Western Maple burl

[Rodent]

while on vacation out on the Olympic Peninsula this past week, I met a local woodaholic who 'collects' burl slabs. we met up again the following morning at his shop, and I got to sort thru a huge number of burl slabs in his stash and came across this one that really stood out.

it's almost 5' across on the closest face, and averages almost 5" thick. the story is that this slab was originally picked by Mercedes to be shipped to Germany, but the buyer ticked off the wood seller so the seller sold it to his buddy (the guy I bought it from) so he could have the priveledge of saying the piece was sold while the Mercedes guy went to lunch. it's been in his woodshed since 1998, and not something he had planned to sell

here's a close-up of the figure in the wetted area at the top

and another of the wetted area near the bottom

overall this slab is very clear of inclusions, and those that are there are relatively small and easily filled or avoidable all together.


later this winter I'll start cutting this into bookmatched tops for my M-Series basses. at my current build rate for burl topped bodies, this should keep me supplied for several years to come

all the best,

R

 

[jworrellbass]

Man, that's like finding a gold mind! Excellent piece.

 

[Staccato]

This gives a whole new meaning to body wood! What a find...

 

[SDB Guitars]

Man, that's HOT!

 

[Larry Davis]

Nice story, but doesn't conform to industry standards for veneer pieces or material configuration. Quality isn't high enough for veneer slicing and auto manufactures only use veneer sourced from a veneer mill so it's properly produced and sequential. I've made a small fortune harvesting and selling veneer grade burls and figured logs to eastern veneer mills. By the way, first real wood ever used in an auto was Amboyna burl from Ambon Island and it went to Rolls Royce. Nice top wood or table top!!!! I'm cutting amboyna burl on the sawmill next week and hope to get some nice natural edge table tops for my house

 

[Rodent]

always GREAT to have your perspective on this Larry ... you think maybe this was targeted to be cubed into blocks for gear shift knobs instead of veneer for dashboards? this would make more sense to me

and about that sappy Amboyna - I think I NEED to add a couple sets to my stash. I'm going to see if I have the funds to do so, and email you if I do. thanks for being such a woodaholic enabler

all the best,

R

 

[bassmanhamilton]

Nice find!
Be sure to let us know if you have too many sets.
Joe

 

[iamlowsound]

Wow, that is quite the chunk of wood you have there.

lowsound

 

[mikeyswood]

^ THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!

 

[Larry Davis]

you think maybe this was targeted to be cubed into blocks for gear shift knobs instead of veneer for dashboards? this would make more sense to me

Nah...car makers are car makers...not wood cutters. If they wanted something like that they would contract for finished knobs ready to screw on. All the risk is eliminated that way and they don't require a dedicated wood cutting and conversion operation. See those tiny bark INCLUSIONS? That downgrades burl from veneer grade as they become big holes when the veneer is dried. Best veneer sale I ever made was for a Pacific yew log I purchased from the BLM for $1.00 and my Veneer mill partner in Iowa sold it sliced for $12,000. Of course being partner I only got $6,000.

Amboyna burl was originally called Ambon Wood until Ambon Island changed it's name to Amboina Island. It's still called Padauk burl in many parts of SE Asia and the stem and non burl pieces are known as Narra.

 

[Jason_A]

Best veneer sale I ever made was for a Pacific yew log I purchased from the BLM for $1.00 and my Veneer mill partner in Iowa sold it sliced for $12,000. Of course being partner I only got $6,000.

Just out of curiousity, would that be Bacon Veneer in Grundy Center?

 

[tjclem]

Very pretty piece good luck with it! t

 

[Larry Davis]

Just out of curiousity, would that be Bacon Veneer in Grundy Center?

Sweet!! It was!! Their mill is in Grundy Center, but main office is in Illinois. Jim McCracken is the owner. They have (had) a veneer show room on 5th Ave in New York. Did you work for or with them?

 

[Jason_A]

No real ties to Bacon... I used to drive by their facility in Grundy Center on my way to work back in the day. A few years ago I finally stopped in to check the place out. Seemed like nice folks. I used to build a lot of speakers, so I was really into veneer for a while. I've exhausted most of my supply of raw veneer now, unfortunately. Works great as a contrast layer in bodies and necks

 

[Jason_A]

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Back to the original subject - that's some amazing burl. Oh wait, I mean... there's no straight grain, so it's probably worthless. You should send it to me so I can properly dispose of it.