Wood Working

Thank you, you made me blush

where do you get all the burls? I know of a few burls in my woods but I wanna let them get a bit bigger .
Do you kiln dry em?

I have had to import alot of my burl wood from Tasmania, but that is quite expensive as you can imagine.
My main source of the exotic's are from Greed Bay. Plus in the past I have befriended many exotic burl wood importers, and from time to time have received much lower prices, as a artist to artist relationship.


I truly believe that kiln drying is good for production wood (aka) framing woods and like, but for the most part, turners like to air dry their stock.
You can use a micro wave technique if you are pressed for time, but you run the risk of having small fishers, cracking when you do this.
My ideal moisture content is between 8- 12 %, and there are probes for finding the moisture content of wood.

Burl wood has such a high density, of tight grain that almost always they have a heavy, dense feel to them.

Many people still wonder how and why the stradivarius violin, has such a beautiful sound that eludes violin builders to this day. The secret is in the wood in the time that stradivarius was alive, In his day he experimented with all kinds of host wood, and then he chose a very small specific site of old growth trees. These old growth tress he chose had a very singular advantage to them, in the fact that the growth rings were so close and tight, from years of drought, that they had a unique tight growth pattern associated with them.
if you think about it, it makes sense. Being that you would do your own metal work on the cars you had, I bet you could tell by banging on the metal, you could find the bondo areas right away, thus leading to your success of using lead( which is much densor) as opposed to body filler. And yet using the technique of finding a stud in the wall covered by wall board, you can hear the density of the stud by the sound.
here is a link to some on greed bay

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3872.m570.l1313&_nkw=burl+wood&_sacat=14339

I have seen a few shows on the discovery channel with a logging theme to them, most of which was above ground logging etc, but a few loggers seek out the spruce/ cypress trees that fell into the swamps and bayou's hundreds of years ago. With the many years of silt and other mineral build ups from the waters, they almost have a petrified density to them, and this type of wood is very expensive and desireable for making fire place mantles and furniture, and instruments, because the grain will blow you away.

Here is a video of what other folks have come to believe is the main reason for the unique sound. The form of varnish used by Strat, is the reason for the unique sound, and I can see their reasons for this, but I guess that I am more proned as a wood worker to give credit to the wood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6-roahcTIM&feature=related

The old growth theory is the one I also would like o subscribe to. However, STrats and Guanerri violins, made in similar times, were both made from old growth timbers but the strats sound much more mellow than a Guanerri. So perhaps its a combination of the workmanship, the wood, the sanding fillers, and varnishes that make a strat sound the way it does.

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I hqave a guy that I buy woods from who is a recycler of various kinds of wood. I had an addition built onto my farmhouse with a post and beam frame, and all the posts came from an old mill and a barn that were torn down and the wood reclaimed. Out new dining room has an open beam ceiling made from a room of the old mill. The wood recyxcler gets sunken logs from the SUsquehanna River deeps. These logs were floated down the river in the 1700's and 1800's and many got waterlogged and sunk. The colors that these logs (moastly pines) took on is really neat, The cut logs have taken on a combination of a grey and a deep rose red (The wood in colonial times, was called "Attic pine"). The resultant wood is rather dense after dryibg and slabbing. They copat it with polythene waxes and let it dry for several years before selling. SO he has a huge supply and is continually diving for new clusters of wood each summer.

FM, have you ever tried inlay wood working? it really ads a unique twist to projects.
It has been a while for me, but hey you can't do it all, all the time.

Stugotz, glad you are here.

I'm ignorant or maybe plus one in that I lived for some years in an area where wordworking was well regarded, an art. Have been to a few workshops.

So, just checking in.

Have to be careful here, we are a site not liking advertising. For example, I had a gallery for five years that I never mentioned the name of here in that time.

You may be able to put your website on your profile.

I guess I will have to post some of my stuff here. These guys are good, but....... they can't light a candle. Hear what I'm saying?

That's right, you used to carve up some hiking staffs. Diamond willow, or something like that.

I've been to the Stradivarius museum in Cremona, so completely the wrong person for such joy, given my near infant sensibility - but I was the only visitor there. Early one morning in April, and they took each violin out and played it.

JLNobody is a violinist here on a2k, good man to talk with.

oooohhh hiking staffs, yeah I took that course in 9th grade wood shop

Bring it on, bring it on lol

ALL egos welcomed....

My work is a combination of sawing, carving, and embellishing, my dear friend, Stugholtersz, or whatever they call you. You may scoff but you may never duplicate.

Oh, look, sawdust ravioli with creme of acorn bits..


Ok, I'll be quiet, as I'm interested in all this

I like it.

I knew you would, given the creme sauce.

Stug, understand we are still listening.

Stug is sharpening his tools and formulating a response. Give him time.

If his wit is as sharp as his tools we are in for a wait.

In the meantime, how have you been?