I'm
constantly looking for burls and figured wood to
use for making handles for the woodcarving knives
that I sell. In looking for burl I did a little
research to answer questions from my customers about
what burl is.
You
have no doubt seen Burl used in furniture manufacturing
in the form of veneers, paneling, pen turnings,
pool cues and of course, knife handles. If you drive
a Mercedes or say a Jaguar, you probably have burl
on your dash. I looked at my Old Ford F-150 and
alas, no burlwood accents.
Burl
is a fast growing growth found on some trees that
is filled with small knots from dormant buds. This
gives the grain small "eyes" that give
burlwood its desirable figure. White Paper Birch
has on occasion, a different figure in its burl
in that it gives a flame figure with no eyes. This
has a prismatic effect that gives the appearance
similar to gazing into a swimming pool. Usually
a burl appears as a result of some stress from damage
caused by a fungus or insect. Not many trees create
burls but when they do they usually can be found
in groups. The reason for this is that if the fungus
or insect is present in one tree it usually affects
the trees around it. Usually the tree can develop
a burl but still be healthy and live on for many
years. If a burl develops too large it can cause
stress on the tree and cause it to die.
Not
all burlwood is found above ground. Some of the
best burlwood is found in the rootball. When a tree
grows it sends out roots to a wide area to get water
in nutrients. This seems to happen in a nearly chaotic
way causing stunted roots and root buds creating
a sort of underground burl. I have found that in
White Paper Birch roots that the more trunks attached
to the same root creates a better root burl. So,
the next time you have to take out that prized elderly
birch, Pincherry or Black Cherry tree, try and dig
the stump out for some really neat wood underneath.
Just
about any tree found in northern Minnesota has the
ability to create burls. I have gotten most burls
from Black ash, Sugar Maple, and White Paper Birch.
Burl can also be found in coniferous (Pine) trees.
I have had some Cherry Burl which is awesome to
work with because of the smell it produces and the
tiniest eyes and grain structure that I have seen.
Hickory burl is unbelievably hard and very difficult
to work with.
Removing
a burl from a tree can risk the health of the tree.
The burl may have started growth early in the trees
life and is grown into and around the heartwood
or completely around the sapwood. Removing the burl
may result in ringing the tree, cutting off its
nutrient path and killing it. So should you decide
to take one off a tree be careful and aware that
it may kill the tree.
Burlwood
can be difficult to work with because of its swirling
grain, eyes, and inconsistencies in hardness. Even
with the sharpest of gouges and chisels, carving
can be difficult due to tearout. The most effective
way to work with burl is to use power carving burs
and low grit sanding drums. These methods use a
smaller cutting edge, but create a lot of dust,
so a dust collection system is almost mandatory.
Remember that some burls are as a result of fungus,
so when carving these burls you are making these
fungi airborne and breathable, possibly causing
an allergic reaction.
Some
of the largest burls are in Australia and can be
as big as a small truck. The redwoods of Northern
California redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) produce
gigantic burls used to carve single pieces of furniture
from one burl. I purchased a White Paper Birch Burl
that filled the back of my full-sized pickup and
is the primary suspect in a broken leaf spring that
was found later.
I
will continue looking for burls and burl information.
So there you go, that's what I know about Burls.
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