Birch suvel. Burl products Do-it-yourself burl processing

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15.05.2017

The tree is the most common plant on earth.

Nature is incredibly generous, since it has given a person not only the opportunity to admire the beauty of trunks and leaves, but also to derive practical benefits from wood, because for several thousand years people have been using wooden products in their everyday life, building houses, boats, making furniture and household utensils, producing musical instruments, crafts, etc.

Today there is no material that can completely replace the wonderful natural properties of wood, since its density, color, texture, texture pattern and shades are unique in each case.

The natural uniqueness of the wood pattern is especially evident in cape And suveli(spherical or teardrop-shaped growths on trees), which pundits identified as diseases.

These formations create a complex enchanting pattern of wood fibers inside, consisting of an interweaving of colored lines, spots, inclusions, smoothly flowing into each other, which thus form a pattern of special beauty. Thanks to the richness of colors and lines, both burl and suvel are excellent natural materials for the production of various crafts, decorations, and interior items, since they have an exclusive texture (it is impossible to find two identical patterns in nature), and special strength and durability.

Let's try to determine how burl and suvel differ from each other, and what they have in common.

Cap

Cap ( caporoot or as it is also popularly called " witch's broom") is a round, benign formation on a trunk or branch with a large number of woody nodules. The burl differs from the suveli in that it has many bumps on its outer side, which are created thanks to accessory and dormant buds. These formations look like dark spikes and tubercles, which is why, often on the burl, you can see small shoots and twigs growing directly from it.

According to some scientists, a burl on a tree occurs as a result of either a sharp change in the development of the plant, that is, it can have both a natural and anthropogenic cause. Some scientists believe that the appearance of an ugly tumor on a tree may be a hereditary deformity.

Burl is found mainly on deciduous trees, such as oak, linden, maple, alder, poplar, walnut, but most often it can be found on birch.

It has been noticed that on average, for one tree with a burl, there are from three to five thousand trees without such formation, so finding a good burl (unlike suveli) is quite difficult.

Most often on trees there is a root burl, which can be simply gigantic in size.

Usually, caporoot It has a faint texture inside and a weak color contrast pattern.

A burl formed on a branch often has the shape of an irregular ball and, unlike a bonnet root, when cut transversely, its internal texture is replete with patterns with the cores of knots and has a peculiar “needle-like” structure in the form of a small ornament with dashes and dots. The internal fibers of wood intertwine with each other in different directions, creating a picturesque pattern, and inclusions of dormant buds make the texture even richer, so burl is most often used as a decorative element in the manufacture of various crafts, knife handles, gun butts, original dishes and other souvenirs.

Due to the strong density of its texture and the huge number of knots, the burl is not easy to process, but at the same time it is perfectly sanded and polished.

The main color of the internal texture of the burl is various shades of black or brown, ocher. Even if you take two halves of the same burl, they will still be different and have a different pattern, the structure of the build-up is so heterogeneous.

The wood of the burl is stronger than that of the suveli, and fifty to seventy percent stronger than that of the tree on which it was formed.

Small items are also made from burl: boxes, cigarette cases, hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and small jewelry.

There is no point in creating a carved pattern on the burl, since the texture and texture of the wood is beautiful in itself.

Suvel

The formation of suveli is caused by a tree disease (cancer) and it most often represents a growth twisted and woven into a lump, which is why it is also called let's svilem.

Typically, the wisp grows two to three times faster than the tree itself and has a teardrop-shaped or spherical shape located around the trunk or branch. The main difference between suveli and burl is that it is formed not from dormant buds, but due to the complex interweaving of annual rings curved in different directions (hence the name svil). By this feature, cones on a tree can be easily distinguished from each other.

Growths (especially on birch) are quite common, although the reason for its formation has not been fully studied. Presumably, the formation of a tangle can be initiated by a fungus or mechanical damage to the tree bark.

Suvel (popularly called wood bone), since its cut resembles the stains of marble (with the same iridescence and radial section), and the thin parts are visible through and look like bone, although the density of the tissues, as mentioned above, in suveli is less than in burl, therefore its wood is less durable.

A suveli growth can grow to gigantic proportions (for example, in the Vatican there is a font carved from a single piece of wood). However, the finer the pattern, the richer and brighter the pattern inside, although the pattern with ornamental elements will in any case be softer (without the “spikes” and “needles” patterns required for a burl).

