How do I cut burls?

[huntforlife]

I have a few burls in my posession that have dried for over a year and I need to cut them.

I have cherry, butternut (never heard of it), and a maple burl that is huge.

How do I cut them? Vertical cut, bias, horizontal?

[B.Finnigan]

Burls can be so different according to tree species. In the past I just cut them down to smaller pieces with a chainsaw that my band saw could handle. Then looked at the grain to see what direction will exploit the pattern the best. With maple burl I never saw any direction that would make a difference. The grain is so erratic that almost any direction will showcase the pattern good.

But I learned the hard way to stabilize burl before working it. A lot of it can be brittle and chip out when cutting smaller pieces.

Post some pics of the blocks (or slabs) when you get them cut up. A lot of us probably have never seen butternut burl.

[Horsewright]

I pay a buddy to do this for me as he is an accomplished woodworker and his shop is more set up for it than mine. He tells me the secret is to get one straight ede then it is easy. On odd shaped pieces like burl he uses a radial arm saw. He cuts 5/16" slices up for me which I can then band saw easily for my handle slabs as needed. To hold the burl securely and safely he will often screw it to a flat board. This provides minimal wastage and he just removes the screws as he gets close to them. Once into the burl he too orientates it to get maxiumum advantage of the grain pattern. Works well. I'd advise the satbalization too. Burls naturally chip, crack and have lots of voids. The stablization gives ya more usabale material. My buddy has two chunks of ironwood for me to pick up today that he cut up for me. Not burls but the challenge was similar as they were twisted and gnarled from years on the desert floor.

Dave