I've never had a problem doing that. You need to make sure the wood isn't painted or treated in any way (you know, no pieces of pressure-treated lumber embedded with mildew-resistance chemicals or anything), but otherwise should be smooth sailing.
As someone pointed out to me, paper burns at 451 degrees F (just like the book says); wood's burning point is higher.
be prepared for it to expand and contract with the heating and cooling.
It will crack you sculpt. Long time ago I sculpted a p[ortrait head on a wooden ball....bad things happened.
jm
Ah, I think I misunderstood the question. I thought it refered to using wood as a base for an armature, which will work. As an armature? Yeah, not so much. Sorry if I almost steered you wrong, Chris. Good catch, Jm!
