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How to find rocks in a root burls

2K views 22 replies 19 participants last post by  Roguejefferson 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a chunk of a root burl that I've been carrying around for the past 11 years (literally - I've moved 5 times). One reason I've never done anything with it is because I knew there were rocks in it. It came from the root ball of a big cottonwood tree I found up-ended after a storm on the banks of the Mississippi in Minneapolis when I was in grad school. I nicked a set of planer blades just squaring it up, and after that it just sat.

Hand Food Finger Cuisine Wood


I had a very specific project I wanted to make, and this chunk of wood seemed like it would be perfect, if only I could figure out how many, and where the rocks are. Obviously a metal detector isn't going to do me a lot of good on little pieces of granite, so now what?

I'm looking for differences in density - so what better than a CT (live X-ray)? I have access (through proper channels and safety considerations in mind) to have a colleague at work take an image for me. I know it's rather overkill, but it did make for a really cool afternoon looking at this chunk of wood. He was getting the machine setup for another purpose and needed to take pictures of something - so it might as well be useful images for me, right?

Grey Font Rectangle Monochrome photography Monochrome


http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf

Needless to say - I used a different piece of wood for now. Back to the pile it goes, waiting for something to spark my imagination (and not destroy tools).
 

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#2 ·
Really hard to understand your question because most people use a water hose or pressure washer to remove external mud & rocks clinging to roots. Most turners don proper PPE, mount the wood on the lathe and turn down until finding rocks then hand remove. Of course there is a danger on those rocks flying out as you turn but that is why keep lathe speed down. Other than stopping to resharpening the gouge and hand remove internal pebbles or rocks don't see a big issue.

This video kind of points out proper steps to take.



If harvest your own wood for turning eventually going to find all kinds of hidden dangers buried within wood besides pebbles & rocks like nuts & bolts, electric insulators, nails, screws etc.
 
#3 ·
I guess this wasn't so much a question, as a tongue-in-cheek explaination of how I was able to determine the internal structure (with respect to foreign objects) inside a nasty root burl. I thought it was kind-of cool, high tech, and way over-the-top.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
you should have just titled your post "i x-rayed my root burl to find rocks" that way we wouldnt have to read it.

- gargey

But you d still read it and you d still post an asinine comment.

- chrisstef
:) haha

Cool that you have access to that equipment.
 
#8 ·
you should have just titled your post "i x-rayed my root burl to find rocks" that way we wouldnt have to read it.

- gargey
Really? If you're really that upset about this, don't comment and turn your computer off. Besides, had I titled my post what you suggested, I would have opted for correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Just go away.

I'm glad others thought it's also kinda cool to look at!
 
#9 ·
maybe someone could start a business, send them your burl and get a report back as to what and where….or maybe we could put our burl on our printers and scan them, and it would print where the rocks are….hey ive got time to think here…..lol….or borrow your neighbors cat and get a cat scan…..more to come…hold on….LOL
 
#12 ·
No solution that I know of, I once ruined a perfectly good chainsaw chain while carving up a root wad from a fallen cedar. There were tons of sand and stones embedded right into the wood, far more than I thought. I eventually used the root as "landscaping" and never touched a tool to it again.
 
#13 ·
Some folks just get their rocks off by posting abrasive and damaging comments. Get it?
That's my smart a$$ comment for the day.
I just always found the rocks and other crap with newly sharpened carbide blades. Makes for an exciting time in the shop.
Bill
 
#15 ·
The easiest way would be to start cutting, you find them right away.
(There could be 1 small pebble, and I would hit it.)
Unfortunately, it's not the best way.

It would be pretty cool to be able to x-ray stuff though,
I'm not sure I would x-ray my wood….
 
#21 ·
this doesn't have anything to do with stones in roots, tools are expensive. I used to burn wood, when cutting up some scraps from a remodel job with a chop saw the saw quit suddenly. something deflected the blade in to the saw frame. The blade imbeddied itself into the blade guard. I checked the piece cut and found a piece of broken stapple. This little piece of steel ruined an expensive tool
 
#22 ·
For those of you interested in adding a CT Scanner to your shop I found this:

2007 SIEMENS SOMATOM EMOTION 6 CT SCANNER

I know allot of us are reluctant to pay more than fifty cents on the dollar for used equipment but this still seems like a pretty good deal.

:^)

- Ripper70
I'll bet it's 3 phase….leaves me out!
 
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