Thank you Max for this information. Every video I've watched of yours has been so helpful. I can add that I live in the Pacific Northwest in Washington and a major branch from our lilac bush cracked off in the snow. I cut some pieces off and tried carving. When green it was delightful. When it dries...it's HARD! I'm still pretty slow at carving so the later part of the process gets difficult for me. But I'll keep at it because it makes a really nice spoon.
+micheal vega sorry for the misunderstanding! Thank you for your nice comment and watching! Please share the video if you find it helpful! It really helps me keeping these coming! Cheers
I would just like to throw out a word of caution, to people who may be considering dealing with Tree Removal Services and Landfills. I have been in the "Green Industry" for over 40 years and have found that many trees that are being taken down by removal services, are being taken down, because they are diseased and/or have invasive insects, that can be transferred to your property and kill your trees. Also, these same infected trees, many times have been treated with systemic chemical treatments, in an attempt to save them, before they give up hope and have the tree taken down. These tree services will take those infected/chemically treated trees to landfills. Also, landfill trees can be exposed to harmful chemicals, while at the fill.
+Green Man that's exactly the kind of feedback that is great to have here! Thank You! Now... the trees I get I always get all this info about. I should have mentioned so. Thank you for the comment!
Thanks. I'm over in the U.S.A. and have seen a lot of disease spread by tree services, because they don't want to have to pay, to take the tree to the landfill. Also, here in the states, it is a big industry, to have trees chemically treated for disease and insects, which is probably the one thing a person doesn't want in a spoon, cup, or bowl. I think that people should feel comfortable simply approaching a farmer, or forested land owner and asking to harvest some limbs, or a tree. Most of them would be more than happy to let someone do that...especial if we make them something from the harvest.
+Green Man yes ... i agree on everything. I'm from Austria where treatment isn't common and diseases are not yet a big problem. But you are right. Just asking for harvesting on getting some pieces from a fresh firewood stash I should have mentioned of course. Kinda took that for granted and wanted to address more urban folks. Thank you for your time!
Frequently refer to this video. Congrats on the 30k followers on Instagram! Max is a great creator and woodsman. Hope you all follow him and support the work of artists/creators in whatever your passionate about. His boon.tv content is great and worth the cost of subscribing.
Where I live in Texas, it's all mesquite and juniper, or cedar as we say. Hard, brittle woods with snaky grain. Makes for a difficult time for beginners! hahaha But it's fun to keep trying, sitting around a fire and carving, even if your carving will end up in the fire!
+Brandl Stephenson mesquite is used by a great carver online. His name is Hill and he makes some really nice ones. You can get used to a lot of woods but of course birch and the like is just a pleasure! Thank you for stopping bye and sharing some info! Cheers
Great video! I'm blessed to live in a zone of the U.S. where the ozarks transition to the delta where we have a wide variety of trees..I'm about to go collect some blanks!
Thank you for this video. I have recently been getting into carving and any info on what woods to use and how to choose it is very helpful. I have been green carving cherry wood for my spoons and cups, it is a handy wood in my area (and very pretty I think), but wow if I get a dried piece it is like a rock.
Excellent video Max. One of your best. I get wood from firewood dealers. They usually have a good variety. I've also had some success approaching large property owners and asking to take down a small tree or two. Both for a small price. We are lucky in that we can use pieces of wood that have little value in other markets.
Please discuss re-hydrating different (Appalachian, Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky) woods. Is there a written reference perhaps?). Thanks! Stephen
I'm not from there so I can't. Just experiment. I've learned most through trial an error. There does not always have to be a readily available tutorial for everytjing.
Ive noticed how black walnut will choke out and dominate an area..so do a lot of other woods(i think due to the acidity of its leaves)..I have several in my woods..I've used it for a lot of projects without a problem.
Hey man. I love your videos! Very detailed and through. I like that you have interest in the japanese arts as well. Are you familiar with Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu?
+Budo Woodsman yes I am... I am the representative for a school of Iaido in Europe. Get to train with some very beautiful swords. Thank you for the nice comment!
I'd like to tie the east and west together in a bushcraft/martial arts way. I grew up studying the Bujinkan and Native American ways. I think this would be great. Having both knowledges yourself, what do you think about this?
Budo Woodsman they are very close... east and west is only far away on the map that centralizes Europe and the countries that used to form colonial empires... if you put Japan in the middle... Alaska and the highly developed native western coast of the Americas is very close!
