My friend and I who live in the Chonburri area (Pattaya )are looking for a supply of soft wood for carving AKA Whittling.

As we are just starting this hobby we dont have any idea where to get the wood etc etc.

Maybe the Mods could move this  OP to the Changmia forum if they feel it would do some good  as I understand that there is a lot of wood carving going on in that area 

 

Many thanks in anticipation

1 hour ago, n210mp said:

My friend and I who live in the Chonburri area (Pattaya )are looking for a supply of soft wood for carving AKA Whittling.

You are going to find that softwood is impossibly expensive in Thailand. Hardwood is in abundant supply. Soft Hardwood is reasonably easy to find and probably the easiest is Rubberwood 

 

 

Any of the usual places will have it. Global House, DoHome, Thai Watsadu etc.

7 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You are going to find that softwood is impossibly expensive in Thailand. Hardwood is in abundant supply. Soft Hardwood is reasonably easy to find and probably the easiest is Rubberwood 

 

 

Any of the usual places will have it. Global House, DoHome, Thai Watsadu etc.

Thank you for your reply, we already were struggling, thats why I thought TV may come up with an answer.

 

3 hours ago, n210mp said:

Thank you for your reply, we already were struggling, thats why I thought TV may come up with an answer.

 

Is that what you need? If not then more info is needed. 

 

Rubberwood is 960 Janka about the same as Cherry. The softest is Balsa at 70 Janka, the hardest is Genuine Lignum Vitae at 4380 Janka

Edited August 16, 20197 yr by sometimewoodworker

Down by the port in Bangkok where they make furniture out of discarded pallets. The should have the same near Leam Chabang Terminal.?

12 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Down by the port in Bangkok where they make furniture out of discarded pallets. The should have the same near Leam Chabang Terminal.?

Pallets are a total crapshoot, you can have anything from great figured hardwood through clear pine to the nastiest stuf that's only good for burning. But of course it is often free.

Here is a picture

 

https://goo.gl/maps/1L6zcKZpEkY4oGZ57

10 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Is that what you need? If not then more info is needed. 

 

Rubberwood is 960 Janka about the same as Cherry. The softest is Balsa at 70 Janka, the hardest is Genuine Lignum Vitae at 4380 Janka

Thank you "sometimewoodworker" and all the other comments

 

A little background maybe helpful so here goes; 

 

My friend an American in his mid 70s has in the past been a "hunter"  who engraved the  wooden furniture on his rifles and pistols himself and always been an avid "whittler".

 

Now as  we are both   "decomposing" and feeling the restrictions of our ages  we are looking for something positive and practical to do to  gradually replace the the walked up golf and cycling that we do 4/5 times a week, hence wood carving, for me it's always been something I wanted to do but just never had the time  !

 

We can tell if a wood is hard or soft  generally by weight and feel and that is about the only thing we know on the subject, finding  suitable wood for beginners, or even just identifying it would be helpful a plus would be knowing where we could buy it.

 

Your comment about "Janka" was very illuminating.