This month I'll answer a very common question, "What kinds of wood can be chip carved?"
The most common kind of wood to chip carve, and carve in general, is basswood (linden, lime wood). This is preferred because it is tight grained, closed pore and relatively soft.
Northern grown basswood is best because it grows slowly so the growth rings are closer together resulting in a tight grain for carving.
Basswood has a Janka Hardness Scale rating of 410. You'll see it would fall third from the bottom on the scale below.
