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Burl Turning Woes....

Darrin

Darrin

Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
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Location
Canastota, NY
I just recently started enjoying pen making and got some very nice looking Black Cherry Burl. The 1st pen from this burl came out great. The second one.....not so much. It looks like it the grain, or burl, or whatever that stuff is, Just broke off the blank in about a 1/4" hunk. Totally seperated from the Glued in tube then cracked the remainder of the pen straight down. I dont think I had too much pressure on the mandrel nut. Is turning burl wood different compared to regular wood? And how can I keep this from happening again? Anyone? Thanks!!
Darrin
 
Burls are unpredictable. They have hidden bark pockets that can be revealed (and break away) of a sudden, and cracks in the strangest places if they've been dried in advance. I make sure I'm turning slow and keep my ears attuned for the first click or hollow sound. I stop, locate, and reinforce any weakness with CA glue as soon as possible. Doesn't hurt to do a visual periodically during the turning, either.
 
When gluing in the tube, first saturate the inside of the hole with thin CA. This will penitrate the wood and help harden and bind it all together. Be sure your hole and tube are a tight fit; NO GAPS! You can try an expanding poly type glue if you have a loose fit but it is better to make sure it is tight.

Check out my article on cross grain pens in this summer's issue of Woodturning Design magazine. The same tips for cross grain should assist you with the burl woods.

- Scott
 
Burl problems

I also use CA glue internally to keep the burl from breaking up. I also epoxy the tube in after I let the CA set-up. You can use CA accelerator to speed up the process. I also put a coat of "thin" CA on the exterior of the pen blank before my last pass in the turning process. I use accelerator to speed up the process. The CA really fills in the pores of the wood. One other final note is to apply gap-filling CA to any voids as part of the last process. Hit it with the accelerator and than go into the sanding process.
 
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