In search of Redwood Burl

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Burl Source

Weird Wood Pusher
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These photos are from a trip my wife and I took on Monday in search of Redwood burl.
We ended up spending a lot of time in the Redwood parks taking photos. But we were able to buy some really good wood as well.

1st photo is at the state line going into California on Hwy 199, aka the Redwood Highway.
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This was at a rest stop. They still use Redwood for water holding tanks.
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We were literally driving through the mountains.
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Lots of rivers through the mountains.
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In the redwoods.
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One of the roadside Redwood places. This guy mills salvaged Redwood stumps left from logging in the 1800s and early 1900s. He also does chainsaw carvings for the tourists.
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I wanted these two old tabletops but he didn't want to sell them.
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Back on the road through the Redwood parks.
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A Redwood with some burl at the base of the tree.
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I found myself looking up quite a bit.
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More photos in the parks.
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My wife next to a blown over Redwood.
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Looking up.
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My wife and myself next to some big burls.
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More big burls.
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Looking up again.
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On the back roads sometimes you can find small independent mills. They are a good place to check for burl slabs that have been set aside. Unfortunately couldn't find any humans here.
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I thought this tree looked like a large bonsai.
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There were a bunch of these crazy ground squirrels. If they weren't chasing each other they would try to chase us. They would come running right at you and then stop just inches away and then run off.
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When we got to the coast the weather went from sunny and in the 90s to foggy and in the 70s.
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This is the burl I brought back in the truck. I am sending a trailer to pick up a bunch of furniture grade curly redwood for the shop as well.
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The day went by quickly and I wasn't able to go to all the places I wanted to go. So I will have to plan another trip farther down the coast in the near future.

Just so everyone knows. I think it is crazy for anyone to cut these giant trees for the wood.
Just about everything I buy comes from salvage wood and pieces that have been stashed from back in the days when they were cutting redwoods as an industry.
 
Now it's time to start cutting these up into blocks.
The long plank is birdseye with sort of webbing figure around the eyes.
The others are different types of burl.
I will cut and sand some so you can see what I am talking about.
 
That's quite a haul you got there Mark. Can't wait to see some WIPs of you cutting it up.
 
This is what I got from cutting the round slab in the lower left hand side of the photo. I sanded one for a better look before I send them to K&G for stabilizing.
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This is the top left slab.
Some people call all Redwood Burl "Lace Redwood" incorrectly. This is what I call Lace. Burl eyes with lace patterns around the eyes.

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