If, while walking through the forest, you notice a growth on a birch, what is the name of this phenomenon and how can it be used, wood carving experts will definitely tell you. They already know exactly how to distinguish a mushroom from a high-quality decorative material. If you don’t have such acquaintances, then having delved a little into this topic, you can easily distinguish them on your own.

What causes a growth on a birch?

The reasons for the appearance of a build-up on a birch are different depending on the nature of this neoplasm:

In the case when the nature of the growth is due to infection of the plant, then the cause may be spores of fungi or harmful bacteria;
Appearance caps (cap) is due to the fact that the kidney with new branch cannot break through the thick bark, however, processes initiated in the trunk of the tree due to growth facilitate delivery instead of budding nutrients. Accordingly, favorable conditions are created there and more and more buds appear, which also cannot be born;
The cause of the growth on the trunk of a plant can also be a fungus or mechanical damage to the trunk.

Thus, various fungal pathogens are the most dangerous for birch. They provoke a large number of wood diseases, including growths. But besides this, they can cause damage to the bark and leaves. Much less often, the causes of diseases are bacteria and even more rarely, pathologies in the development of the tree itself.

However, it must be remembered that external causes, such as damage to the trunks or contaminated environment make them the most vulnerable. Therefore, it is in our power to take care of nature:

Reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere;
Do not hammer nails into trees when outdoors;
Do not peel live bark from the trunk for crafts;
Do not injure or damage the barrel.

Perhaps this way we will help the trees not to get sick.

What is chaga?

If you noticed a growth on a tree trunk, you were probably interested in what it is. In the case when the outgrowths are black and irregular shape, and the color of the inside is from brown to red, most likely it is birch mushroom - chaga.

He is able to settle deciduous trees, For example:

Rowan;
Alder;
maple;
birch.

As a result of contact with the affected area of the bark of a pathogenic fungus, chaga begins to develop in the stem of the plant. It looks like a comb-like growth with veins inside. Gradually, it absorbs the tree and penetrates deeper into the trunk. It happens that chaga encircles a tree in a circle. As a result, it dies.

Chaga grows for at least twenty years and at the same time feeds on birch sap and beneficial substances found in wood.

Unfortunately, such mushrooms often massively affect birch groves And deciduous forests. However, in traditional medicine they are highly valued. On their basis, decoctions, means for inhalation and other dosage forms are made.

They help a lot in the treatment of various diseases:

Oncology;
Women's and men's diseases;
With weakened immunity;
Joint problems.

However, before you start collecting tree fungus, read the contraindications.

What is a cap?

Cap is another type of growth on a tree. He is a bunch of unblown branches and buds under a layer of bark.

From the natural thorns on the body of the capa, small branches can grow, which is why it is popularly called the "witch's broom."

Most often, such lesions of the cortex can be found on:

birches;
Dubach;
aspens;
Nuts.

Such formations can occur on a tree as a result of a failure in its development. This may be influenced by natural conditions, and the harm caused from outside. Sometimes this tree disease is inherited.

Caps are extremely rare. In order to find it, it is necessary to examine up to several thousand trees.

Thus, it is a piece of modified wood. Craftsmen use it to produce various wood crafts because of the beautiful natural coloring of the insides. It should be noted that the burl is much stronger than the wood of the tree on which it grows.

Chaga and capa: differences

Having become acquainted with two types of growths on trees, you can easily see their difference:

The cause of the appearance of the fungus is a sterile, that is, a barren spore that has fallen on an injured plant, while a cap is the result of an improper development of the tree itself;
The mushroom has a corresponding structure, and the burl is made of wood;
The fungus has medicinal properties, burl is used for decorative purposes and is a valuable item for wood carvers;
Chaga eventually leads the plant to death, and with a burl the plant can live for a long time, since such an outgrowth, although painful for a birch, is not an infectious disease;
Chaga can be treated, but the cap can only be cut off;
Chaga is quite common, while cap is a rare sight;

Thus, the difference between these two types of birch growths is quite large. And now you can easily tell them apart.

What is a suvel?