The internal texture of suveli has a delicate pearlescent hue, and the colors of each can vary greatly and contain white, yellow (resembling the color of amber), as well as brown, pinkish and green. The shade of suveli depends on where the tree grows and how it is dried.

You can form a suvel yourself; to do this, just tie a tree trunk or branch with wire. At the site of the constriction, a convex formation created by annual rings will soon appear.

Suvel also lends itself well to processing, can be sanded and polished well, and its mother-of-pearl cut, reminiscent of marble, plays with streaks, has a unique texture and seems to glow from within.

Of course, it is impossible to determine how beautiful the pattern will be by the appearance of the suveli, but the more clumsy and twisted the growth looks externally, the richer its texture and pattern will be inside.

The root (butt) part of suveli is considered the most valuable. It is of interest to woodcarvers, artists, knife makers, sculptors and cabinetmakers, who choose this material for its exclusive cut pattern, high strength, resistance to rotting and unique processing ability.

Finding and preparing growths

Naturally, it is necessary to look for bulges on a tree in the forest. At the same time, many people confuse burl and svil with a similar mushroom from the genus (Inonotus), which most often lives on birch and is called chaga or black birch mushroom.

You need to learn to determine where the mushroom is and where the growth is.

The best time to cut down saplings and burls is in the fall (September-October), when the trees stop the natural movement of sap and begin preparing for winter.

It must be remembered that without a good saw, suvel or burl, especially if they are very clumsy, it is not easy to cut down, so this work is best done with a chainsaw, but it must be remembered that the tool chains quickly become dull due to the special strength of the build-up.

If you don’t have a chainsaw, you will have to work with a hand saw, but it must have sharp teeth with a good spread so that the master does not torment himself or the tree, and does not injure it in vain.

The cut site (to avoid the formation of an unwanted hollow for the tree) must be immediately covered with garden varnish, painted over with oil paint or covered with clay.

When a massive caporoot, it must be remembered that cutting it is fraught with serious consequences for the tree and as a result of the injury it may die.

All of the above properties of both burl and wood elevate these unique materials to the pinnacle of value among other types of wood, since they are used both in the finishing of various utilitarian items, as well as jewelry, small plastic items and tableware.

Burls are growths and thickenings that are found on the trunks of birch, maple, oak, walnut, pine, etc. The following swellings occur in areas of tissue proliferation:

Its name comes from the Slavic “cap” - head. And indeed the burl resembles a human head on a tree. Burl is found on the branches of old trees and trunks. There is also a burl root, which is a burl that forms at the root part of the tree. The largest capo roots reach 2 m in diameter. Furniture is often made from capo root:

How it is an unusually durable and extremely decorative material, which is valued on a par with valuable wood. The texture of its pattern when cut is an interweaving of annual layers, the core of dormant buds in the form of concentric circles and dark dots. There are more dormant buds in the stem burl than in the root burl, so its texture is more expressive:

Burls are harvested only from fallen trees in sawmill areas. After the burl is cut, it is freed from bark, knots, and resin. Then the workpiece is boiled in a 5% solution of table salt. The duration of boiling depends on the diameter of the workpiece: up to 10 cm in diameter boil for about an hour, large pieces are boiled for up to 3-5 hours.

Boiling is necessary to neutralize the juice inside the workpiece, so it dries faster. After boiling, until the workpiece has dried, it is cleaned of any remaining bark. Boiling makes the texture of the design more expressive. Then the workpieces are dried for several weeks indoors, or for several hours in a drying cabinet or on a radiator. After this, the burl is sawed into plates. After this, give full rein to your imagination, making sure that your plans do not contradict the natural beauty of the wood, emphasizing its structure. The inner part of the product is selected with an adze, semicircular chisels, and cranberries. When finishing the product, excess knots are removed, trying to reveal the interplay of different layers of wood, and sanded with sandpaper. Small cracks can be filled with putty by mixing small sawdust with PVA glue. If desired, the product can be tinted with stains or natural dyes, such as onion peels, alder cones, etc. You can coat the finished product with varnish or wax mastic.

