A project’s scope will sometimes draw a whittler away from using scrap or scavenged wood, leading the artist on a search for better canvases for their creations. Luckily, quality wood suitable for any project is easy to come by in today’s world of e-commerce!
The ideal wood to whittle is called basswood, which is soft enough to easily whittle with a knife, but is accepting of detail work because of its structural integrity and light wood grain. Because of these advantages, basswood is usually recommended recommend for whittling and results in clean, beautiful sculptures.
Places I Buy Basswood From
I use three main suppliers of basswood when I feel the whittling itch: Treeline USA, Ebay, and Amazon
Treeline USA
If you want some nice high quality basswood, go check out Treeline USA. This is a company focused on woodworking that has everything you will need: from tools to wood.
They have fun basswood eggs and 1.5″ x 1.5″ x 12″ blocks to practice whittling on. If you want something a little bit more defined, they also sell Christmas ornament kits and roughouts to jumpstart your next carving project.
If you want a larger piece of basswood, they have much longer sections available as well, allowing you to cut to the size you need.
Check them out at TreelineUSA.com
Ebay
I’ll admit it: I have a problem with shopping on Ebay too much. But you can find just about anything you could need or dream of in one place, so can you really blame me?
If I am looking for a specifically sized block of basswood, roughouts of different animals, spoons, or figures, I can usually find a very well-priced option on Ebay. Plus, the people selling them are usually people who like to carve wood and whittle themselves.
This is where I get most of my basswood as I can pick up a lot of wood at a great price: https://ebay.to/3B8LhZM
Amazon
Amazon is my last stop when looking for basswood, as I usually find what I’m looking for on Ebay or Treeline. Even then, it’s to make sure I am getting the best price if I’m looking for something basic.
They don’t really sell anything unique and tend to only supply types of blocks that are found anywhere, comparable to the selection oat your local craft store. That being said, if you have Amazon Prime and want something basic to ship to your door at a decent price, Amazon fits the bill.