Wood grain question

[Aiko555]

I have been looking around like crazy for burls on trees -I am obsessed with getting more handle material (free) So I see this guy with a chainsaw in a big field with a bunch of trees down. After talking with him about knives and knifemaking, he starts leading me around the property and handing me chunks of burl wood, highly figured hickory, ash, cherry - then says he has more at home. So now I am scared of messing this wood up and need advice. I know I need to cut it into slab sized pieces in order to dry it ( I know a year or two up in the barn). Am I supposed to saw this stuff with the grain? across? When I buy those great looking curly maple pieces which way are they sawn? Also what about the house paint on the ends to prevent checking? Is that the way to go? Thanks...........PJG

 

[Michael J. Spangler]

hey Paul keep it in big pieces. wax the open ends and let it dry slowly for a few years. if you slab it out it will dry too quick and split (check) on you. and won't be worth anything unless you throw it in a smoker or use it for mulch.
keep the wood in a nice dry spot, where you can forget about it. when its all dry then you can worry about cutting it up.
you can get it to smaller pieces with a chainsaw, then take it to a table saw/bandsaw to make it uniform. then your best bet is to send it to a company like K&G to stabilize it. good luck with it man

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Good advise Michael.House paint works fine if you don't have the right wax to seal the cuts.When doing the final cutting to get the best pattern ,try this.If the burl is big enough,cut it in half both with and across the grain.Sand the cuts,wipe them with a little water and see which you like the best.The pattern is most intense near the outside of the burl so slice that area into slabs going with the largest surface direction. Different areas may have very different patterns.I like to cut the burl into 6" cubes.That allows you to pick the best direction to cut your 1.5" slabs from.After the cut up blocks are dried another 6 months and the moisture is 6-10% have it stabilized.

 

[Mungo Park]

The wood loses the most moisture just after it is cut off the tree. So it is most likly to crack at first if you dry it to fast at the start. The surfaces dry quickly and the center does not creating tension as the surface shrinks. So dry slowly at first than " stronger" later to draw out the final bits of moistuer. I paint the exposed surfaces and wrap in newspaper and put it in the basement so it will dry slow. Once the wood is less wet I put it in the garage to dry some more. After that I put it in the atic for a final dry. As the wood dries it takes more to draw out the final moisture. How fast you do this is dependant on how wet the wood what type if wood how big it is and how dry your enviorment is ( read expierience and practice). I will cut up one burl into small chunks to test so I do not wreck the whole batch. A small piece in the microwave for a min or so will give you a idea as to how dry it is the wood will become anywhere from real wet to damp to dry. Also the more water the faster it will heat up. Be carefull when I started this I microwaved a dry piece and it burnt, so it was real dry but burnt. The test pices can also be used for grain and finish test and cut down for smaller knives.
I have dried knife size scales in one year without cracking.
Yes I think free range wood just adds to the made it youself aspect. Lots of old farm house yards have nice trees with burls on them. I have one which has burnt marks in the middle of the wood that came from burning the grass around the trees maybe 50 or 60 years ago which adds to the uniquenes of the wood. ( watch out for old nails and wire inside the wood, I also hve found buckshot) Some old harwood flooring is very dry and one piece in 50 has some great figure if you have the chance to hunt through a pile it is worth it, usually maple is the best.
Cheers Ron.