Burls are used to make beautiful boxes, smoking pipes, chess sets, and knife handles:

Burls also make very decorative vases, candlesticks and simply sculptures for decorating the interior of natural shapes:

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Burl wood is a rare, natural material that develops in the form of growths on the branches, trunks and roots of individual trees, mainly deciduous trees: oak, walnut, maple, poplar, but most often birch. Burls are places where closely spaced accessory and dormant buds grow.

The rarest, most beautiful, durable and, accordingly, the most valuable is the branch burl, which has small dimensions (up to 15 cm in diameter) and a needle-like structure. The most common, less dense and less valuable is the basal burl - caporoot, which can reach gigantic (up to 1.5...2 m in diameter) sizes. The stem burl occupies an intermediate position between the above varieties.

For a long time it was believed that burl was a painful growth on a tree, resulting from the “squeezing” of the buds by sudden and prolonged spring colds, which sometimes occur during the growing season of the plant.

The appearance of growths was also associated with external damage to the bark at the site of one of the dormant buds, where the excess influx of juices is directed, promoting their multiple multiplication.

However, scientists have come to the conclusion that the drip is a biologically normal, protective phenomenon. Burl birch is the most valuable variety of Russian downy birch and the formation of burl on it is a naturally inherited process.

As a result of observations, it was established that the health of such a tree is better than that of others, it is more resilient during the period of spring floods and frequent changes in temperature, and is more stable in the wind.

A true burl, which has an uneven surface under the bark in the form of tubercles, papillae or needles, should be distinguished from an influx (suvel) caused by local deformation of the annual layers of wood. Such influxes have increased density and an interesting, although less impressive, pattern.

The burl has a significantly (50...70%) denser wood than the mother wood with a twisted, multidirectional structure of fibers, which, in combination with a large number of the above-mentioned buds, form an absolutely unique cut pattern.

A unique combination of properties of burl wood:

The limited natural reserves, combined with the above properties, puts this material at the top of its value among other types of wood, with all the species diversity of the flora of our planet.

According to some estimates, 1 tree with a burl accounts for, on average, 3000-5000 ordinary trees without a burl.

Due to the high value of the material, since 1959, the Central Research Institute of Forest Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences has been studying the biology of burl and methods of growing it, which has developed a technology for sowing and growing burl birches. A whole grove of such birches was planted in the Moscow region. Since 1967, burl birch was planted in several forestry enterprises of the Kirov region.

Because of its unique beauty, the burls are called wooden malachite!

In general, the smaller the pattern and the larger the size of the burl, the more expensive it is.

The value of this unique material is evidenced by a historical fact given in the book “Burl Box” (author Nadezhda Perminova): “... in 1837, for a burl growth of twenty pounds (a little more than 8 kg) they paid up to fifty rubles, ...., the same amount a purebred bull was judged at an agricultural exhibition.”

Today on the world market the price of burl wood (solid wood and veneer) is several times higher than the price of any other wood, including oak, elm, walnut, mahogany and any exotic species.

The unique combination of material properties, limited reserves and the uniqueness of the burl pattern in each product, ultimately, determined the generally recognized, high aesthetic value and corresponding consumer price of products made from this wood, which is used in finishing the most luxurious interiors, as well as in the manufacture of products corresponding to this level of utilitarian items.

Each such product initially contains spirit of elitism.

(based on materials from the book “Kapovaya Box” by N.I. Perminova, Gorky city, Volgo-Vyatka book edition, 1984)

