Thread: Gray Box Burl/Resin Hybrid

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Oh I can definitely see where it would be useful. I have some wood I really love that is very hard to use because of the way the wood is weather worn. Here are some scales I made out of it.
Attachment 336136
Attachment 336137
There is no finish or stain. That is the natural color of the wood. You can see in the second picture that there is a little inclusion. Those are hard to avoid. I have filled them but usually I just try to minimize them and leave it as a natural feature of the wood. Here is what it looks like when I drag it out of the woods.
Attachment 336134
Attachment 336135
Also because of the way the grain turns it is hard to pick out a straight piece to use. I'd like to have a brush handle made from it but that would be damn near impossible in it's natural state. The stabilizing would make this wood more usable for sure.

Excellent Paul, I always assumed people ordered wood to make scales from. Going into the woods to find something is not only really impressive but of course cheaper

Can a person use any wood for scales?

Originally Posted by STF

Excellent Paul, I always assumed people ordered wood to make scales from. Going into the woods to find something is not only really impressive but of course cheaper

Can a person use any wood for scales?

Pretty much. given the right amount of time for it to dry.

Some woods are better than others. I have bought some that had wood that looked like it was made from boards from an old fence. This wood I use is from an old dead tree, maybe dead for 150 years. Plus it is Southern Live Oak which is so hard it will smoke a 10" carbide table saw blade. That's what the US Navy made ships out of in the 18th and 19th centuries because it was so dense and hard cannon balls would bounce off of it. It is so dense that Tru Oil won't soak in to it.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread.

No Worries. More Information is always a good thing in my book

Originally Posted by Audels1

Pretty much. given the right amount of time for it to dry.

Also, some woods really do need to be stabilized. For example, I absolutely love spalted maple, but on its own, it's way too porous and weak for scales. Stabilize it and it's both strong and absolutely beautiful.

That's good information. I didn't know, or maybe didn't think about, that stabilizing would strengthen the wood. I don't know why, especially in light of the name. Duh!

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

That's good information. I didn't know, or maybe didn't think about, that stabilizing would strengthen the wood. I don't know why, especially in light of the name. Duh!

Yeah, it basically turns it into a composite material. BTW for spalted maple scales (or something similarly thin), really thin - i.e. the watery consistency - CA glue can work as well. It's thin enough for it to soak right through and effectively stabilize the whole thickness. For thicker stuff, a vacuum chamber is needed to get the stabilizing material to soak right through.