Scott Hackler
07-01-2011, 12:34 AM
Ok, so I thought I might post a few thoughts on my first experience turning Red Mallee burl. I have turned an Australian burl once before (red gum burl) and I really liked it. The Red Mallee is a very hard and pretty dense wood with a wonderful color (expecially with the sap wood). I found it pretty easy to turn with very sharp tools. I hone a micro bevel on my gouges and I did have to re-hone at least 3 times before it was all over, but the wood was nice to work. The stability of the wood is fantastic. On this new form I am working on, I went down to 1/8" and it WOULDN'T flex at all!!! It is worth meantioning that using the gouge as a scraper to finesse the lines works great on this wood. Working through grits 180, 220, 320, 400 and a final 800 micro mesh makes it like a polished rock!
The stuff is very expensive, IMO. I paid $30 for a burl cap that measured something like 7"x 4.5" x 4.5 thick. Getting it at a show saved me shipping, so it is what it is. I loved working with it and would gladly take a truck load of it for future use!! My regret it to not have boughten a bit more from Jim. I have two pieces left and will wait to turn them.
I am not going to post pictures yet, but rather after the "whole" project is finished.
Hope this helps someone to understand what this type of wood is like and whether it's worth it. G'Day Mate!
The stuff is very expensive, IMO. I paid $30 for a burl cap that measured something like 7"x 4.5" x 4.5 thick. Getting it at a show saved me shipping, so it is what it is. I loved working with it and would gladly take a truck load of it for future use!! My regret it to not have boughten a bit more from Jim. I have two pieces left and will wait to turn them.
I am not going to post pictures yet, but rather after the "whole" project is finished.
Hope this helps someone to understand what this type of wood is like and whether it's worth it. G'Day Mate!