Suvel is another type of tree growth. It is considered a cancer of the trunk and represents numerous shifts in different directions of the annual rings of the tree. It looks like a spherical outgrowth on the trunk of the same structure as the plant itself and is covered with bark. It grows quite quickly and can reach huge sizes.

The reason for the appearance of such a tree disease may be swipe on wood, its damage or fungus. Scientists have not come to a common conclusion on this issue. At the same time, it can be found on a birch much more often than, for example, cap.

In terms of density, the suvel is inferior to the burl, although it is often called a tree bone. This name is associated with its appearance in the context.

When cutting, the inner part of the growth shimmers with a delicate gloss and has a beautiful mysterious pattern of annual rings. The color scheme and pattern are not similar to each other. For these properties, cabinetmakers love suvel no less than cap.

Such a formation can be made artificially by pulling a tree trunk with wire. After a while, you will see a neoplasm on the trunk. But remember, even if a tree is able to live with such a pathology, any growths for him are a disease. And after you cut the growth, it will become much more susceptible to the influence of bacteria and fungi.

Thus, one of the tree diseases is the growth on the birch. What is the name of this or that education can be determined as appearance, and on the insides on the cut. In this case, the normal development of the tree in any case is already disrupted, which can lead to additional infection or death.

Video: birch growths - cap and suvel

In this video, dendrologist Leonid Lozhkin will show what growths are on trees and how they can be classified:

A wide variety of handicrafts (caskets, cigarette cases, frames, etc.) have long been made from burl - this material of extraordinary strength and beauty - for a long time. Excellent samples of burl, or, as it was called, "onion" dishes, dated from the 16th-17th centuries, are kept in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin, as well as in the Zagorsk State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve. Looking at them, you will not immediately think that they were made with an ax, a scraper and a knife from a piece of wood, or rather, a growth on a birch.

The name of such a growth is cap, and it comes, as is commonly believed, from the ancient Slavic word "cap", which means head. At first glance, the burl growing on a tree really resembles a human head in shape. The burl can be found both on the branches of old trees and on the trunk itself - the stem burl. If we remove the bark, we will see that the “head” is all covered with tubercles, papillae, needles. The rarest and therefore the most valuable cap are usually found on branches. Usually its dimensions are small: 10...15 cm, but sometimes there are specimens up to 40 cm or more. To determine the value of the build-up, the master made a small cut with a damp cloth, or simply, impatiently licking his finger, ran it along the cut to see the main thing - a pattern that is unique in every burl “smelting”. Cap lends itself well to processing, does not warp, does not crack, does not swell, does not shrink, besides, it is so strong and weighty that some "craftsmen" wastefully make hammers out of it.

They find a burl on oak, walnut, black alder, aspen, but most often on birch. Sometimes there are several burls on one tree. Some experts believe that birch burl has the most beautiful wood, others - walnut. Kapokoren is nothing more than a burl formed at the root neck of a tree. Sometimes it protrudes above the ground. "Underground" burl (on the roots) can be found by the shoots that he lets out every spring. These non-viable, quickly withering shoots give black dots in the texture of the kaporon, located among the trunk fibers that are lighter in tone.

Kapokorni are circular, encircling a tree, and one-sided. The latter are most often formed on the south side. The largest of the kapokorn reach a diameter of up to 2 m, and weigh as much as a ton.

Oak and walnut kapokorn are especially large in size. Of these, more than one countertop can be made. The old masters of Vyatka used to paste over furniture with plates sawn from kapokorn. True, the root cap is not valued as highly as a real one that has grown on a tree trunk or branch. The wood at the root cap is softer, and the pattern is simpler. A large caproot is characteristic of birches aged 70-80 years, growing freely - in clearings or forest edges. As a rule, burl birches grow most often in mixed forest, usually along streams, small rivers, near lakes and swamps, and they usually grow not too close to each other.

There is a double at the cap - suvel. This woody fold is an influx, which sometimes forms at the site of a fold or break in a young tree. Suvel wood is also quite strong. From it, cabinetmakers make handles for tools, grind skittles, croquet balls. Distinguishing a suvel from a burl is quite simple, since the surface of the first is smooth, and on its cut (saw) there is no main advantage of the burl - beautiful texture. On the same section, only long and rare zigzags of fibers are visible.

