Sending wood out for stabilization

F

Foot Patrol

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Mar 5, 2013
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I have been looking at buying dry wood turning blocks or large pieces of dry burls. If I send them out for stabilizing do they need to be cut into scales before sending or is it possible to have the blocks stabilized whole so that I can cut what I need when I need it?
 
Good question...I'm not sure exactly how that would work, since I've only recently started using stablized burl and buy it already treated and dyed. If there is a business or individual willing to stabilize the wood for you, it may be best to go ahead and cut the blocks out yourself, or request that the burl be cut to specific sized blocks prior to stabilization. The reason is that even in a high quality vacuum chamber, the wood stabilizer and any dyes can only penetrate so far into the wood. If stabilized whole, the center might (note that I said "might"; not "will") still be left untreated. I'm new to using burl wood, so take this with a grain of salt.

P.S. A lot of it will depend on how wide or thick the blocks are. Length isn't going to be too much of an issue (I wouldn't think so, anyway). 2 inches is the widest I've ever seen in stabilized wood.
 
I would recommend getting close to your final block size. The biggest factor is saving you money. There will be waste just in getting the wood to the proper size not to mention hidden issues like with burl. This also helps insure full penetration of the stabilizer.
 
Scales can warp significantly more than blocks will. Make blocks just a tad larger than needed, to allow for some sanding and slight warping. Cut the scales from the blocks after stabilizing.

If I want scales. I often cut the blocks over-wide, and slice a series of scales after stabilizing.
Say I have a block of afzelia burl, and want roughly 4X1.25 scales. I cut it into blocks 4.5X1.5X4-5", making sure the 4.5X1.5 face is the face I want on the scales ( always check the best orientation for burl woods). After stabilizing, flatten one wide side and square it to one face side. Now you can go to the table saw and slice perfect .25" slices down the block.

TIP:
When slicing scales from a board or block draw an "X" from corner to corner on the top face of the stock. Make one arm of the "X" a double line, and the other a single line (to prevent inadvertently rotating the scales after slicing up).
After slicing up the block, you can quickly reassemble the scales in the order cut to make perfect bookmatched sets. The lines on the edge of each set will also make sure you orient them on the tang the same way.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I will keep the thickness to no more than 4-5 inches. I really like the tip and will keep this in mind.

Foot
 
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