maple burl

[almer]

What is the best way to cut this maple burl for pens,ive had it in sawdust for a year,seems fairly dry,when i cut it i dont want it to crack.

 

[ahoiberg]

floyd, i'd just use a bandsaw and cut it up to whatever sizes you want and then use anchorseal or wax to seal up the endgrain, it should be fine. or, send it to me to cut up...

 

[1JaredSchmidt]

I use a sliding table saw. Then I coat it with Anchorseal.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Cut just like any other piece of wood. Personally, I would try to go with the grain as much as possible. Understand, that with burl, there will be loss. That is part of what makes burl wood so desirable and relatively scarce. I have found that much burl wood needs stabilizing before it is suitable for penturning. The upside is that the stable process makes for a really beautiful finished product. Well worth the effort or money involved.

 

[RMB]

I'd use a bandsaw, and cut it into penblank sized stips immediatly. No need to cut it into individual "blanks" just 3/4square strips, less waste. They'll dry quickly that way, and from my experience won't crack, but probably warp a little.

 

[almer]

Originally posted by RMB

I'd use a bandsaw, and cut it into penblank sized stips immediatly. No need to cut it into individual "blanks" just 3/4square strips, less waste. They'll dry quickly that way, and from my experience won't crack, but probably warp a little.

Thanks guys on my fathers farm in Manitoba there are a lot of 100 yr old maples that are being blown over in the wind,the root systems are rotten,so i can get as much as i want,some has a really nice red tint to it and lots of burl,the problem is its 700 miles fr where i now live,my camera was junked by the baggage handlers,my wife packed it by mistake in suitcase,when i buy a new one ill take a few pics of some of the maple pens ive turned

 

[Grizz]

I'd also say to try to get a few bowl blanks out of those. That really can be some gorgeous stuff! [^]