>>99182are you working that wood green and then dryinh it op? I didnt follow your other thread becuz tldr. I dont know about the validity of the info but I heard once that native Americans (from where? dunno) use to prefer cottonwood bark for small carvings. ive never tried it but the bark on old trees gets super thick and you might try hunting some of that down. in my very limited experience, trying to learn to do fine carving on marginal wood that is not prop dried is a real uphill battle. pic is not mine but is related nonetheless