Hey everyone! I'm curious about carving holly. Has anyone here had experience with it? Considering it's a hardwood, I'm wondering how easy or challenging it is to carve, especially since I mostly create small items like birds.
2 Answers
I’ve carved quite a few pieces from holly. Finding a nice clear piece can be a challenge, but once you’ve got it, it’s fairly easy to work with—similar to harder maples. Here’s one piece I did recently!
In my experience, holly isn't too tough to carve. I've worked with quite a few harder woods like ebony and rosewoods, and compared to those, holly is a breeze! Just remember, when dealing with harder woods, it's best to remove most of the material first using things like a saw or rotary tool before you switch to your carving knives. For simple shapes like birds, the tight grain of holly works great, so just take your time and use light strokes. Don't worry too much about the hardness—just handle your tools carefully!
That looks amazing! Where did you get that blade or bolster?