That mic sounds just fine to me, other than loud vehicles driving by really closely. It'd be really helpful if you showed a few examples of the woods you're talking about, and maybe giving a few 'getting started' recommendations right in the beginning. All of the information is interesting, but it takes 6 minutes before you start talking about species of wood. It seems like that should be the first consideration in wood selection, THEN try to select diffused porous or ring porous growths. I really don't know anything about any of this, but I had a hard time processing this in the order you presented it. ... so I watched it four times, and really absorbed what you're talking about :-D
Gotcha... maybe this is a guide for people with a little knowledge about wood. Good considerations. This was filmed in the middle of a Japanese mountain valley and it's not like I had woods from all over the world with me to show... and that is Exactely the point I am giving. The difference between the different pores is what makes this guide globally applicable. If I just talked about specific woods then it would only work for a fraction of people. I got access to Sakura, Momo and Ume wood... but that doesn't help anybody because most people don't... if I classify them it makes sense though. Apart from that I am in one of the most interesting countries in the world and want to give some ambient info and some lifestyle... it's would be a waste not to and this kind of videos is what I enjoy more than pure facts... for facts I go to Wikipedia. The cars are annoying ... but that was the only spot to film that day with the house behind. Japan is extremely dense... every square inch is a field, house or road. I'm aware of my long winded style of videos... but they contain more than just facts... I hope you see That! I really appreciate the opinion! Gives me great feedback! Cheers
Don't think that the long-windedness is bad (I learned something from EVERY sentence you said), but UA-cam is definitely built around the impatient. I'm just suggesting a slight reorganization of the information, more like telling a story. Everybody loves a good story. As for the different woods, I hadn't really thought about that. I suppose it IS possible that people live in places that aren't near me. I might even be convinced that there are some other languages out there somewhere hahaha. Your filming locations have all been great for me, even in the middle of the suburbs was perfectly fine. It's nice to see the illusion of you living in a cabin in the woods where flannel shirts always seem to come clean, but the reality is that I'm just going to be in my backyard with cars driving by. It's encouraging to see that doing some carving in the backyard is something you do too, and that I should stop trying to come up with excuses to NOT start. All things considered, I'm absolutely loving all of your videos. They've been incredibly helpful for me learning the very basics of turning a piece of dead tree into a usable shape ... without giving myself bloody stumps. I just wanted to point out where I see a little room for improvement (I also run a 'serious' channel, and love getting feedback on what I should be doing better). Keep up the great work, man!
Jesse O'Brien I really appreciate those words! Trying to keep it real. I wanna show the beautiful sites as well as the more profane sites and reality of working. Hopefully soon my reality is gonna be a beautiful spot somewhere. Thank you for the support! Cheers
I have very little experience with carving spoons but the one very good experience I had was with a limb of dry choke cherry. It had been laying in my shop for 2 years. I skinned off the sap wood, as it was rather porous, and split the heart wood. It was a perfect split down the center of the pith. I began carving with a Mora knife. The wood was a lovely brown colour. It was very fine grained but cut easily with the knife next to no splintering even on curves. I would be really surprised if there is a better dry wood than this to carve. The down side is choke cherry is usually a small tree and is not commercially available.
+Bill Astell great input! Thank You! Loving all kinds of cherry for carving. Black cherry is a little bit similar. Still carveable when dry. Japanese Sakura though turns into granite. Thank you for watching! Share this video if you like the content... Helps me putting in the time!
Thanks, Max! This is a good topic. My area is dry, cold, high elevation, right next to Nevada. Typical woody vegetation is western juniper and sagebrush. There is aspen around here, which is not too bad for carving. At first I had trouble finding suitable hardwood pieces, but now my friends are looking out for me and hardwood prunings of fruitwood, box elder, paper birch, maple are coming my way. These are all landscape trees that are plentiful even in this small rural community. Soaking can render a dry piece useable, thx for that tip. In this climate, straight grained knotless wood is uncommon, so my spoons are twisted and wonky, which people seem to like.
Thank you Max for this information. Every video I've watched of yours has been so helpful. I can add that I live in the Pacific Northwest in Washington and a major branch from our lilac bush cracked off in the snow. I cut some pieces off and tried carving. When green it was delightful. When it dries...it's HARD! I'm still pretty slow at carving so the later part of the process gets difficult for me. But I'll keep at it because it makes a really nice spoon.
Thank you so much for your input!
The world definitely needed this vid max
Was that Sarcasm?
Woodsmans Finest no. There's no vids really helpful on the topic is all.
