cutting burl

[almer]

I got some large burl lumps fr fallen maple,what is the best way to cut them up or should they dry first?Ill try to post pics if i can find my camera.thanks

 

[ericw95]

Let me beat Cav and say don't worry about cutting them. Just send them whole to me.

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by ericw95
<br />Let me beat Cav and say don't worry about cutting them. Just send them whole to me.

Eric, I am offended!! Why on earth would you want to <s>beat</s>physically assault me?????????????[]

Floyd, I apologize for some of these Ugly Americans! I think punishing the attitude of Eric by sending me your maple burl is a wonderful idea! [][][][][]

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have only cut a few burls but, from that experience, I believe that only you can judge what to do. By nature, all burls are different. Look for grain and decide what you think will work best. Expect waste but, being burls, the remainder is always a thing of beauty.

 

[fstepanski]

I agree with Frank. You have to look it over and make your best call.

I look it all over, then based on what I want to get out of it, i.e. pen blanks & bottle stoppers, then make my first cut so I can go to the band saw. From there I use a sled on the bandsaw to give me an initial straight edge.

Best of luck..

Frank

 

[workinforwood]

I chunk it off the tree with the chainsaw so I have the entire hunk like a bowl. I then will flatten at least one side so that it can stand on edge. I sometimes have to flatten the opposite side too depending on size of the burl as my bandsaw can only handle a 12.5" resaw. Or, of course cut it in half. Don't remove any bark other than the bark you need to remove to flatten a side. I then slice it at 1" thick. I paint the edge that I sliced and now has no bark with oil base paint that I buy at the hardware stuff in the reject bin for a buck as color doesn't matter. I have some awesome olive greens and the nastiest looking pink/gold color you ever saw...but anyhow, then I make a couple stickers and stack the pile with a cinder block or two cinder blocks on top. I have heavy duty lumber shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling in my shop and can hold a couple tons of lumber. The air dry lumber such as this goes on the very top shelf. The higher up you get it the better. Building the little sticker stack in the attic is an even better choice. The higher off the ground the better. The attic is the best place as there is no rain and there is the best flow of warm dry air. The shop has little air flow, the attic has tons due to natural convection. Build a shelf right up in the upper section of the rafters. It'll be plenty strong up there to support a hundred pounds, but don't go too heavy up there of course as logic dictates. In a year, you will have plenty dry lumber. How do you know it is not going to dry anymore, and no moisture meter? Place a chunk on your bathroom scale and then write on the slab the weight. Re-check that slab in a few weeks. When the weight no longer drops, it's as done as it will get. You won't get the ideal 6-8 percent but you will get very close to it, maybe down to 10 percent which is totally acceptable on the outside range of moisture content. If you think about it, every so often, re-arrange and flip the stack, maybe once a month or two is plenty. If you forget, no biggy. Have fun.

 

[jrc]

Find someone with a portable band saw mill like a Woodmizer. Green wood always cuts easier. I have a friend that cuts mine, pay him $20 to cut them into 3/4" thick slabs. Then cut into 3/4" wide pieces and let them dry. After a couple months I'll cut them to blank size and let them dry for another few weeks. To test them drill your hole for the tube, let your blank set for a few days to a week and if the tube goes in easy the wood is dry, if the wood shrank and the tube is tight let them dry a few weeks more. I dry all my green wood this way. I never coat the ends, it my check a little, but most of the time checking means the wood is drying to fast when it has a high moisture content.

 

[almer]

Thanks a lot,ill try to get some pics,the trees are 700 miles fr where i live,all 100 yr old maples falling to the high wind,i found its work to cut the lumps off.Next summer holiday i will be prepared to get quite a few more