Hello everyone,

Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives to the Japanese Cherry or Shita ply? I'm looking for something I can find locally - the most available wood here is either Jarrah (a very hard local wood - too hard I imagine) or pine (I guess this is too soft to be useful). The local ply look like it would splinter if trying to carve across the grain. Some woods available here that should be familiar to others are:- American Cherry (how does this compare to Japanese Cherry?), Western Red Cedar (too soft?), European Beech (seems like a possibility), American Black Walnut (I've heard it is good for carving).......... ?

Thanks in advance,
James