Basswood

Dave Shepard · January 23, 2025, 06:28:17 PM

I know carvers like it. Are there any other uses? I've got a couple of really nice logs, which are hard to find without woodpecker bore holes in them. Thanks.

WV Sawmiller · January 23, 2025, 06:55:22 PM

I think it was popular with Bee Keepers for making hive bodies and supers. I also think furniture makers like it for making drawers and such.

YellowHammer · January 23, 2025, 07:07:04 PM

Yes, we sell it as mantles, carving wood, and 4/4 lumber. Probably the most popular use is as 8/4 floating shelves, x 10" and wider.

It's a little fragile for door slamming and hinge holding on every day use cabinets, but it can be stained to look like anything and is very stable. Some boards will have stress, but it's very stable when dried.

We can't give it away as 8/4 live edge, but it is one of our mainstays in pretty much any other form.

Larry · January 23, 2025, 09:32:09 PM

When I lived in north Missouri I sold lots of basswood carving blocks. At first I tried selling locally than tried eBay. Only sold a few blocks here and there, not really worth the effort. I did sell a few blocks on eBay and the guy liked what he got so ordered more. Than he called wanting to buy pallet lots. He was a production carver with about 5 carvers working for him. I shipped a pallet or two every month to the east coast for a long time.

It also works for wood window shades. That takes some extra processing.

The highest dollar comes from model airplane guys. The pro's want specific cuts for different parts on the plane. If your wood can make the grade, it pays better than the best walnut. Here again it takes extra processing.

If your trying to saw and sell green......good luck.

WV Sawmiller · January 23, 2025, 10:24:59 PM

Another use is for wood burning.

fluidpowerpro · January 23, 2025, 11:00:56 PM

There is a guy in my area that specializes in basswood carving blocks. He goes by Arrowhead Wood Products. He has kiln dried wood for me in the past. He seemed pretty busy when I have been at his place.

Ron Wenrich · January 24, 2025, 06:10:17 AM

We didn't get too much basswood. There was a decoy carver that would buy 6x8s, 4x6s, and some 8/4. The only stipulation was no heart. A fun thing to saw and piece out the log.

cutterboy · January 24, 2025, 07:19:42 AM

I have a friend who is a wood worker and a carver. He uses basswood for carving little leaves and animals and such that he attaches to his woodworking projects. I was talking to him a couple days ago and he said basswood is hard to find and is expensive. I have basswood trees on my land and he encouraged me to cut some and make lumber from them. He said 4/4 and 8/4 boards is what most carvers want.

SawyerTed · January 24, 2025, 08:15:40 AM

Every kid in middle school should build a CO2 powered dragster from basswood! As a teacher, that was even a favorite project for high schoolers.

Race days were some of the most fun days of the year!

Old Greenhorn · January 24, 2025, 08:24:54 AM

Before you go milling some up for him, ask him if he is buying it all or just two pieces. I have several cravers ask me for wood and I milled a 22" log into 4x4's and 8/4 per their request and figuring I could resaw some into 2x2's. It's still siting on the air drying rack and nobody has come to even look at it 4 years later. Money talks and nobody walks.

Depending on what they carve will set your shapes and sizes. 2x2 was popular for figurines, 4x4 for larger ones. 4/4 material is mostly for making trim and such.
I forgot about those CO2 cars, might be a good marketing plan!

Chuck White · January 24, 2025, 08:28:58 AM

Cub Scouts use it for carving their PineWood Derby cars!

olcowhand · January 24, 2025, 09:07:13 AM

All good info.... I have some pretty stout Basswood trees that I've been thinking about trying to market. Some good ideas on here, and my next door neighbor (Retired Forester) says it serves well as interior trim.
I think I'll wait a while, maybe someone will inquire. I think we all occasionally "speculate" on certain wood types, but I don't have the facilities to store lumber when I'm not sure it will move.

Dave Shepard · January 24, 2025, 11:07:43 AM

Thanks for the replies. I had a guy that would buy any basswood I got in, but he no longer carves. I don't think I'm going into the specialty basswood business, but I might pick a few sizes and just get it air drying.

barbender · January 24, 2025, 12:32:53 PM

Basswood carving wood, and burls are a couple of things that are supposed to be worth massive amounts of $$ to the right customers. I have not yet met those customers🤦 Most of the guys looking for burls wanted to trade me a bowl they turned.