Drying burl and suveli at home. Drying burl and suveli. So first, let's define some concepts. KAP- (aka a witch's broom) is a benign formation on a tree, which is a bundle of thin twigs growing from a drop-shaped (most often) growth. When cross-sectioned, it has a texture with pronounced knot cores. It is difficult to process due to the strongly frizzy texture and huge amount knots. Extremely beautiful, durable, perfectly sanded and polished.

Separate numerous areas have a mother-of-pearl tint. It has no great industrial value, but is highly valued because of its beauty. If it is used in industry, it is only in the form of veneer for furniture finishing (mostly exotic wood burl is used), as well as the production of small items such as caskets, cigarette cases, women's hairpins, small jewelry (birch burl). Use on knife handles is considered good taste, and also appreciated by wood carvers for its unique texture.

It is impossible to find two identical pieces of burl, even halves of a sawn burl have a different pattern, the growth is so heterogeneous. It grows on many trees (linden, alder, birch, maple, oak, etc.), but the most valuable and beautiful is birch (from those growing in our latitudes). The build-up is usually small, maximum the size of a volleyball or a large plate.

Cutting some kind of pattern on the cap does not make sense, since the texture clogs everything. We look at photos of what tutati looks like: The photo shows a birch burl. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a cut of exactly a birch burl (I took these pictures next to the local police station and, as you understand, they wouldn’t give me anything to cut down there ... But I contrived and found a burl of ash, most of the burls are similar in texture and differ only color and size of knot cores

SWUVEL- (it's a svil) As the name implies, the growth got its name because of its structure (twisted structure, that's putting it mildly).

Suvel is a drop-shaped or spherical growth on a tree (there is also an annular variety, it covers the tree trunk around the perimeter), it usually grows 2-3 times faster than the tree itself. When cut, it has a texture similar in pattern to marble and mother-of-pearl (this is the main sign of difference from CAPA, in the future do not confuse suvel and burl). The presence of mother-of-pearl stains on a polished tree creates a beautiful iridescent picture that glows from the inside. The twist is also poorly processed, like the burl, but not as hard.

The size varies from a walnut up to 1.5 meters high (I myself saw one on a birch) and up to 2 meters in diameter (an annular suvel completely covered the tree trunk). In the Vatican, there is a font much more than a meter in diameter, carved from a single piece of suvel. He himself once sat in an armchair carved from suveli. Holds fine thread perfectly, but it is not recommended to cut the suvel. It is better to sand and varnish (impregnate with oil). The product will only benefit from this.

The most valuable is the root or butt streak. The presence of dark veins and well-defined twisted annual rings. This is a fairytale. BEAUTIFUL, that says it all. The barrel suvel is distinguished by a finer texture and a finer "frosty" pattern. And lighter wood. In terms of strength, the butt suvel is slightly superior to the stem one due to the structural features of the tree trunk. Suvel is strong, beautiful, easily polished and polished. Well-dried and processed, it begins to "glow" from the inside (with proper impregnation with oils, the tree becomes like amber and even a little transparent). Usually has a color from pale yellow to pinkish brown to quite ocher brown. It all depends on the conditions and drying time. Cap has the same colors.

As you can see, the cap is completely different from the suvel.

chaga- this is a mushroom (not to be confused with a tinder fungus !!!) and we do not need it for our purposes.

So, how to dry. I must say right away that the "steaming" method is suitable for small pieces of wood. Somewhere in the half of a football ball or a small log.

1. We cut down the growth. We do this with a sharp saw. Otherwise, you will be tormented by sawing, and the tree will begin to shaggy. We do not clean the bark. Do not forget to cover the cut on the tree with oil paint or wax, or something similar.
CUTTING THE GROWTHS IS DESIRABLE IN THE DRY SEASON, IDEALLY AT THE END OF AUGUST, THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF Sap Flow.

