Buck Eye Burl
Burl Wood
Burl wood is a type of wood used by artists to create sculptures and other items, such as clocks and even some forms of furniture. Burl wood is highly prized by artists because of its unique shapes and ring patterns. Burl wood is a type of fast growing, abnormal growth found on some trees. Burl wood grows because the tree has experienced some sort of environmental stress or damage. This is often caused by either a fungal attack or an attack by insects.
The number of trees that produce burl wood is quite low. In addition, certain areas tend to create more burl wood than others, because all or many of the trees in a particular location are likely to be attacked by the same fungus or insects. Certain species also tend to be more susceptible to attacks and, therefore, more likely to develop burl wood. For this reason, certain types of burl wood are more rare and prized than others. Often, a tree that has developed burl wood is still quite healthy. In fact, many trees with burl wood can go on to live for many more years. Other trees develop burl wood offshoots that are so large and heavy that they create additional stress on the tree and can cause the tree to die.
When used in woodcrafting, burl wood is removed from the tree, preferably after the tree has already died in order to avoid killing the tree. It is then cut open in order to review the pattern inside. Sometimes, a single burl wood offshoot can produce several different pieces for an artist to work with.
Some burl wood offshoots develop regular growth rings that simply grow at an accelerated rate. This type of burl wood is not as sought after by artists as other forms of burl wood, because the patterns on this wood are not as interesting to look at. The majority of woodworking artists prefer burl wood that grows in irregular patterns that swirl and contain what are referred to as eyes – small spots that develop on the wood. While pieces with unusual patterns are the most desired form of burl wood, they are also the most difficult to work with. This is because the irregular patterns of burl wood make it harder to saw, chisel, and cut without splitting the wood or accidentally cutting it in the wrong direction.
Buck Eye Burl
Buck Eye Burl comes from a variety of horse chestnut tree which grows in the Western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The "nut" of the tree is poisonous to cattle, so ranchers don't mind if we harvest some trees. The burls must be dug up with bulldozers, as they are all underground in very rocky soil.
The incredible, swirling colors of yellow, black, and ocher are unlike anything else in the world.
The genus Aesculus contains 13 species, which grow in the United States.
The name aesculus is a Latin name of a European oak or other mast-bearing tree.
Aesculus octandra - big buckeye, buckeye, large buckeye, Ohio buckeye, sweet buckeye, yellow buckeye, Aesculus parviflora-bottlebrush buckeye, shrubby buckeye
Distribution
In the United States, buckeye ranges from the Appalachians of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina westward to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Buckeye is not customarily separated from other species when manufactured into lumber and can be utilized for the same purposes as aspen, basswood, and sap yellow-poplar. The following description is for yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra).
The Tree
Buckeye is a tree 30 to 70 ft (9 to 21 m) high and 2 ft (0.6 m) in diameter. It grows best in rich moist soil along the banks of streams and in river bottoms. Buckeye matures in 60 to 80 years. It is one of the initial trees to leaf-out in the spring. The twigs have a foul odor when broken.
The Wood
General