WoodwoodHardwood

Basswood

Soft, even-textured hardwood with almost no grain figure. Carves and shapes predictably, which makes it the standard stock for carving, pattern making and scale models.

Stock forms — Board section and side elevation, end grain showingannual ringsend graintwLside elevation
Basswood — stock formsSymbols only — no stock sizes are published

Properties

Family
Wood
Category
wood
Species
Tilia americana
Density
0.42 g/cm³ · 420 kg/m³

Densityhow basswood compares

Density of Basswood — 0.42 g/cm³Basswood0.42Water1.00Aluminium2.700369g/cm³
0.42 g/cm³ — 420 kg/m³Water 1.00 · Aluminium 2.70

Applicationswhere basswood is normally specified

CarvingPattern makingScale modelsMusical instruments

Practical notes

  • Density is for air-dried stock at about 12% moisture content
  • Too soft for structural use — it dents easily

Lumber sizeswhat basswood weighs in each nominal size

Lumber size database

Dressed sizes are the same for every species — a 2x4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 in in oak as much as in spruce. What changes is the weight, and that is derived here from basswood's density of 0.42 g/cm³.

2x4 dimensions2x4x8 weight2x6 dimensions4x4 dimensions

Tools used on itmatched on the wood family, not on this page

All tools
Circular SawCountersinkDrillHole SawImpact DriverJigsawMitre SawRandom Orbit SanderRouterTwist Drill Bits

Which tools work a material is a property of the family (Wood), not of the individual species — so this list is the same on every wood page, and changes when the tool data changes rather than when this paragraph does.

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Weight calculatorAll materials