Any use for cypress burl?

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oic0

oic0

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When I was a kid my granpa had an awesome cypress burl table in his office. Probably 6 inches thick and the size of a large coffee table. I am guessing the surface finish was very thick polyester resin? Anyhow, when he moved my aunt took it... and left it outside. The polyester resin yellowed and cracked. I took it ASAP when I saw it outside with dreams of resurfacing it. I haven't had any luck getting the cracked polyester resin off of it. If there is a trick to it, I'm missing it.

Would it make decent knife handles if I cut it up?
 
I doubt it would be any good for handles.

I would take a large torch and heat the poly as you scrape it with a chisel or scraper tool. Run a fan behind you, stand downwind, and don't breath the vapors. You want to warm it a lot, but not burn it.
Once removed, sand the top with a belt sander and get it smooth to 400 grit. Take wide masking tape and go around the sides to make a 1" raised lip. Go around several layers, making sure the tape sticks tight to the sides. Pour bar top epoxy on the top and spread it out to cover the top with an even layer. 1/8" thick is plenty.
 
I always like to see substantial tables and desks like that restored. Thick lumber like that can be expensive, and it seems a shame to slice it into pieces.
 
I've made one handle with cypress at a customer's request. The wood was light and soft, plain grained. Unless you've got a very unusual piece, I'd stick with Stacy's advice and refinish it as a table.
 
Even if it would make a good handle I wouldn´t sacrifice that table top for it.
It belonged to your grandpa, restore it and keep it as a family piece, pass it along.

You can also get chemical agents to remove the finish. I´ve used it on an old chair with good success
 
The only way to use chemicals is if you know the specific type of resin used, and then obtain a commercial stripper (hardware store stripper just isn't going to cut it.) Stacy has it right- enough heat to soften the resin, then scrape it off. I have used a very sharp plane in the past, but you risk chipping the wood. I also agree with the bar top epoxy resin with softer wood. With harder wood, I prefer high quality lacquer (again skip the hardware store- go to a proper finishing supplier) over a coat of sanding sealer. You could use a rubbed finish on harder wood, but it is a hell of a lot of work.
 
There used to be a lot of people making tables with cross cut pieces of cypress (non burl) that show the natural shape of the log.
They would leave them real thick to prevent cracking into pie shaped pieces.
The most common finish was pour on bar top resin.

If you want to restore the piece I suggest sanding away the resin.
Start with a belt sander and 36 grit to remove all the resin.
Then complete sanding with finer grits and re finish.
Wear a mask and don't breath the dust.
 
hi, cypress burl can great for knife handles! it depends on the burl....if it has lots of "eyes" its valuable burl. a burl big enough for a table that has tight eye figure can be worth a lot of money. steevin
 
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