Briar Burl
Briar Burl |
|
|
PHOTO |
 |
| DESCRIPTION | Small, round burls from the Heath Tree found primarily in the Mediterranean area. Due to the very slow growth, briar burls are usually not suitable for pipe making for at least 40 years. |
| BOTANICAL NAME | Erica Arborea |
| OTHER NAMES | Heath, White Heath |
| MECHANICAL PROPERTIES | An extremely hard wood, sometimes prone to cracks and occlusions. |
| WORKING PROPERTIES | This is a very hard wood to work with hand or power tools, with severe blunting effect on cutters. Can be polished to an excellent finish. |
| DURABILITY | Very durable. Highly resistant to termites. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. |
| SEASONING | Briar burls are protected from drying out until the small amount of sap in them can be boiled out. In storage, they are often saturated with water to prevent drying until the boiling process can begin. |
| USES | Primarily used in making tobacco pipes. Can be used as decorative inlay. |
| COMMENTS | Older, larger burls are becoming more difficult to obtain due to over harvesting. |
