The wood used is boxwood and where fineness of work is desired no other
wood is suitable. Dark marks sometimes indicate inferior quality; white
marks are always bad and should be avoided. Many other kinds of wood have
been tried for engraving without success, especially for work of a
moderately fine character. For large work, such as are termed posters,
sycamore and pine are principally used.
The method of producing these large blocks is called cutting. Knives, “V”
tools and gouges, instead of gravers are used, and the long grain of the
wood is the printing surface of these; whereas that which is accepted as
engraving proper is always on the end grain of the boxwood. This being the
only really reliable wood for wood engraving, and the engraver’s staple
material, it deserves more than a passing notice.
Turkey produces the finest boxwood though many good samples come from the
Crimea and the Caucasus.
The best and most valuable wood is of very slow growth, hard and heavy,
and of a very fine and close texture. The wood is sent over in logs.
Careful judgment is required in its selection when sent into the market.
It must be thoroughly seasoned before being used by the engraver as new
wood retains its moisture for a long time, is most liable to split and
warp, and is very susceptible to changes of temperature.
The measurement of the logs is from 7 to 12 inches in diameter and the
first process of blockmaking is to cut these logs into slices crosswise
about 1 inch in thickness. They are then placed singly in racks for many
months to season, and during this time sharp cracks are heard which denote
that the slices of wood are drying and splitting from the core. Owing to
this splitting, only blocks of small size can be obtained from one piece;
where larger blocks are required and also for the sake of economising
wood, it is necessary to join pieces together. The best and strongest way
is to groove and tongue them together. The sides of the pieces must be
planed true, the grooves cut and the tongues (of some hard wood) glued
into the grooves with very thin glue. They are then pressed very tightly
together with clamps and left to dry. Another way is simply to glue the
pieces together without the groove and tongue. In an even temperature they
hold together quite well, and if the block is for temporary use, little
danger need be apprehended of the joint’s opening. Always use very thin
glue thinly applied. The block has now to be planed down to about 7/8 of
an inch thickness, which is the height of type, scraped with a steel
scraper until perfectly level and smooth and finished off with the finest
sand or emery paper.