but distinctive look. Much of the work of the celebrated English/Dutch carver,
Grinling Gibbons is carved from basswood, or lime, as it is known in England.
The wood is useful as a secondary cabinet wood; its flowers produce a high grade honey; basswood is considered to have medicinal qualities, and the name "bass" is derived from "bast", a product of the inner bark, which native Americans used to make rope.
It is a large tree, growing wild and as a cultivated street tree.
Addenda: A large basswood in the tree lawn a block over from my home.
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Behind on my blog reading, never heard of basswood, intersting, thanks, Gina
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteA pretty common tree here in the midwest. In a block radius of my house there are about eight trees, all pretty big. When I get back to the studio, I'll post some pics of some.
I've been going through your blog; I like the fences, etc. and find what you say about your daughter inspirational. I'll have to post some comments there.
Bron
I misspoke about the number of Basswood trees, as there is a house just down and across the cross street that has four in their corner tree lawn, so there are probably a dozen or more within a block of me.
ReplyDeleteBron