To stabilize or not to stabilize?? Redwood burl

[ed4copies]

I have just cut up a beautiful redwood burl, yielding a couple hundred blanks.

Some are "run of the mill" with nice chatoyance, they are being stabilized. Some have eyes and nice color and some have prolific eyes and really nice red color.
So, if you were to make pens from these really nice blanks, would you prefer they were stabilized? My stabilizing so far has added about 40% to the weight of the blanks, it is stabilized throughout.

Thoughts??

Thanks for your participation!!
Ed

 

[MRDucks2]

I have 3 different purchases of Redwood Burl. While I have yet to turn any of it, the coarse nature of the wood as well as the amazing light weight would lead me to stabilize before turning to help lock everything together and give a more solid mass.

I believe it would be easy to turn as is, but easier to turn stabilized. Will be interesting to hear input from others.

 

[GaryMGg]

All the redwood burl I've turned, which was not stabilized, drank a lot of CA.
I believe you benefit your clients by stabilizing it for them.

 

[duncsuss]

I've turned un-stabilized redwood burl - it certainly cuts easily, but it's also really easy to get "compression marks" if you let the tool rub as you're cutting.

That's not a problem for scrapers (but tear-out might be - it's really soft), and it was a reminder to me that you have to float on the bevel, not rub. I believe it would be less sensitive to tool pressure if it was stabilized (but I haven't yet tested that theory).

 

[Dieseldoc]

Turned lot of old growth Redwood from NW. Stabilizing sue makes a great difference in the a super finish on pen's.

 

[magpens]

I prefer all lighter-weight woods to be stabilized.

 

[ed4copies]

Two big batches are "in the soup". Should be available in a week or so.