Cutting up a crusty old maple burl cap - Step by Step

[Burl Source]

I keep getting messages asking how to cut up a burl for blocks. In this thread I will show how I cut up an old maple burl cap.

This cap had been left out in the weather for the last several years. I like pieces like that because they will sometimes develop a bit of unusual coloring while they are seasoning. But you really don't know what you will have until you cut it up.

I could tell this piece was going to have lots of waste but judging by the exterior it looked like there would probably be some good figured wood inside.

Cutting a burl is not like cutting a board.
The tape shows where I plan to cut the burl to make manageable sized pieces.

I am following the shape of the burl with my cuts. For this thread we will be using the smaller top section.

I use the bandsaw to make a freehand cut to remove the top piece from the rest of the burl cap.

Now that piece is cut away I use more tape to show you where I will make my next cuts.

 

[nerosrevenge]

Nice!

Looking forward to more of this.

 

[Burl Source]

Now I will start trimming up this piece. The first cut along one side is done freehand trying to keep it fairly straight.

Now I can use that cut edge against the fence to make the next cut for the other side.

What I have so far is one side almost straight and one side that is straight. So I turn the piece around again to get a straight cut along the side that was cut freehand.

This piece moved quite a bit as it dried over the years, so the bottom was not even close to being flat. By turning the piece on it's side I was able to mark a line showing what I needed to cut off to make this piece close to flat.

This cut was to be made freehand as well but I moved my fence close to the piece. This way if the blade grabbed the piece it would press against the fence instead of flipping the piece pulling my hand into the blade.

Now the piece is flat enough that I can use the fence as a guide to get a straight cut along this surface.

 

[montana guy]

I love these threads, thanks for doing them. There is a bunch of doug fir around with some really big burls on them, one of these days gonna have to go get a chunk and try my hand at cutting one up.

 

[Burl Source]

This cut also gives me a better idea what I will be finding inside this wood.

Now that the bottom surface is flat, I true up the sides to make the edges square and remove a little more of the waste.

Next I flip the piece on it's side and see how much to remove from the top surface. I will be making this cut with the bottom surface against the fence.

After that cut it looks like I am going to need to take more off before I get to the good stuff.

I move the fence over a bit and cut off a little more. Now that's what I was looking for.

Now I can see both faces I can get a better idea what else to trim away from the ends.

Those gone, now.

Need to trim a little more off the edges.

After all that, you can see at least 1/2 of the burl piece ended up being waste.

I tossed the rest of the burl onto the "I'm not sure yet" pile.

 

[Burl Source]

Before I cut up any more of this burl I wanted to check out this piece a little closer. Rough cut it was looking good, but the real moment of truth comes when it is sanded and a finish applied.
Here it is sanded to 220 grit.

And here it is with a quick finish applied. One side shows with a clear surface coat and the other side with a single coat of oil.

The oil is the right side. An oil finish livens up the colors a bit and gives a more 3 dimensional quality to the burl figuring. This just gives an idea how the wood will look for a handle. If you sand to at least 600 grit and apply several coats of oil, the intensity of the burl figure multiplies.

This looks good enough to me that I think I should probably go ahead and cut up the rest of the burl.

Feel free to post any questions or comments. Let me know if you think I should continue to post threads like this.

 

[Kraze]

That is very cool seeing how you do this. Thanks for sharing Mark

 

[Allen Newberry]

Cool thread! Thanks for posting up your process.

 

[hppyevraftr]

I really enjoyed that. Your "I'm not sure yet" pile is very impressive. Like fine aging wine.

That was pretty amazing. Thank you for the post.

 

[Burl Source]

The I'm not sure yet pile is under the covered area where I have my bandsaw and drum sander. Right now the pile is about 4 feet high and goes back about 8 feet. It is protected from the sun and weather this way, until I am ready to go back and finish cutting.

Sometimes customers come back to my work area, they will walk past the wood for sale that is on shelves and in bins. They don't want that stuff, they want to climb on to the pile and dig through the treasures I have hidden in the pile. It can be entertaining some times.

 

[Dan Pierson]

Exploring with a bandsaw sure looks fun.

 

[grlangr]

Thanks for sharing, very interesting to see the process!

 

[marekz]

I love digging through wood piles. Although my pile is much smaller than yours- I do enjoy finding pieces I can work with. I usually throw all my " not sure wood" in a special corner. After some time The pile gets pretty big. Usually i can use about 30% of it for knife handles and the rest for making trinkets and such. Wood piles are fun.lol--thanks -Marekz