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I wanted to start trying to carve decoys. What wood would you buy that is cheap to get in blocks? I want to make a wooden one, and not cork. Would pine work, if you seal it?

The type of wood used by guys is generally whatever is readily available in their area. For me...in the south....I can lay my hands on tupalo pretty easily. A lot of the guys in the northeast use basswood and northern white cedar. Out west you get into some sugar pine. Juetlog (sp.) and Palownia are become favorites but still a little hard to find.

The cheapest would probably be either basswood or northern white cedar. I haven't bought either in a long time so I know it's had to have gone up. I would guess somewhere in the $3-4/ board foot on basswood and maybe pushing $5/ board foot for cedar (if it's really clear...no knots).

I know a guy that sells some really high quality cedar. If you need a contact number PM me.

Another wood used is cottonwood. Not knowing where you're located its hard to suggest what might be available locally. Yellow pine would be difficult, not impossible, to work with.

Balsa would probably work, just seal it well when you paint it.

RonE wrote:Balsa would probably work, just seal it well when you paint it.

National Balsa sells decoy suitable balsa. Email or call them about their decoy blocks in R9 balsa. Seal it with 2 part marine epoxy and it'll hold up well.

Fellow who made my little carved rig used high density Venezuelan balsa that was originally warehoused for WWII life boats for the bulk of their upper bodies, but it apparently took two pieces glued and doweled together to do it. Though the heads, tails, body bases and keels are harder woods (also glued and doweled, no metal in them) employed for durability and to afford a low center of gravity, I was worried about the balsa's durability, but it's held up quite well. At least to my careful use of the little run-and-gun "spread".