A burly show

[cputnam]

Oh my goodness! Wonderful!

[TomFromStLouis]

The unanswered question is whether a handle made of burl is more fragile than a normal handle, and does that infusing strengthen it much?

It sure is pretty.

Anyone link me to how this infusing happens? Is it something we can do ourselves in our shop?

[RonB1957]

Hi Tom. The infusion process has been a pet project of mine for a couple of years now, when I have time and the inclination. Mostly for turning to reduce tear out in figured woods and fill the pores better. So take it with a grain of salt. I am no chemist, by any means. The answer is yes and no. Infused "chunks" of wood are certainly more dense, almost doubling in weight in some cases. So very good for mallets and such. However, depending on the grain orientation on thin "normal plain sawn wood", The acrylic resin can make the wood more prone to shearing vs green stick type of breakage. ( If that makes sense ) ie: deformation vs. shearing.   It becomes more brittle to some extent, but I can't say the times I have broken a piece, it was solely because of the acrylic resin. It really seems to just depend on the characteristics of the wood and the orientation of the grain to begin with. Perhaps sometime we can catch up at the local WW guild meeting or feel free to drop an email or stop by. The coffee pot is one tool I always keep running.
The worst I can do is say, "I don't know".
Best wishes.

[titanxt]

Stunning handles!!! Nicely done.