Curly, Burly Woods

[JBCustomPens]

Hey Guys,

I was thinking about why some woods can have burl and curl to them while other seem like they can't. Does anybody know the answer to this?

 

[ZanderPommo]

some trees may not heal in the same way as others? or perhaps tend to be in an environment where they dont get injured?

 

[wdcav1952]

I'm pretty sure it is magic.

:wink:

 

[Jmhoff10500]

Im not sure about the burl but many curls come about from stress in the wood. if the tree is a sappling, it is going to have to grow around the other trees, creating stressed sections of the tree. factors include but are not limited to: Sunlight, Climate Conditions, Man-made influences (trimming and grooming), root structures (growth patterns). and the thickness and weight of the tree above that stressed section, causing more stress, which translates into curls...

 

[Sberger]

I think those with curls are females!

 

[sbell111]

Clearly, the burly ones are males.

 

[1080Wayne]

To expand on Jmhoff10500 answer , curl is formed on the underside of a trunk or branch where the weight of the portion of the tree above it bends the trunk or branch , putting the underside in compression stress . A tree growing in stiff competition with others will most likely be straight and tall , and without curl . One in the wide open with a spreading crown will almost certainly contain some curly wood . Similarly , species with highly branched growth patterns are more likely to contain curl than those that branch less .
And yes , some of them are definitely female !!

 

[tseger]

I hope this is not a dumb question. Can you tell by looking at the outside if the wood will have curl.

 

[low_48]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If it's compression curl, like under branches or at the buttress flair at the ground, you can always see it in the bark. Sometimes the bark just doesn't seem as smooth as usual, it may contain curl or blister grain in the log. Then sometimes you get the really small, tight curl, and it doesn't show at all on the bark. It's just like treasure hunting.