19 May 2015, 15:05

Sometimes painful growths appear on trees, which are popularly called “witch’s broom.” At first glance, this benign formation resembles a human head in shape. That is why it is generally accepted that the name of the growth comes from the ancient Slavic word “cap”. Translated it means “head”. Where you can find growths on trees Caps are found on walnuts and oaks, aspens and black alder. However, the most common growth is found on birch trees. The burl is a bunch of thin branches that grow from a teardrop-shaped new growth. A “witch’s broom” can weigh about a ton. What is a stem cap? This is a growth that is located directly on the tree trunk. What is caporoot? This is a growth that has formed at the very root neck of the tree. Sometimes it can be seen above the earth's surface. An underground drip grows on the roots. It is detected by shoots. The burl releases them in early spring. These shoots are not viable and quickly wither. Sometimes burls are found on tree branches. The beauty of an amazing material If you make a cross section of a burl, you can discover its structure, in which the cores of the knots are clearly visible. The design of such material is always very beautiful. Due to the accumulation of unopened buds, the cut presents an amazingly beautiful picture of knots, curls and twisted fibers. Moreover, the design for each burl is strictly individual. The burl formed on trees with a striped fiber texture and contrasting color combinations is particularly beautiful. Pine growths have these characteristics. However, they are quite rare on these trees. Caporoot may have black spots in its texture. They are located among the light stem fibers. These black dots are nothing more than non-viable shoots that are released by underground growths. Where is the cap used? The growth on wood is not particularly valuable as a material for carving. Its rugged surface and striped, mottled texture interfere with each other. When making crafts in this way, the relief of the carving is not visible and the pattern of weaves and streaks disappears. The growth on wood is not particularly valuable as a material for carving. Its rugged surface and striped, mottled texture interfere with each other. When making crafts in this way, the relief of the carving is not visible and the pattern of weaves and streaks disappears. Numerous areas of the burl have a pearlescent tint. That is why this material, which has no particular industrial significance, is very expensive. Burl products are mainly boxes and women's hairpins, cigarette cases and various small jewelry, bowls and smoking pipes, chess and powder compacts, ink utensils and cases for glasses. The material is also used to make knife handles. What is a burl in industry? This is a material that is used in furniture finishing. In this case, growths formed on trees of exotic species are taken and used as veneer. What is a cap for a master? This is a material that does not warp, crack, dry out, or swell and is perfectly processed. In addition, it is weighty and durable. Where can I find a cap? Growths grow on trees. Therefore, you need to look for them in the forest. However, this is not so simple, because the mouth guards grow spontaneously, and only the most stubborn and big-eyed can see them. The growth can only be cut off with a very sharp saw. The best place to find burl is at logging sites. There these growths end up in waste. At logging sites, you can also find caporoots, which you simply cannot find in the forest. During the last cooking, before the tree has cooled down, you should peel off the bark from it, and upon completion, put the growth in a closet for one to two weeks. Once completely dry, the burl will become similar in characteristics to bone. The material prepared in this way is excellent in cutting, sawing and sanding. At the same time, it will not have any foreign odors. Making boxes Crafts made from birch burl are not inferior in beauty to souvenirs made from Karelian birch wood, and even surpass them. Magnificent boxes are often made from this material. During the work process, the burl boards are carefully connected to each other, making sure that their texture pattern is similar. A very important operation is the manufacture of wooden hinges. This step requires the precise formation of rounded tenons and grooves on the edges of the lid and body of the product. The hinges must fit tightly and accurately. Another difficult operation is drilling holes. In wooden hinges this is easiest to do with thin steel wire. At the next stage, a lock is cut into the box. The product is almost ready. It should only be puttied, thoroughly dried and the surfaces coated with alkaline varnish. After completing these works, the box is treated with polish and wiped with alcohol. The product is polished until the wood acquires an amber color and until all the veins of its amazing texture sparkle brightly. Decoration for a cane Using a burl, you can make a wonderful gift for an elderly person with your own hands. The work can be done even by a novice. Hollow cylinders, which are previously machined from birch caporoot, should be alternately placed on the tube or metal rod. The parts should fit tightly together, creating the impression of a single whole. Such a cane can be crowned with a carved or smooth birch handle. Burl bowl Various souvenirs can be made from wooden growths. Popular burl products are decorative bowls. A rough blank is made from a little raw material. Next, the blank is left to dry. If small cracks form in it, they are smeared with PVA glue. After final drying, the product is given the required shape, it is sanded, polished and varnished.-

Instructions

From each needle bud, a large number of which were concentrated on a small surface, forming a burl, a branch could grow. Due to the fact that there are so many buds, not a single one can escape from the wood. From the collection of buds a texture is formed, unusual in shape and pattern. No layer of wood can compete with burl for the natural beauty, complexity and rarity of the material. The unique birch burl is called wood malachite; burls made from cherry, bird cherry and walnut are also interesting. The burl is often called a burl, but this is a misnomer. Professionals can easily distinguish the burl from the influx - a layer of wood of the same tree, but with the growth rings mixed up. The flow when cut resembles marble with white veins.