+micheal vega sorry for the misunderstanding! Thank you for your nice comment and watching! Please share the video if you find it helpful! It really helps me keeping these coming! Cheers
I would just like to throw out a word of caution, to people who may be considering dealing with Tree Removal Services and Landfills. I have been in the "Green Industry" for over 40 years and have found that many trees that are being taken down by removal services, are being taken down, because they are diseased and/or have invasive insects, that can be transferred to your property and kill your trees. Also, these same infected trees, many times have been treated with systemic chemical treatments, in an attempt to save them, before they give up hope and have the tree taken down. These tree services will take those infected/chemically treated trees to landfills. Also, landfill trees can be exposed to harmful chemicals, while at the fill.
+Green Man that's exactly the kind of feedback that is great to have here! Thank You!
Now... the trees I get I always get all this info about. I should have mentioned so.
Thank you for the comment!
Thanks. I'm over in the U.S.A. and have seen a lot of disease spread by tree services, because they don't want to have to pay, to take the tree to the landfill. Also, here in the states, it is a big industry, to have trees chemically treated for disease and insects, which is probably the one thing a person doesn't want in a spoon, cup, or bowl. I think that people should feel comfortable simply approaching a farmer, or forested land owner and asking to harvest some limbs, or a tree. Most of them would be more than happy to let someone do that...especial if we make them something from the harvest.
+Green Man yes ... i agree on everything. I'm from Austria where treatment isn't common and diseases are not yet a big problem. But you are right. Just asking for harvesting on getting some pieces from a fresh firewood stash I should have mentioned of course. Kinda took that for granted and wanted to address more urban folks.
Thank you for your time!
Frequently refer to this video. Congrats on the 30k followers on Instagram! Max is a great creator and woodsman. Hope you all follow him and support the work of artists/creators in whatever your passionate about. His boon.tv content is great and worth the cost of subscribing.
Where I live in Texas, it's all mesquite and juniper, or cedar as we say. Hard, brittle woods with snaky grain. Makes for a difficult time for beginners! hahaha But it's fun to keep trying, sitting around a fire and carving, even if your carving will end up in the fire!
+Chasing Springtime I hear ya man! Try out aspen... you Might get a durable spoon and can add some milk paint for looks. Thanks for commenting!
+Brandl Stephenson mesquite is used by a great carver online. His name is Hill and he makes some really nice ones. You can get used to a lot of woods but of course birch and the like is just a pleasure! Thank you for stopping bye and sharing some info! Cheers
Great video! I'm blessed to live in a zone of the U.S. where the ozarks transition to the delta where we have a wide variety of trees..I'm about to go collect some blanks!
Thank you for this video. I have recently been getting into carving and any info on what woods to use and how to choose it is very helpful. I have been green carving cherry wood for my spoons and cups, it is a handy wood in my area (and very pretty I think), but wow if I get a dried piece it is like a rock.
Excellent video Max. One of your best.
I get wood from firewood dealers. They usually have a good variety. I've also had some success approaching large property owners and asking to take down a small tree or two. Both for a small price. We are lucky in that we can use pieces of wood that have little value in other markets.
+Steve Stephen exactly! Great comment and thank you for sharing your info! Very helpful! Share my content if you like it please... cheers
Please discuss re-hydrating different (Appalachian, Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky) woods. Is there a written reference perhaps?). Thanks!
Stephen
I'm not from there so I can't. Just experiment. I've learned most through trial an error. There does not always have to be a readily available tutorial for everytjing.
As a new spoon carver i am enjoying your video’s. I have been carving Sassafras, mostly walking sticks so far. Any experience with it for spoons?
No, haven't had the pleasure but carved all kinds of weird stuff in Japan and here in Austria.
Try it and see what you think.
Japan where you're at is beautiful. Ty
Thanks, it really is a gem!
Great video. I have access to black walnut. Is it poisonous?
Steve Tackett well if it is... I poisoned a lot of people! Lol
Ive noticed how black walnut will choke out and dominate an area..so do a lot of other woods(i think due to the acidity of its leaves)..I have several in my woods..I've used it for a lot of projects without a problem.
Hey man. I love your videos! Very detailed and through. I like that you have interest in the japanese arts as well. Are you familiar with Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu?
+Budo Woodsman yes I am... I am the representative for a school of Iaido in Europe. Get to train with some very beautiful swords. Thank you for the nice comment!
I'd like to tie the east and west together in a bushcraft/martial arts way. I grew up studying the Bujinkan and Native American ways. I think this would be great. Having both knowledges yourself, what do you think about this?
