Basswood Lumber

Basswood Lumber in Los Angeles

Basswood is the carver’s hardwood. Lightweight, soft, and remarkably even-grained, it’s the top choice for hand carving, whittling, scroll saw work, and model building - and it’s equally valued for painted millwork, blinds, and pattern making where a stable, easy-to-machine wood beats everything else. At House of Hardwood, we carry basswood lumber to serve carvers, hobbyists, model makers, pattern shops, and woodworkers across Los Angeles.

Our Basswood Lumber Selection

Our basswood lumber is available in 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses in both rough-sawn and surfaced (S4S) options. We stock select and better grades with the clean, knot-free faces that carvers and pattern makers demand. Wider boards are available as stock allows - ask our team about current inventory and sizing.

Why Woodworkers Choose Basswood

• Carving standard - Basswood’s fine, even texture and minimal grain resistance make it the preferred species for hand carving, chip carving, and relief work at every skill level
• Easy to work - One of the softest domestic hardwoods, it cuts cleanly with hand tools and power tools alike with minimal tearout or splintering
• Dimensional stability - Resists warping and seasonal movement well for its weight class, making it a reliable choice for patterns, templates, and jigs
• Excellent paint surface - Its tight, uniform grain accepts primer and paint smoothly without blotching or raised grain, ideal for painted trim, shutters, and blinds
• Lightweight - Significantly lighter than most hardwoods, which is an advantage for carved signs, model building, architectural mockups, and theatrical props

Sizing

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Here at the House Of Hardwood, we sell most of our lumber by volume, using Board Feet.

Volume = Thickness" x Width" x Length" / 144 = bf

Importantly, the hardwood measuring system bases the thickness based on rough cutting done at the lumber mill, so all fractions indicate the ROUGH thickness.

We sell our hardwood S2S (Surfaced 2 Sides) – This means the boards have been planed down from their rough cut form to be flat. The edges are still not straight at this point, but we can straighten them up for you!

This S2S operation removes 3/16" therefore it is important to note net thicknesses:

Rough Thickness	Net Thickness (S2S)
4/4 Lumber	13/16"
5/4 Lumber	1 1/16"
6/4 Lumber	1 5/16"
8/4 Lumber	1 13/16"
10/4 Lumber	2 5/16"
12/4 Lumber	2 13/16"
16/4 Lumber	3 13/16"