The burl is divided into two types: needle-shaped and root-shaped burl. The needleweed is the rarest, it grows very slowly and only in early spring - when the leaves peck on the trees, its growth stops. When making a cross-section through the burl, you can find the place of its origin; the pattern will resemble a funnel tapering towards the center of the trunk - this is the beginning of the needle burl. Large burls are very difficult to find and are highly prized. The structure of the burl root is similar to the needle-shaped one, but there is a difference in the pattern of the wood texture, which is darker and larger. It develops on the roots and in the root zone, on trees growing in moist soil - near streams, swamps and along river banks.

Even because of a large and beautiful burl, it is not worth spoiling a living tree. Moreover, it is not difficult to find this natural anomaly - many burls develop on tree trunks in city parks, on poplars, American maples and lindens. A large number of trees are cut down every year, and it is not difficult to extract burl growths from them. If the need to remove the burl from a living tree is very great, this is done from late autumn to early spring, while the movement of sap in the tree is slow. For cutting, take a saw with universal teeth; the cut is made strictly along the trunk, vertically, without affecting the main wood. If the movement of the saw is very difficult, a spacer is made from a pair of wooden wedges, which are driven into the slot. After the burl is completely separated, the cut area is immediately painted over with oil paint or drying oil. It is useless to paint over a cut made in the spring - this will not stop the movement of the sap, and the tree will inevitably become very sick.

Burl lends itself well to processing, it does not crack, warp or swell, and its strength is several times higher than the wood of the tree on which it grows. The best use option is to immediately clear the bark from the burl and cut it into planks 3-5 mm thick, and then use it to make boxes or mosaics. In this option, the use of burl is more optimal, and in the manufacture of various bowls, vases and bowls, most of the material is lost. The most interesting burl pattern is produced by chord cutting; it is, as a rule, many points, each of which is surrounded by rings of different shades, and different shades of stains flow between the rings.

Sources:

• Growths on a birch

The texture of the burl often has such a bizarre pattern that you can see a finished image or landscape on it. In other cases, the burl is sawn and processed.

Instructions

If the burl is quite large, and according to the idea it can be used to make not just one thing, but several, it is sawn before processing. Most often, burls are sawn into plates of various thicknesses: the thickness depends on what products are planned to be manufactured. To obtain the best pattern on all workpieces, the cutting angle must be thought out in such a way as to cut as many dormant buds as possible. On a fresh cut, the pattern is hardly noticeable, but an untreated burl is easier to saw. But before shaping it into a product, the burl is steamed so that the design appears completely and can be shown in the work. It is best to steam the caps in small ones; this can also be done in. You will need an unnecessary pan of suitable size; the dyes released by the wood will be difficult to wash off. The sawdust is placed in a thick layer on the bottom, then a drip is laid out on it - but not close together, there should be a half-centimeter gap between the pieces. Sawdust is also laid on top, but not in such a thick layer.

Fill with salt water, but mainly the bottom layer, so that the water only touches the workpieces without covering them entirely. Take about a tablespoon of salt per liter, maybe a little more. Cover with a lid and place on very low heat. After boiling, the workpieces should be steamed for 6-10 hours; water should be added to the pan periodically, checking every hour. Then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. The workpieces are removed from the cooled sawdust, the sawdust is washed off from them with a stream of water, and left to dry, turning over for uniform drying every few hours. Drying usually takes 3-4 days. After the workpieces have dried, you need to repeat the boiling process, then dry again, and so on at least 3 times. If after three steamings the bark itself does not fall off the workpieces, you need to remove it. Having steamed the burl blanks for the last time and removed the bark, leave the wood for final drying. It is best to dry them outside, turning them every few hours for the first 3 days, then once a day. After this, it’s a good idea to dry the workpieces in a special drying cabinet 2-3 times.

Large pieces of solid burl, larger than a football, are not suitable for processing in this manner. During the cooking or drying process, the burl will certainly crack and may even burst. Figures made from solid burl are processed in the same way as any wood - sanded and varnished. Boiling is best suited for burls that have been sawn into thin slices. When steamed, these blanks are colored with natural dyes in a wide variety of shades, from light golden to chocolate brown. After this lengthy processing, you can begin to further improve the burl. Finished products are coated with alcohol or acrylic varnishes. You can also use nitro varnishes. Before coating, the surface is sanded with emery - first coarse, and then very fine, and wiped from wood dust with a soft cloth.

Sources:

• Burl processing