Budo Woodsman they are very close... east and west is only far away on the map that centralizes Europe and the countries that used to form colonial empires... if you put Japan in the middle... Alaska and the highly developed native western coast of the Americas is very close!
That mic sounds just fine to me, other than loud vehicles driving by really closely. It'd be really helpful if you showed a few examples of the woods you're talking about, and maybe giving a few 'getting started' recommendations right in the beginning. All of the information is interesting, but it takes 6 minutes before you start talking about species of wood. It seems like that should be the first consideration in wood selection, THEN try to select diffused porous or ring porous growths. I really don't know anything about any of this, but I had a hard time processing this in the order you presented it.
... so I watched it four times, and really absorbed what you're talking about :-D
Gotcha... maybe this is a guide for people with a little knowledge about wood. Good considerations.
This was filmed in the middle of a Japanese mountain valley and it's not like I had woods from all over the world with me to show... and that is Exactely the point I am giving. The difference between the different pores is what makes this guide globally applicable. If I just talked about specific woods then it would only work for a fraction of people. I got access to Sakura, Momo and Ume wood... but that doesn't help anybody because most people don't... if I classify them it makes sense though. Apart from that I am in one of the most interesting countries in the world and want to give some ambient info and some lifestyle... it's would be a waste not to and this kind of videos is what I enjoy more than pure facts... for facts I go to Wikipedia. The cars are annoying ... but that was the only spot to film that day with the house behind. Japan is extremely dense... every square inch is a field, house or road.
I'm aware of my long winded style of videos... but they contain more than just facts... I hope you see That! I really appreciate the opinion! Gives me great feedback! Cheers
Don't think that the long-windedness is bad (I learned something from EVERY sentence you said), but UA-cam is definitely built around the impatient. I'm just suggesting a slight reorganization of the information, more like telling a story. Everybody loves a good story.
As for the different woods, I hadn't really thought about that. I suppose it IS possible that people live in places that aren't near me. I might even be convinced that there are some other languages out there somewhere hahaha.
Your filming locations have all been great for me, even in the middle of the suburbs was perfectly fine. It's nice to see the illusion of you living in a cabin in the woods where flannel shirts always seem to come clean, but the reality is that I'm just going to be in my backyard with cars driving by. It's encouraging to see that doing some carving in the backyard is something you do too, and that I should stop trying to come up with excuses to NOT start.
All things considered, I'm absolutely loving all of your videos. They've been incredibly helpful for me learning the very basics of turning a piece of dead tree into a usable shape ... without giving myself bloody stumps. I just wanted to point out where I see a little room for improvement (I also run a 'serious' channel, and love getting feedback on what I should be doing better). Keep up the great work, man!
Jesse O'Brien I really appreciate those words! Trying to keep it real. I wanna show the beautiful sites as well as the more profane sites and reality of working. Hopefully soon my reality is gonna be a beautiful spot somewhere. Thank you for the support! Cheers
I have very little experience with carving spoons but the one very good experience I had was with a limb of dry choke cherry. It had been laying in my shop for 2 years. I skinned off the sap wood, as it was rather porous, and split the heart wood. It was a perfect split down the center of the pith. I began carving with a Mora knife. The wood was a lovely brown colour. It was very fine grained but cut easily with the knife next to no splintering even on curves. I would be really surprised if there is a better dry wood than this to carve. The down side is choke cherry is usually a small tree and is not commercially available.
+Bill Astell great input! Thank You! Loving all kinds of cherry for carving. Black cherry is a little bit similar. Still carveable when dry. Japanese Sakura though turns into granite. Thank you for watching! Share this video if you like the content... Helps me putting in the time!
Thanks, Max! This is a good topic. My area is dry, cold, high elevation, right next to Nevada. Typical woody vegetation is western juniper and sagebrush. There is aspen around here, which is not too bad for carving. At first I had trouble finding suitable hardwood pieces, but now my friends are looking out for me and hardwood prunings of fruitwood, box elder, paper birch, maple are coming my way. These are all landscape trees that are plentiful even in this small rural community. Soaking can render a dry piece useable, thx for that tip. In this climate, straight grained knotless wood is uncommon, so my spoons are twisted and wonky, which people seem to like.
+xoney great input for many people! Thank you very much for this! Sharing is caring... please help the channel if you enjoy the content! Cheers
Woodsmans Finest what was the square spotted thing on right about ??but interesting video💕👌🐺.
Random Fox charts of the wood structure... I should have pointed that out more...
The real question is: what wood can't a human break with a wicked karate chop? :)