Sonny.Barile Posted August 7, 2021 Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) I had assumed balsa would be an easy wood to work with but when carving it has a strange feeling to it. I tried my carving knife for rough chamfering and it dulls my blade easily. I have used that knife to shave poplar and it worked very well. I tried a razor for the balsa with more success but it still makes more of a powder than a chip......The balsa is from hobby lobby so it may not be the best quality. It looks and feels smooth but when you carve with a razor you can start to see how porous it is. I know most of this is a lack of skill and experience but I’m not sure balsa is a good medium for me. It’s not “fun” to carve. At least not like poplar......I like my chips and shavings.........and the smell of wood. Balsa has a strange smell.....hard to describe.....almost like cheap school glue...... It’s very different from what I am accustomed to.....(though it’s limited experience with poplar and pine) I bought a piece of basswood to play with and I like that.........it carves like good clear pine only seems easier on the push to get nice chips....and easier to cut across the grain. I can see why so many people prefer it for carving. It’s kind of satisfying as you do it. Please share your thoughts about balsa and basswood for carving lures....or any other woods...........This isn’t intended for tips or tricks as I can ask specific questions for that. Just your thoughts on what it’s like to carve various species.......What you like about it..... Edited August 7, 2021 by Sonny.Barile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted August 7, 2021 Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 Balsa can be enjoyable to carve but typically more when you start to use the more dense varieties. Balsa density covers a broad range 60 to 380 kg/m3. You also can have some very different grain orientation resulting in A grade, B grade, and C grade. I use balsa some but much more rough cutting then sanding to final dimensions. The typical big box hobby stuff simply is not enjoyable to carve in comparison to basswood. For ease of use, availability, and price one is going to be hard pressed to find a better wood than basswood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanBass Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 I've used quite a bit of balsa for making model planes, fishing floats and more recently small fly fishing poppers for panfish. To put it bluntly, I don't care for the (typical densities of) the balsawood that I could buy from the hobby stores. Find balsa to be too soft (crushes and bruises too easily) and needs a good epoxy "skin" to make it durable. I found that polishing my knife blade to a mirror finish (with 600 grit sandpaper to remove the fine burr) made carving easier. A good quality 100 grit open coat sandpaper glued to a paint-stir stick makes a decent "rasp" for shaping balsa wood. The fine dust is a problem as it gets into everything. I prefer basswood over balsa. I've made a couple of canoes and kayaks with basswood strips though they "fuzz" a bit when power-sanded, raising the fibers with a damp cloth followed with a light hand sanding fixes that. Again sharp blades and fresh sandpaper are best to cut the fibers cleanly rather than tearing them. Up the "carveability scale" are cedar and white pine - both are relatively soft and nice to work with. You may want to consider those woods as well. Van Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimb8s Posted August 9, 2021 Report Share Posted August 9, 2021 A piece of balsa from a hobby store can have multiple densities in a short section , one part of the same " board " may be soft enough to crush and some parts having and end grain that is hard to cut or sand smooth , basswood is much more consistent with the grain to give the bait a better consistency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted August 9, 2021 Report Share Posted August 9, 2021 If you are going to carve for making a mold to reproduce a lure then I would go with Basswood, if you are carving to use as a fishing lure I would go with Cedar. Wayne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted August 19, 2021 Report Share Posted August 19, 2021 I have some cedar to carve for some toothy critters, but have yet to try it. I have a basswood tree in my front yard and it puts out about 10 new shoots out of the base every year. This gives me plenty of knot free wood to carve. I love it!. it is so much more consistent than balsa, a bit denser, a bit tougher, and it sands great. But Raven is right about cedar. It is so much more durable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