I know basswood carvers are out there but the stuff isn't selling like other woods for me. I'd have to do a lot of legwork and advertising, maybe for someone to come buy a couple 3x4 blocks. Sure they were $12/bf but I sold 2 blocks😊

Locally, the main market for basswood is pallet and the Nelson Shims. They make door and window installation shims. The pallet market is soft right now so it's not a good time to be trying to move basswood.

SwampDonkey · January 24, 2025, 05:01:08 PM

Making a trunk.

Bending the lid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZT7V5FFvks

joints

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRqV3XAsOA

KEC · January 24, 2025, 06:51:15 PM

In the mid-1070s the mill that I worked for shipped tractor-trailer loads of 4/4 basswood to a place in Mass. that used it for piano keys. They had a yard full of it. I have no idea if that market still exists. Anyone who has standing, large basswood trees and thinks about not harvesting them should know that they may go hollow. Good for raccoons and bees, lumber not so much. Maybe consider selling them in log form to a mill that can produce trailer load quantities. If cut in the spring/early summer, the bark slips off very easily so probably best to move or saw them quickly. My 2 cents.

Dave Shepard · January 24, 2025, 09:13:28 PM

I'll be sawing them. If I get a custom order, fine, if not I'll inventory it. I can use some of it, as I want to try letter carving.

beenthere · January 24, 2025, 09:55:34 PM

Have heard that harvesting basswood in the winter is important to avoid early and fast initiation of incipient decay. Spring and early summer logging should be avoided. Because the findings of early decay were noticed to progress rapidly from the ends of the cut logs, possibly end coatings applied quickly after the cut may suppress that movement. The pathologist that I knew studying this quick movement passed away during his research, and I've looked but not found any published information on this discovery. Joe Clark was the pathologist.
Study was initiated by the wood venetian blind industry that used mainly basswood prior to 1975.

Otis1 · January 24, 2025, 10:10:09 PM

It's been my experience in the last couple of years that you can hardly give basswood away around here, at least as far as commercial timber sales are concerned. Had a logger in northwest WI tell me that the logs just go for pulp prices. When I mark/ cruise for the feds, basswood goes into the same "sample group" as ash. They also tend to get hollow when they hit 20"+ DBH.

Maybe depends on regional availability. We have a lot.

hardtailjohn · January 24, 2025, 10:27:22 PM

Way back when, the sleigh industry used it, especially in the "swell body" sleighs, such as the Albany. I have a few here, waiting on restoration, and they have a 3/8" veneer peel of basswood, about 8" wide and 4' long around the upper panels of the body, steam bent and twisted. Very nice piece of work! I've been contemplating using a thin veneer of some sort, and going with multiple plies, to gain strength, and because I doubt I'd ever be able to find that veneer anywhere.
John

aigheadish · January 25, 2025, 05:29:15 PM

I've bought a couple basswood whittling kits from Cramazon. I think typically you get 2 2"x2"x3" blocks or something, then a handful of 1x1x3 or so. I'm not sure where the bass wood is from but I've been hesitant to use any of the bigger pieces due to only having a couple. I'd love to have a 8/4 sheet of it around. All that being said I've got to be in the mood to whittle, I'm not very good and it's a bit rough on my hands.

Bruno of NH · January 30, 2025, 04:27:53 PM

I saw it as 4/4 and 5/4
It's a good seller
I have seen some made it to v- match before
It looked really good stained and finished

aigheadish · January 31, 2025, 07:04:09 AM

I am part of the whittling subreddit and I see some folks that whittle then sand their pieces. I've got to say after a good sanding, which I have yet to try, I've never seen a wood so soft and buttery looking. I'd assume that continues at a larger scale.

WV Sawmiller · January 31, 2025, 10:12:30 AM

Dang it! There went another memory! I hope its loss is not one that will get me in trouble like maybe my anniversary or wife's birthday or something.

I've warned you all my mental hard drive is full so for me to learn something new I have to do a matching memory dump of something else so when Austin posted a new word - SUBREDDIT - and I learned it something else went out the back door.

GAB · January 31, 2025, 10:48:32 AM

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on January 31, 2025, 10:12:30 AMDang it! There went another memory! I hope its loss is not one that will get me in trouble like maybe my anniversary or wife's birthday or something.

I've warned you all my mental hard drive is full so for me to learn something new I have to do a matching memory dump of something else so when Austin posted a new word - SUBREDDIT - and I learned it something else went out the back door.

Glad to read that your exhaust port is in fine working order.
If you ever have problems with it call or write doc and he can probably advise you for a reasonable fee.
GAB