I have a kitchen stool design with a deeply sculpted seat. The seat blank starts 2-2½” thick. The seat is structural; the legs mortise directly to it. I have some bigleaf maple burl slabs large enough to make seats, but wonder about the structural strength of burl. I can almost convince myself that burl is strong because it has grain fibers running all directions so there’s no split axis. On the other hand, I can almost convince myself that burl is weak because there’s no coherent grain pattern – kinda like particle board. I’m a little leery of the experimental approach, because it’d be a shame to waste burl on seats which are doomed to fail.
So, does anybody have experience with burl used structurally? Is it as strong as normal lumber?
Replies
Well,
I have 9 burl oak timbers (6"x6") holding up part of my west wing. look wonderful and when I lost my temper last winter and rammed into the house repeatedly with 110 hp. diesel powered forklift at full throttle and nothing moved, nothing! Think your application will be tougher?
Frenchy --
Ain't the English language a wonderful thing? Oak burl is different from burl oak.
Jamie
I hope you aren't thinking of Bur Oak. Bur Oak is a type of white oak. White Oak burls are what I have, that is part of or most of the timbers are burls, wildly grained wood that occurs very rarely.
Yeow! You used that rare stuff as structural beams in a house?
Well, I did save 916 bd.ft. of it for flooring (everyone here thinks it's a crime to use it as flooring) Now of that 916 bd.ft. less than 800 is actual burl the rest isn't burl.
The cool part of this is that I was standing at the end of the mill when they cut it open. Dan stuck his head out and told the guys to stand clear, he was gonna kick the log off. (he actually planned on throwing it away since he knew it wouldn't make grade) I told him That I liked it and would take all he had. turned out there was at least two trees there. The biggest was over 50 inches. I watched while they dug throught the pile and claimed each 8 foot segment and the one 10 foot segment.. I paid 30 cents a bd. ft. same as the rest of the white oak I bought.. I've got about 10 pieces of burl oak ten feet long and 22 inches wide.
It's gonna be in the great room.....
Sounds like this is a great room which will really be a great room!
Frenchy,
You have absolutely got to post some pictures of this house when it is done.
Frank
Frenchy, You've absolutely got to post some pictures while it's being done. I'd like to see the one with you banging against the timbers with the big forklift. LOL
BJGardening, cooking and woodworking in Southern Maryland
Burls are structurally weaker than normal wood. That doesn't mean that a two inch thick slab wouldn't be strong enough for a stool though.
JW
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