Box Elder Burl

Brian Andrews said:
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Dammit - and I thought I had my choice of wood picked out :mad: When push comes to shove, I'm always a sucker for mircata......
 
I agree about the Natural Canvas Micarta, it looks great. :thumbup:

Is some ways it’s the best of both worlds, it looks like a knife should (i.e., like a wood handle) yet it offers the toughness of the man-made material.

Though I still prefer the feel of natural handle materials; real wood (not stabilized), bone or antler rule in my book.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

Forest & Stream
 
Very nice knife again Brian, craftsmenship is showing on each piece you make. I enjoy all the varieties of wood scales, this is a very different looking one that's for sure! I tend toward the grays, and medium to dark woods myself. Nice looking natural canvas micarta there too. It has that heavier grain structure that linen does not. I do like the fine linen though as it appears cleaner to my eye.
 
That box elder burl is beautiful. But like some have said already, it looks like moss. I'd be afraid to lose it.
 
very cool :thumbup: i really like the depth of the grain.

on a side note, box elder is an interesting tree. it attracts swarms of this really ugly bug, the box elder bug. tons of them are attracted to the tree and they kind of invade the surrounding area. for this reason, you are not allowed to plant box elders in certain places (Ohio is the main place i know of) because people dont want the bugs around.
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
very cool :thumbup: i really like the depth of the grain.

on a side note, box elder is an interesting tree. it attracts swarms of this really ugly bug, the box elder bug. tons of them are attracted to the tree and they kind of invade the surrounding area. for this reason, you are not allowed to plant box elders in certain places (Ohio is the main place i know of) because people dont want the bugs around.
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Hey BF, I've never heard of the Box Elder bug. Any chance of a binomial?

Doc

Never mind, I found it: Boisea trivittata (Eastern Box Elder Bug), and, apparently, there is also a Western Box Elder Bug (B. rubrolineata). "They can occur in large numbers during spring, primarily on Box Elders, but also on other Maples as well as Oaks and Ailanthus." (National Wildlife Federation - Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, Evans, Sterling Publishing, 2007, ISBN-13:978-1-4027-4153-1, page128)
 
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We used to have tons of those box elder bugs growing up. I hated them!

I almost forgot, in case HD is looking, I better attach a couple pics.

B
 

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I am not a fan of the natural micarta - nor the burl look.

But that is pure looks - I think it looks great on that knife. If that is what the customer likes to look at - then you did a great job as usual.

TF
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
very cool :thumbup: i really like the depth of the grain.

on a side note, box elder is an interesting tree. it attracts swarms of this really ugly bug, the box elder bug. tons of them are attracted to the tree and they kind of invade the surrounding area. for this reason, you are not allowed to plant box elders in certain places (Ohio is the main place i know of) because people dont want the bugs around.
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Why would you plant a box elder on purpose? Around here, they are like weeds, you are constantly cutting them down, they will invade fields, lawns, even grow under/through your deck. They are a very soft wood, and prone to breaking during storms. They don't provide a lot of heat when burned, and cut/split wood rots quickly. They drop helecopter seeds throughout the summer. And the bugs...Can you tell I m not a fan?

By the way Brian, that is BEAUtiful! Maybe you found a good use for them after all!
 
Brian, That is truly a unique knife. I love how different it looks. Sure it is very busy, but it reminds a person of just what mother nature is capable of as far as beauty goes.
I also like the looks of the natural canvas. Has a nice look to it.
I have been looking at your knives for a little while now, and once I have some money, you will know it.
This is another micarta handle I really like...Black and red. Not the greatest picture, it was taken with my phone.
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Jeff
 
I really like Box Elder Burl, though not necessarily in all of the colors I see it in. I know some really like the greens or blues. Here is my EnZo that is done in a black dyed box elder burl. It is more natural looking to my eyes than some of the colors, though it is still dyed rather than natural.

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chewbacca said:
Why would you plant a box elder on purpose? Around here, they are like weeds, you are constantly cutting them down, they will invade fields, lawns, even grow under/through your deck. They are a very soft wood, and prone to breaking during storms. They don't provide a lot of heat when burned, and cut/split wood rots quickly. They drop helecopter seeds throughout the summer. And the bugs...Can you tell I m not a fan?

By the way Brian, that is BEAUtiful! Maybe you found a good use for them after all!
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Hey chewbacca, you are right about them being very soft and prone to breaking and also about them not being the best firewood, although because of these characteristics, they are an easily gathered firewood when you don't have any tools.

A couple of other things :rolleyes::

"Now for the other side of the story. First of all, and possibly most importantly, it's a tree and as a tree, during its lifetime, removes tons of pollutants and gives us lovely, life-sustaining oxygen to breathe and shade to sit under.

It also provides places for feathered critters to roost and furry critters to find shelter. The seeds are an important source of winter food for aforementioned critters. Manitoba Maple is a tree of the bottomlands, river valleys, streambanks, and floodplains where it fulfills its natural conservation role. Its roots bind the soil to prevent erosion and siltation of the waterways and its shade cools the waters for freshwater species such as trout.

Early peoples tapped Manitoba Maple for its sap which was boiled down into syrup for its sugar. It should be noted that Manitoba Maple sap has only half the sugar content of Sugar Maple - 2% as compared to 4%. but it was used, nonetheless.

They used branches for pipestems, the wood for bowls and dishes, large trunk burls or knots for drums, the wood for firewood, and the charcoal for ceremonial painting and tattooing.

The wood was also used as the drill and hearth for friction fire making.

It was used medicinally.

More recently, it has been used occasionally for crates, boxes, paper pulp, and firewood.

It was extensively planted in the Midwest for a quick spot of shade where it is one of the few trees capable of tolerating the harsh conditions. As a shade tree, it has 4 virtues, it's fast growing, very hardy, drought resistant, and grows just about anywhere.

I've read about survival students roasting and eating the winged seeds and pounding the inner bark for an emergency flour substitute."

Just my 2 cents. :D

Doc
 
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