Gumbo Limbo trees, also known as Bursera Simaruba trees, are native to tropical climates like southern Florida and the Caribbean islands. These semi-evergreen trees grow up to 60 feet in height. They typically have two to four large diameter limbs which originate close to the ground. With reddish brown, pealing barks and smooth finishes, they have long been a favored material for wood carvers. In fact, carousel horses were often made of Gumbo Limbo wood before the invention of molded plastics.
Instructions
1. Choose well-aged Gumbo Limbo trees for carving. Melvin Bodden, an accomplished wood carver on the isle of Roatan, suggests doing just that.
2. Choose your wood carving tools wisely. Artists carve Gumbo Limbo wood with everything from X-Acto knives to chainsaws. The type of tools you will need depends on what you would like to make.
3. Draw out a pattern on graph paper with a pencil. You can trace this pattern right on to your piece of Gumbo Limbo wood. This is the easiest and most effective way of carving a pattern onto the Gumbo Limbo tree.
4. Begin to carve the wood. Notice that Gumbo Limbo bark emits a pleasant odor when carved, commonly known as Frankincense.
5. Sand, varnish and paint your carefully whittled piece of wood. Whether you design colorful tropical fish, carousel horses or a product of your own imagination, Gumbo Limbo is a very pleasant wood for the novice word carver.
Tags: Gumbo Limbo, Gumbo Limbo wood, Limbo wood, carousel horses, Gumbo Limbo trees, Limbo trees