[Woodcarver] Re: Red Oak.

[Bill Judt]

Clive:

Red Oak is not all that hard, at least not compared with HARD MAPLE, or 
BEECH.
Red oak is, well, different to carve because of the coarse grain 
structure. The hard layers sandwich a porous layer which easily 
crumbles. It take a while to learn how to adjust one's carving style to 
accommodate this grain structure.

A general rule: don't expect Red Oak to carry the same level of detail 
as some of the fine-grained hardwoods. Expect the grain in Red Oak to 
compliment the shape of the objects you are carving.

Hope this helps,

Bill
List Owner


W.F. Judt,
46 Harvard Cres,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
S7H3R1
PH: 306-373-6649
Email: bjudt at sasktel.net
Website: http://www.wwwoodcarver.com

On Feb 13, 2004, at 12:23 PM, Clive Goss wrote:

> Hi all,
> Whats the secret to carving Red Oak, this thing is as hard as stone and
> splinters so easy its scary, and my chisels are like razors.
> Would you advise wetting it first, or will this cause problems when it 
> dries
> out?
> Thanks in advance.
> Clive.