Q:

What wood is best for engraving?

I'm looking at getting into wood engraving for print, something like this:

EDIT - I've just found out that the person that created this bird recommends birch plywood for beginners. Is this a good starting wood?
And I wanted to buy some engraving tools. I know you can get electric engravers but I prefer the look of the manual tools, they have a nicer charm to them.
Is there a preferred wood type when it comes to engraving?  And would there be softer wood types used for manual tools as it will be harder to engrave over the electric tools?
As I'm only getting into engraving for fun I would prefer cheaper wood types if possible.

A:

I've had a bit of a search and a few different places seem to suggest that Boxwood is the best wood for engraving, however I'm sure that there are a number of viable choices, and certainly for beginners who aren't trying to achieve very fine detail then any wood which will hold a good edge (so most moderately dense hardwoods) should be fine.
Birch plywood has a huge advantage for a beginner in that it is very cheap! If it's been recommended to you, I'd suggest giving it a try and seeing how you get on.
It's worth noting that engraving seems to be done on the end-grain of the timber, presumably as this is where the timber will easily hold fine detail.

A:

Here in the US, Basswood seems to be preferred.  That is what they use at in the classes at the local Woodcraft.  It is relatively soft and light, but tight grained enough to hold detail well.

A:

On the other end of the spectrum, you can try oak too. It's hardness on one hand allows good details,  but it's coarse grain lends carvings a texture that you don't get using other woods. It's certainly not all-purpose, but maybe something to keep in mind. Likewise, a species like mahogany would be a medium - coarseness grain. 
Other good fine grained species are aspens/poples... Similar to basswood if you can't find that. 

