# Briar harvesting



## ChrisK (Nov 3, 2014)

Here it is after a looong delay:

Reactions: Like 6 | Way Cool 2


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## barry richardson (Nov 3, 2014)

Very nice Chris, thanks for posting. Are the burls buried in dirt during the curing process?


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## Treecycle Hardwoods (Nov 3, 2014)

Really cool Chris! Thanks for sharing!


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## ChrisK (Nov 3, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> Very nice Chris, thanks for posting. Are the burls buried in dirt during the curing process?


Yes Barry,
Buried below ground and often watered down. The reason the stumps are buried underground is that soil retains moisture.
But the same process can be replicated indoors with the stumps buried under a haycock. I've seen this in a pipemaker factory.
The reason is to keep the wood wet till it's boiled.

PS: sorry for my poor English guys...


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## Treecycle Hardwoods (Nov 3, 2014)

ChrisK said:


> Yes Barry,
> Buried below ground and often watered down. The reason the stumps are buried underground is that soil retains moisture.
> But the same process can be replicated indoors with the stumps buried under a haycock. I've seen this in a pipemaker factory.
> The reason is to keep the wood wet till it's boiled.
> ...


I understood your explaination well Chris no need to be sorry.


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## ChrisK (Nov 3, 2014)

OK then... time to apply for the green card

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 8


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## Molokai (Nov 3, 2014)

Thx for posting. I enjoyed watching the video.


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## ironman123 (Nov 3, 2014)

Christos that was a very interesting video. Do you not use the trunk wood for anything?


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## ChrisK (Nov 3, 2014)

Personnally I don't use the trunk wood. But I know some people are using it for canes' handles.


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## ironman123 (Nov 3, 2014)

That was my thought, canes. I heard that briar wood was good for canes. Thanks


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## NYWoodturner (Nov 3, 2014)

Great video Chris! Makes me curious how many thumbs are lost annually in the burl harvesting industry though

Reactions: Agree 5


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## HomeBody (Nov 4, 2014)

Does briar grow anywhere in the USA? Has anyone tried to grow it here?
What is the purpose of boiling the stumps? Thanks for your video. Gary


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## gman2431 (Nov 4, 2014)

NYWoodturner said:


> Great video Chris! Makes me curious how many thumbs are lost annually in the burl harvesting industry though



That was some serious axe work! 

Made me cringe a couple times during the video!


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## ChrisK (Nov 4, 2014)

NYWoodturner said:


> Great video Chris! Makes me curious how many thumbs are lost annually in the burl harvesting industry though


I don't know for the entire industry. As for the guy on the video I don't worry that much for he has more than 30 years experience.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ChrisK (Nov 4, 2014)

HomeBody said:


> Does briar grow anywhere in the USA? Has anyone tried to grow it here?
> What is the purpose of boiling the stumps? Thanks for your video. Gary


As far as I know, briar is a bush growing around the Mediterranean bassin.
The reason of boiling briar is to stabilize a wood which otherwise has a strong tendency for cracking. After the wood has been boiled, some time (from 3 months to one year and even more depending on size) is needed for the wood to dry.
As you can see on the video, the boiling water is of a dark red color, produced by the red suc extracted during the boiling process.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Kevin (Nov 4, 2014)

I thought he was never going to stop chopping that burl until it was gone. Cool video thanks for letting us see that Chris.


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## Aurora North (Nov 7, 2014)

Awesome video Chris. Have to say I was expecting the guy to lose a finger or lay right into his hand at any moment. Looked like a job for a small carving chainsaw.


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## ChrisK (Nov 7, 2014)

Kevin said:


> I thought he was never going to stop chopping that burl until it was gone. Cool video thanks for letting us see that Chris.


If you watch the video from 3.22' to 3.25', you'll see the friend showing some defects on the stump. Further on, he's continuously chopping till all these defects are cleaned. That's the way it is with briar: the area forming the pith from the roots to the branches and around develop a lot of defects, rotten parts... that have to be cleaned.

The other option is to pay for defects (since weight is the selling unit...) and put the wood aside for firewood or casting (if we ever could have Alumilite resin at an affordable price here...). The pics below demonstrate what happens when these defects aren't cleaned right after the wood has been cut.

After a stump has been heavily cleaned... it needs some more...




Another slice...




... needs some more cleaning...




... another attempt...




Conclusion: firewood (after I took some pics).

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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