Redwood Burl I Harvested........Pictures!

[tenbrook]

I wanted to show some pictures of some redwood burl I harvested.  

I cut this down about 1 year ago and have just left it sitting in the garage to dry out.  

Seemed pretty dry so today I decided to cut it into 1/2" slabs to make some knife handles.

Turned out pretty nice.  

In the pics below it has only been sanded with 60 grit.  I'm sure it will just start looking better as I get into it with finer grits.

This is the first time I have used wood I have harvested and I had a few questions.

1) Can I just use this as is or does it need to be sent off to be "Stabilized"?

2) Was 1/2" a good thickness or did I go to thin?

3) Does redwood Burl make good handles?  How strong is it?

4) How does this stuff look as far as redwood burl goes?

Thanks

Tenbrook

 

 

[gudspelr]

I have no good answers to your questions, but I sure do like the way it looks   .  Hope it all works out well-would look great on a knife.

Jeremy

[Jeremy]

I don't care for full tang knives and would have left the slabs thicker to do hidden tangs, but that's me.

That burl is nice, but not extreme and should hold up fine w/o being stabilized.  I'd probably get it stabilized though.  ymmv and all that  

I'm drying some cherry burl right now and am anxious to start cutting it up!

[Tyler2045]

You can stabilize it yourself if you want, I have seen it in a demo. I might be able to explain it or Mr Rhea might be able to also as he was at the demo also. Tyler

[Lin Rhea]

That's true Tyler. Put your handle material in a vacuum chamber with polyurethane. The chamber was a fruit jar with a fitting soldered to the lid and connected to a vacuum pump. Leave it in till it stops bubbling and it's done.

[TheBigRedArcher]

Not to but in... Lin, How well does that method of stabilizing work?

Tenbrook, Gorgeous Wood. You got me thinking about a big piece I have in the garage I had sent in from a buddy in Santa Cruz last year.

TBRA

[Ragnarok Forge]

Lin,

Do you know how much vaccum pressure was used?  What was used to apply the vaccum?  I have quite a few spalted pieces and burl pieces I would like to stabilize.

[GabeO]

a guy that works at the lumber store stabilize  with a woodhardern hey does pen blanks he cans it like you would can food places wood in a jar fills it halfway with wood hardner and a little water and puts the jar in boiling water for a bit takes it out and lets it sit for a week. he does cotton stalks, tumbleweeds works good i turned a pen from a tumbleweed and it was solid.can find out more on prosses if you want

[Doug Campbell]

We got a new vacuum sealer for game meat and such this fall. It came with an attachment for jars of something, haven't looked at it that close but bet that might suffice... I know the commercial operations hit it with a bunch of pressure after a time in the vacuum. Draw out the air then force in the stabilizer.

[Lin Rhea]

I'm looking for an HVAC vacuum pump to make mine with. It has a pressure release, which makes it easier when you open it.

[2treks]

not to ad to the hijacking,but,it may help answer your question. The burl looks good.
A friend makes pens and spoons and buttons. he made a vacume device for less than $50 from old pans and a pump from harbor freight. You guys that know about this stuff might know what to look for. Seems like he had an old pessure cooker and an inexpensive pump and some tubing. He used plexi-glass disolved in alchol or some such thing.  I will see him at KZOO, maybe I should ask some more questions

[skullworks]

Here is one...  http://www.aescustomknives.com/docs/tutorial11.htm

Another:  http://www.northcoastknives.com/northcoast_knives_tutorials_hints_tips3.htm