roughsawn Posted September 4, 2022 Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 I have access to a root ball from a hard maple, that has a 25" diameter trunk at the base. Actually, I'm getting 5 sections of the tree, also. But...my question is this: We all know a black walnut root ball has fantastic figure properties, and is highly sought after if you can find one. Does a hard maple root ball have the same qualities? If this is something worth going after...I have free access to it. It will be "big"! Also, what style of woodworking would be most likely to utilize the "burl" qualities from a maple root ball? And lastly, what dimensions or size would I slab it...or saw it into to be best utilized for various wood working projects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 4, 2022 Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 I have no specific experience with maple root balls, but any root ball should have some impressive swirling grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 4, 2022 Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 Agreed. Acorn to Arabella, on YouTube, sawed into root balls for “knees” and turned up some very nice oak sweeps. Even if the grain is “dull,” the sweep of its movement could make for some nice special use pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 4, 2022 Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 I've heard of woodturners using blanks cut from root balls. I've also heard that they can have surprise inclusions such as stones and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted September 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 I know turners like them for bowls, and custom knife makers like it for handle scales. Just wondering if any of you guys have any experience with it. If I knew for sure what a few practical uses would be, that would help me figure out how to handle the root ball after it is out of the ground. I know one thing for sure...I'm not going to let it go to waste...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted September 5, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Either turned piece or slice into thin veneer. The crazy grain will make it difficult to use for any sort of structural part. I tried to use some walnut just above the root ball for my ukulele back and the grain pattern made it extremely brittle. It broke apart when getting it to final dimension, but certainly would have also broken when bending it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted September 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2022 Wow, that's a shame. Crazy cool grain pattern. I also have a walnut root ball, still in the ground, from a 20" tree I cut down a couple years ago. I'll get that out of the ground this fall. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askland09 Posted September 7, 2022 Report Share Posted September 7, 2022 On 9/4/2022 at 8:17 AM, Mark J said: I've heard of woodturners using blanks cut from root balls. I've also heard that they can have surprise inclusions such as stones and such. +1 to this. This can make a turner some very high end pieces if done correct. I've acquired a few root balls from fallen farm trees in the neighborhood. Just waiting on a project to use them on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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