80 pound redwood burl

D

Dakota 11

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
252
well i got this piece of burl from my brother back in the summer. I cut about a 20 pound piece and my buddy is turning it into a salad bowl. Its not really birdseye but the number of lines per inch is crazy i would say some parts may push 50 lines per inch. i figure i may be able to trim of the outer bark/skin part and square it up and end up with a nice supply of handle material. Seriously thinking of having wssi stabilize the whole block i end up with , but im kinda scared what that going to cost me. so before i call wssi , have any of u sent in a large piece to be stabilized or do u send in smaller blocks? probably if i squared it up i would end up with a block maybe 24 inches long buy 18 inches tall and maybe 16 inches thick. the piece my buddy is turning is very stunning. the piece has been in my garage al summer long at temps over 120 degrees so im sure its fairly low mositure content right now. what do u guys think is best approach for this piece of wood. also the burl was free
 
First thing, it's not dry enough, no matter how hot your garage is. You're going to need to cut it down to send it for stabilization anyway, so I'd recommend cutting it into smaller, regular pieces and sealing the ends with wax. Cutting it into smaller pieces will help it dry. Even after years a piece the size you're talking about will still be wet inside. When you cut it down from the larger piece, you'd have to start drying all over. Cut it down, keep it in a warm, dry place for a year or so. After a year, find somebody with a wood moisture meter and have them check it for you.

Another bonus of having it in smaller pieces is that you can send smaller batches for stabilization if you can't afford it all at once.

Now, where are those PICTURES? :)

-d
 
Some burles can take many years to dry out properly, depending on the tree it came from. i keep all the wood i use for ATLEAST 2 years in staged drying conditions before even looking at it. don't be to hastie especially if you have a really nice bit, even if it was free !!! lucky dog ;)

and a second on those pics !!! :D
 
deker said:
Now, where are those PICTURES? :)

-d
Click to expand...

There are rules around here and obviously Deker knows them, but you have been here long enough to know them as well! You can't just make a statement like "I got this giant piece of fantastic redwood burl" and not include pictures!:D I'm sure there is a penal code for such infractions, just not sure what the penalty is. Now get off the computer and go get your camera!:D
Matt
 
ok , ok ill get pics today. ill be at my buddies house also so wil get a shot of the bowl he is turnign as it will show the grain better. would u guys recoomend me cut into actually sized blocks i would use ofr handles or leave it larger? if i cut down to say 1 1/2 inches wide, 5 inches long and 1 inch thick would that warp over time ?
 
Hey Dakota I would call Mike at wssi and ask him for recomendation. He will steer you straight, sounds like you scored

Spencer
 
Cut it into blocks about 6"X12"X4". They should dry in one to three years.The moisture content should end up at 10%,7% is even better, before stabilization can be done.Smaller blocks will split and warp too much. The bigger blocks will split and warp to some extent, but you will be able to still cut handle blocks and scales from it after stabilization. I just did some big blocks of redwood that dried for two years.The pattern and eyes look much better after stabilization. All the little splits and voids that often form in the final blocks after stabilization can be filled during the handle work (use CA)
Stacy
 
I just got some curly redwood back from WSSI yesterday. I had it slabbed to about 1.25" x 6 x 10 and even at that thickness it warped a little. I had had it, in that size, in the house, for about 18 months, and as a chunk in the workshop for 6 months before that. I know that different wood dries at different speeds, but whenever I feel tempted to rush something I think of the advice I was given regarding bow wood drying just 1 inch per year (a 1 inch board taking 6 months to dry to about 9%, a 2 inch board, taking 1 year etc). That was for things like ash and cherry. Dense, figured wood just seems like it has to take longer.
 
Some redwood mis really oily. It's not a matter of moisture content but oild. Send Mike a piece and ask him to look at it. Oily redwood will not stabilize.

I had some done 10 years ago that I still have here. In 10 years it's still not hard and feels greasy to the touch. The oil lept the stabilizer from penetrating. It was just one batch, I've had a lot of redwwod stabilized since then w/o a problem, but that batch was a waste.

K&G can stabilize a 4x4, better check to see what Mike can handle. It won't be the whole burl.

Gene
 
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