2. We take an unnecessary pan (bucket), and throw a piece of wood there. The pan is precisely unnecessary, since during the cooking process a very tricky broth is formed, which is then very troublesome to wash. It is better to clean the piece of wood from all sorts of rags of birch bark and other fragile and dangling tails. still fall off. I consider the birch growth as the most accessible and beautiful, the rest of the growths are boiled using the same technology. The log is accordingly cleaned of any debris and fragile particles. We pour water. It is convenient to do this with a faceted glass (it contains 250 ml). Water should cover the piece of wood by about a centimeter or two. The tree naturally floats up, but let's press it to the bottom and see everything. It doesn't matter if you pour water, cold or hot - it will boil anyway. You can throw a piece of wood into a saucepan no matter how much it is a pity, the volume of a separate piece of wood is important and not the total volume of wood.

3. We take table salt, which is not a pity. We don't make soup. Pour 2 large tablespoons with a top of salt per liter of water (who will count glasses of water ??? Huh?). It is possible and more, no matter how much it is a pity, it's okay, it's impossible to overdo it. The main thing is that the water should be sugary salty. You can use the sea clean water(namely, clean, otherwise it will be disgusting to smell like mud). Salt will draw juices from the tree, but the tree will not saturate.

4. We find sawdust of resinous wood species. Spruce, pine, the easiest to get. We take a saw: and forward. We need two powerful handfuls of sawdust (we rake the sawdust with both hands). It is sawdust, and not shavings from a simple hand planer. The shavings will come from an electric planer (you can get it at the nearest sawmill or cut it yourself). I always use them. They are quite small and are usually plentiful and easy to obtain. The more resin in the sawdust, the better. And the smaller the sawdust, the better. We fall asleep in a saucepan. It was possible to take a saucepan and more! Sawdust will give the suveli a pleasant ocher color. From soft pink-yellow to ocher-brown. And also resins will add strength to wood and show texture.

5. When the water boils, reduce the fire and leave it simmering for 6-8 hours, maybe more, as long as you have enough patience. If the saucepan is large, then you can not turn down the flame, let the water boil and bubble. But you need to watch that the water does not boil away completely. Salt, sawdust, temperature and time will do their job. Add water as needed. During the cooking process, a red "broth" is formed. And scum. Scale is best removed immediately. It is very difficult to wash off.

6. 6-8 hours have passed (depending on the size of the piece of wood). We take out the wood. Rinse under running water from sawdust. We throw out the water from the pan as useless, but you can leave it for the next time, if you have somewhere to store it. But pouring water is easier. We throw the build-up on the cabinet with nothing on wrapping it. For a day or two, let it cool down.

7 The process of cooking and drying is repeated 2-4 times, depending on the volume of wood. You can use a pressure cooker to speed up the process. Time is reduced to 4-6 hours.

8. At the last cooking, you need to quickly peel off the bark while the tree is hot. Although she herself should fall off by this time. Carefully!!! Hot!!! use gloves!

9. We throw it on the closet for a week or two. The wood is basically already dry, but let the remaining moisture go. The tree will "get used" to the atmosphere. After the final drying, the tree will become like a bone, and it will be possible to cut, saw, grind it. There will be no foreign smell. It will only smell like wood.

10. In the process of accelerated drying of wood, it must be remembered that small cracks may appear, and therefore an allowance must be made for their removal in subsequent processing.

11. Where to look for growths... Naturally in the forest. BUT! there are no specific places of growth, they grow spontaneously, and the largest and most beautiful growths will be found by the most big-eyed and persistent. This activity is akin to hunting for mushrooms, whoever ran around the forest more and further got more. Look like that's it:. Once again I remind you that large pieces cannot be dried like that. Cracked. Necessarily. Checked.

12. After the tree finally gets used to the atmosphere, we make a knife. You will find how it is done yourself, not small ones. In any search engine you will type "" how to make a knife "" and you will be happy. It is desirable to impregnate the suvel and cap with oil and, if desired, with wax too. The tree will show the texture, "play" as they say, all the inner beauty will appear.

What are caps and suveli, how do they differ? How and where are they prepared? How to quickly and efficiently dry the growths at home?

Cap

So, to begin with, let's define some concepts.

Cap(aka " witch broom") is a benign formation on a tree, which is a bundle of thin twigs growing from a drop-shaped (most often) growth. When cross-sectioned, it has a texture with pronounced knot cores. It is difficult to process due to the strongly curly texture and a huge number of knots. Extremely beautiful , durable, perfectly sanded and polished.

