Friends,
I bought a piece of big leaf maple burl 6″x6″x3″. I have never used a piece of burl before. I sliced one half inch off the top. This would be the top of a small box. Then I sliced the remaining 6″x6″x2 1/2″ into slices, 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ x6″. I am letting them “air out” for a while. When I bought the piece at a Woodcraft store, it was coated in a thick layer of wax. I didn’t know how to remove it, so I merely bandsawed it off. Was there a better way to get it off?
The 1/2″ thick slices that I have, have some spots which are soft. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what could be done to harden up those spots. Should I put a thin super glue on those spots and let it soak in and dry hard, or should I cover it up with a thicker super glue? What about putting an epoxy over it?
Any suggestions are welcome. I only paid $12 for the piece so I am not worried about a big loss. It is possible that my slices will warp as they dry and that would ruin my idea of making a box out of the pieces. I figured that the best way to get experience with a block of burl was to give it a try. It is gorgeous wood.
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Replies
Mel, I'm looking forward to reading the responses to your queries! As much Big Leaf Maple as I see here on the island, I rarely see a burl. That's great that you found one that was available.
FG,
Thanks for responding. So far, you are the only one.
I was worried about posting a message that involves woodworking, but I thought I'd give it a chance. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to the other way :-)So far, my 1/2" thick slices have moved slightly but not much. I sanded them last night and some loose stuff fell out, but they look pretty stable. If they go together and form a nice box, I'll post photos. The burl is really nice looking. So much so, that I bought a second chunk of it. I may try carving the second into a "bowl". I believe these were meant to be turned, but I don't have room for a lathe.Have fun. And thanks for responding.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mell,
I was curious as to whether you might consider inlaying them into thicker wood?
Also some colored epoxy to fill in any void/soft spots?
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 9/27/2007 1:11 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob,
A bunch of folks around here just suggested that I turn it into veneer and use it that way. However, I have seen nice turned bowls out of it. Admittedly, they can get a bit out of round when fully cured. Also I have seen some nice boxes in which the wood was sliced in 1/2" thicknesses. So this is an experiment. If it fails, I am out $12, but have $25 more wisdom.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Sorry Mel,
I'm confused now. It seemed like you had 2 projects and 2 pieces of burl:
1 - small box
2 - a bowl.
I was addressing the small box and didn't see any posts about making it into veneer. Also, the mind may be failing but it seemed like the burl (1) wasn't stabile and so I thought of inlaying to give you a backer board. Also, getting the burl dressing the small burl boards for joinery could be problematic.
Just my 2¢,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
No problems with your mind. You got it straight. I added some info into my last message. At first I started with one block, and I cut it up into slices, and it is "aging" and waiting to be glued together into a box. Slices are 1/2" thick. So far they don't seem to be bending as they sit there resting.The second block is an identical block of big leaf maple burl, and I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet. I may tear into it with my carving gouges if my attempt to turn the slices from the first chunk of burl into a box is a failure. I'll let you know what happens. If it turns out OK, I'll post photos. MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel
As a general rule I have cut my burl sections on the thin side so that I could veneer it to some substrate. Don't have much experience with solid burl applications but it sounds like you have a re-saw capability and 1/2" will yield quite a few pieces. Some of the other readers might recommend using the thick piece but I have gone the veneering route with good success.
Good Luck
dan
I have turned a number of maple burls that I have bought with the thick wax on them, I have just used a card scraper & scraped off the wax & the turned them & finished them with no problems.
as for the - soft spots- I use superglue (cyanoacrylate glue) in the soft areas & let it bry before I try to work it.
Viking,
I also have bought some superglue for use on the softspots of the burl. I have sliced the burl, not turned it, so just scraping the sides didn't work for me. I appreciate your posting your experience. Now I am sure I am going in the right directions.
Thank you very much,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
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