# anybody had trouble sanding thuya burl ?



## phinds (Jun 13, 2016)

I got this little cutoff recently and although it did not seem to be (did not feel) nearly as oily as some cocobolo and some olive wood pieces that I have had, this little sucker clogged up sanding pads like I've never seen before. Practically before I even got the ROS pad settled flat on the piece, it was clogged with yellowish tan gunk nowhere near as dark as the piece, and that continued through several grits. I finally got it sanded down to 400 grit but I had to use my sanding cleaner sticks every few seconds on each grit. Very tedious, and this is a little bitty piece (4" x 2+")

This is the first time I've had thuya burl and I'm wondering, has anyone else had this experience?


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## Kevin (Jun 14, 2016)

I've only sanded thuya pen blanks before to show the finish before putting on my website but don't remember any. Might have been too small an area to load the disc though.


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## phinds (Jun 14, 2016)

Kevin said:


> I've only sanded thuya pen blanks before to show the finish before putting on my website but don't remember any. Might have been too small an area to load the disc though.


Given the nastiness of this little piece I think you probably would have noticed if even a pen blank had the same characteristic unless you were just hitting it really lightly with a very coarse grit. I'm just wondering if there's something peculiar w/ this piece. If doesn't look/feel weird but that clogging is weird.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

I will sand another piece with a new 400 grit in a few minutes and post a pic.


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> I will sand another piece with a new 400 grit in a few minutes and post a pic.


Thanks. If your piece is anything like the one I've got, you'll know quickly.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

I pulled a thuya pen blank and ran a brand new 320 pad over all 4 sides...



 

When I was done the pad looked like this....


 

It didn't gum up at all and didn't load beyond what should be expected. Are you positive what you sanded was thuya? I know that's probably a silly question to ask an ID guru. Not likely but it could happen I suppose.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

Paul does that blank have a discernible smell?


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Thanks for the sanding. You definitely are not getting what I was getting. 

I only know it was identified by Cook Woods as thuya burl and it looks like other thuya burl I've seen. I'm no good on burls and the end grain is usually useless for ID since it's not normal grain at all.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

Could you ask your wife to give it a sniff after you just get done sanding?


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Could you ask your wife to give it a sniff after you just get done sanding?


Sure. Does the smell wear out quickly? I just sanded it two days ago but can do some more if it would help.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

No it probably will still smell if it has a scent.


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## Sprung (Jun 15, 2016)

Paul, the looks of your piece definitely matches up with the various pieces of Thuya Burl I've worked with - the eyes, the color, the grain pattern all match. Thuya Burl is oily - very much so. I have to put in just as much effort to remove surface oils prior to finishing as other notoriously oily species, such as Cocobolo. Sometimes even a little more on a couple really oily pieces I've worked with. I have had sandpaper get loaded up fairly quickly, even with only making pens from it, because it is so oily.

As Kevin said, have your wife smell it. Thuya Burl has such a distinct smell - reminds me of an old pencil sharpener like you'd find mounted on a classroom wall. It's one of my favorite woods to work with.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DaveHawk (Jun 15, 2016)

If you wipe it down with a little lacquer thinner give it a minute before sanding you might do better


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

I also have thuya that looks like what Paul is showing but couldn't find it. The less burly or non burly stuff is not oily. That may be the difference. I know I can find the really burly stuff thogh.

I wasn't going to mention the aroma I was hoping to ask the question as a non-leading open question, but yes it has a distinct smell. I would describe the aroma as close to yellow cedar burl as you can get and not be YCB - like turpentine or petroleum.

I'll dig out a burly piece tomorrow. Curioisly, the plain stuff loke I posted has no aroma and no oil.


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## Sprung (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Curioisly, the plain stuff loke I posted has no aroma and no oil.



That's intriguing - I have some plain stuff and it still has the aroma and oil, though nowhere near as much as the burl. I'll try to remember to pull a piece of my plain stuff out tomorrow.


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

I found a burly piece....






I only sanded 1 side not 4...





I didn't even sand it long either. That affirms what you experienced Paul, I just didn't remember it.


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> I didn't even sand it long either. That affirms what you experienced Paul, I just didn't remember it.


Thanks Kevin. Sort of glad to know I'm not going nuts but sorry to hear the burls are always this bad or nearly so.


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## DKMD (Jun 15, 2016)

phinds said:


> ...Sort of glad to know I'm not going nuts...



So... If Kevin's thuya burl clogs his sandpaper then Paul isn't crazy?

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

DKMD said:


> So... If Kevin's thuya burl clogs his sandpaper then Paul isn't crazy?



Well, that's a bit of a stretch.


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## NYWoodturner (Jun 15, 2016)

I have always had that experience with Thuya Burl. It does smell like a pencil sharpener IMO. I remember reading somewhere that in Morocco it is used for household furnishings because of the smell - much like we use cedar in closets.


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Well, that's a bit of a stretch.


Hey, I'll take any evidence I can get.

By the way, I just had my wife smell the piece and shes says it has a very distinctive smell but doesn't know how to define it. She has no reference in wood smells and couldn't think of anything to refer it to.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin (Jun 15, 2016)

phinds said:


> She has no reference in wood smells and couldn't think of anything to refer it to.



We know it's thuya but just to pursue it for fun, ask if it smells anything like turpentine to her. Most people our ages have smelled that.


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## phinds (Jun 15, 2016)

Kevin said:


> We know it's thuya but just to pursue it for fun, ask if it smells anything like turpentine to her. Most people our ages have smelled that.


Will do tomorrow. She's turned in already.

Reactions: Like 1


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## DKMD (Jun 15, 2016)

I agree with the pencil sharpener references... It smells exactly like that to me.


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