zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:54:45 -0400, Bill wrote:

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 14 Jul 2012 11:35:40 +1000, F Murtz wrote:

Huntley K Williams wrote:
What is a good wood for a beginner to carve?

A matter of useless information and a digression,Balsa is a
hardwood,look it up.

In that it's not a conifer, sure.


That's not actually the technical distinction between hardwood and
softwood. Many people just think it is.

Mr. Webster, too, evidently:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardwood

Definition of HARDWOOD
1: the wood of an angiospermous tree as distinguished from that of a
coniferous tree
2: a tree that yields hardwood
3: a basketball court


...or:

http://www.yourdictionary.com/hardwood
hardwood

noun

1. any tough, heavy timber with a compact texture
2. Forestry the wood of an angiosperm possessing true vessels, in contrast
to the softwood of a gymnosperm, which lacks vessels

I think the vessels, or lack there of, are distinguished by whether the
seeds of a tree have a "seed covering" or not. A book I lave lists
several conflicts with using coniferous at the distinction. I think
Balsa was one of them, but I'll have to double-check. Maybe the
biologists have learned something new or changed their mind since the
book I was using for a reference was published?

Regards,
Bill


3. a tree yielding hardwood