Burls... Australian sources?

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Geo87

Geo87

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Hi all, was just wondering if anyone knows of any good burl suppliers in Australia. If not are there any that have decent postage prices?
 
There is also Georges bits of timber on Ebay and he stabilises his own wood.He doesn't advertise many blocks but you can email him and he will mail you back with other options.
Tasmania gold ans silver is another i have bought from - only small quantities but the more rare Tassie woods.
 
Thanks guys great info as always.... Looking forward to a lot of re-handling :)
 
Nice one! I'm coming over to use your workshop!:doublethumbsup:
 
Workshop... I wish. One day! For now my cluttered man area / storage area with borrowed tools will suffice :)
 
NMKO made a comment that you should note.
Most AU burl sellers are selling burl that is still green.
You have to be very careful with the dense burl that is not dry.
It tends to crack and pull itself apart unless dried slowly and carefully.
The last batch I got from Australia ended up with over half loss.
 
Burl source: thanks for the extra info. I did notice some of their blocks were advertised with a moisture content of 25% should I avoid these all together or is there a way to dry them?
 
There are a basically two ways to dry wood, depends on how fast you want to do it and the access you have to the equipment needed. The time honored method is air drying - just let it sit and nature will take its course, but, as Mark stated, you need to make sure that doesn't happen too quickly or the wood may check (crack) on you. That's typically done with some sort of retardant like Anchorseal. And there's kiln drying which is a combination of heat and exhaust ventilation. Kilns can be bought or DIY. Read up on it and see what's right for you, if anything. Don't try the oven or microwave!
 
Geo87 said:
Burl source: thanks for the extra info. I did notice some of their blocks were advertised with a moisture content of 25% should I avoid these all together or is there a way to dry them?
Click to expand...

Of what i bought i was informed ALL of it was between 8 - 12% moisture content... LOTS of it was green and no where near what was claimed in terms of moisture content - so i felt... I've had scales air drying for months now and decided i would see how it went, using a claimed 9% moisture content set of burl scales i made a small saya, within a few days after finishing said saya the join lines had seperated and you could clearly see movement in the wood...

Since then i had a few pieces of forrest oak i had drying out for around a month, decided to use that - Still no movement and the join lines are well disguised.. Of all the stuff i had from this particular seller this dried the fastest and cleanest with no checks... I've got some brown mallee burl thats almost ready and its taken nearly 3 months or so and its the best looking and most dense of all his stock i think.
 
Nmko said:
Of what i bought i was informed ALL of it was between 8 - 12% moisture content... LOTS of it was green and no where near what was claimed in terms of moisture content - so i felt... I've had scales air drying for months now and decided i would see how it went, using a claimed 9% moisture content set of burl scales i made a small saya, within a few days after finishing said saya the join lines had seperated and you could clearly see movement in the wood...

Since then i had a few pieces of forrest oak i had drying out for around a month, decided to use that - Still no movement and the join lines are well disguised.. Of all the stuff i had from this particular seller this dried the fastest and cleanest with no checks... I've got some brown mallee burl thats almost ready and its taken nearly 3 months or so and its the best looking and most dense of all his stock i think.
Click to expand...

I've talked to Mark about burls that have taken YEARS to dry out.
 
Thanks again for all the info. After some researching I feel I could make a kiln out of my non functioning dishwasher, a desk fan & a light fixture with various lightbulbs . Would I be right to assume if I weigh the wood every few days it is ready when the weight stops dropping? Is it possible to overdry? Also do you still use anchorseal with kiln drying? I've read anchorseal on the end grains helps even out moisture release... Not sure if that would relates to burls as the grain is abnormal right?
These are all guesses with my limited knowledge so please chime in if I'm wrong
 
A lot of the extra dense woods are difficult to dry. Anchorseal does not seem to work with them.
I know a bunch of makers in AU and the most successful way for them is to apply a coat of thin CA glue to all surfaces of the block and just set it aside for a year or so.
Some of the easier AU woods to dry are Sheoak, Beefwood, Rose Myrtle, Lacewood and Tasmanian Blackwood.
A lot of the AU wood suppliers sell to wood turners who are willing to work with green wood and don't seem as concerned with checking.

Don't microwave any woods! Think of it like putting a plastic bowl in the oven. Not a good thing to do.
The best way to dry most woods is with a temp around 70-80f. Constant airflow and a dehumidifier. Always seal the end grain.
 
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