what wood for a base?

[fredonia]

hello,
i just finished my 2nd stone sculpture and i don't know what kind of wood to use for a base or where should i look for one?
my sculpture weights about 50 lb or so and represents a womans torso.
anybody knows of a good wood supplier in los angeles area?
please help!

[jwebb]

Depending on the size you want, you have some beautiful woods that grow in that area. Madrone has a reddish hue and nice grain, and you might be able to get some cheap or free from a landscaper or construction site. Oak is also nice, with lighter coloring. It depends on the character of the stone piece and what coloration, etc., you want to set it off. You can do a lot with stains, etc. Soft woods like pine and fir are also nice for smaller pieces, if thick enough. I like steel bases for stone pieces, and you can weld them up out of cheap mild steel (for indoors) and blue it, and it sets off stone quite nicely. Howza bout a photo of this piece?

[fredonia]

Originally Posted by jwebb

Depending on the size you want, you have some beautiful woods that grow in that area. Madrone has a reddish hue and nice grain, and you might be able to get some cheap or free from a landscaper or construction site. Oak is also nice, with lighter coloring. It depends on the character of the stone piece and what coloration, etc., you want to set it off. You can do a lot with stains, etc. Soft woods like pine and fir are also nice for smaller pieces, if thick enough. I like steel bases for stone pieces, and you can weld them up out of cheap mild steel (for indoors) and blue it, and it sets off stone quite nicely. Howza bout a photo of this piece?

thanks for the tips!
i love steel bases but i'm afraid this would be too heavy for the piece, the base needs to be 10" x 10" and i'd like it to be at least 4" thick...
it's a local desert stone, with deep reds and green/browns... i'll try to post the pic soon

[Araich]

Originally Posted by fredonia

thanks for the tips!
i love steel bases but i'm afraid this would be too heavy for the piece...

You could make it hollow.

[fredonia]

it is actually hollow already...

[fredonia]

so, here's the picture, not a very good one, but it'll give you an idea...
and i also attached my other one, which needs a base as well...

[Araich]

Originally Posted by fredonia

it is actually hollow already...

I meant that you could make the base hollow, out of thin steel sheet. Though I tend toward wood myself.

[jwebb]

Very nice work, Fredonia. It takes courage to pierce the stone completely on a first piece, and you've made a good interplay between forms and space; figure / field. Is the white stone alabaster? Bases are problematic. You'll find some rather lengthy discussion & complaining about them elsewhere on this site. Particularly with stone carvings, they are always an afterthought; while making the piece you turn it in all directions. On larger pieces, I say don't use a base, unless it's going to be "installed" someplace and requires one. I think either wood or metal will work well for you on these. I've even found good material (wood) for bases in thrift stores, disguised as parts of pieces of furniture, etc. But as you said, it'd be best about 4 " thick. That's hard to come by. L.A. has everything, though. Enjoy the search!

[fredonia]

thank you for the very kind words..they mean especially a lot coming from a true artist such as yourself and also because it's the first time i've shown these pieces...
yes, you're correct on guessing the stone, it's italian alabaster,very responsive...and i loved working with it..
thank you also for the tip on thrift stores, that's an excellent idea,..i always try and recycle pieces (in everything i do) and try to stay eco-minded...
i'll keep you posted

[sculptor]

As a general 'rule of thumb' the denser the wood the livelier

a liberal translation is that dense woods tend to crack unless they are very resin heavy.
Albert Constantine wrote an excellent book on woods titled "know your woods".

Lignum vitae is an exceedingly heavy, dense and strong wood, it is resin filled (about 30% by weight)and weighs in about 83lbs/cubic foot. With a specific gravity of 1.3 it's main value for a base is the stability from the weight. In the heavy catagory, I've also had good results from black locust.

alternately, a light wood like catalpa, once dried has less than 2 percent change in size from swelling and shrinking with the seasons-(seasons do you have them?). An alternate light wood is sassafrass, but it's not usually available as a large tree.

If you chose an oak, go for a white oak, as they are less prone to checking than the red oaks, and were commonly used for barrels and boats.

hope this helps
rod(sculptor)

[fredonia]

wow, thank you!
u have touched also on a very good subject--wood shrinking,..unfortunately i have experienced that too many times, so you information is extremely valuable to me!
thank you very much,

by the way, i come from extreme season changes ( --in poland), but i haven't experienced them for a long time now...