Separate numerous areas have a mother-of-pearl tint. It has no great industrial value, but is valued very dearly because of its beauty. If it is used in industry, it is only in the form of veneer for furniture finishing (mostly exotic wood burl is used), as well as for the production of small items such as caskets, cigarette cases, women's hairpins, and small jewelry (birch burl). The use of burl on knife handles is considered good taste and is also prized by wood carvers for its unique texture.

It is impossible to find two identical pieces of burl - even halves of a sawn burl have a different pattern, the growth is so heterogeneous. It grows on many trees (linden, alder, birch, maple, oak, etc.), but the most valuable and beautiful is birch (from those growing in our latitudes). The growth is usually small, at most the size of a volleyball or a large plate.

It does not make sense to cut some kind of pattern on the cap, since the texture clogs everything.

The photo shows a birch burl. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a cut of a birch burl (I took these pictures near the local police station, and, as you understand, they wouldn’t give me anything to cut down there ... But I contrived and found an ash burl; most of the burls are similar in texture and differ only in color and size of knot cores).

(swirl) - as the name implies, the growth got its name because of its structure. "twisted structure",

This is putting it mildly. Suvel is a drop-shaped or spherical growth on a tree (there is also an annular variety, it covers the tree trunk around the perimeter), it usually grows 2-3 times faster than the tree itself. When sawn, it has a texture similar in pattern to marble and mother-of-pearl (this is the main sign of difference from mouth guard; in the future, do not confuse suvel and cap). The presence of mother-of-pearl stains on a polished tree creates a beautiful iridescent picture that glows from the inside. The twist is also poorly processed, like the burl, but not as hard. The size varies from the size of a nut up to 1.5 meters in height (I myself saw one on a birch) and up to 2 meters in diameter (an annular suvel completely covered the tree trunk).

In the Vatican, there is a font much more than a meter in diameter, carved from a single piece of suvel. He himself once sat in an armchair carved from suveli. Holds fine thread perfectly, but it is not recommended to cut the suvel. It is better to sand and varnish (impregnate with oil). The product will only benefit from this.

The most valuable is the root or butt streak. The presence of dark veins and well-defined twisted annual rings. This is a fairytale. BEAUTIFUL, that says it all. The barrel suvel is distinguished by a finer texture and a finer "frosty" pattern. And lighter wood. In terms of strength, the butt suvel is slightly superior to the stem one due to the structural features of the tree trunk. Suvel is strong, beautiful, easily polished and polished. Well-dried and processed, it begins to "glow" from the inside (with proper impregnation with oils, the tree becomes like amber and even a little transparent). Usually has a color from pale yellow or pinkish brown to quite ocher brown. It all depends on the conditions and drying time. Cap has the same colors.

As you can see, the suvel does not look like a cap at all.

- this is a mushroom (not to be confused with a tinder fungus) and we do not need it for our purposes.

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Where to look for growths... Naturally in the forest. BUT! certain places there is no growth, they grow spontaneously, and the most beautiful outgrowths will be found by the most big-eyed and persistent. This activity is akin to hunting for mushrooms - who is more and more about e gal forest, and that got more.

We cut off the growth. We do this with a sharp saw. Otherwise, you will be tormented by sawing, and the tree will begin to shaggy. We do not clean the bark.

I highlight in red:

If the growth is "trunk-embracing" or hooded, then it is more correct to refrain from cutting it down - the tree may die. It is advisable to acquire such burls and strands during legal logging, when the tree is doomed anyway.
Cutting off growths is desirable in the dry season, ideally in late August, early September, before the start of sap flow.
Do not forget to cover the cut on the tree with oil paint or wax, or something similar.

Drying

So how to dry? The method of "steaming". I must say right away that this method is suitable for small pieces of wood: somewhere in the half of a soccer ball or a small log.

We take an unnecessary pan (bucket), and throw a piece of wood there. The pot should be taken exactly unnecessary, since during the cooking process a very tricky broth is formed, which is then very troublesome to wash. It is better to clean the piece of wood from all sorts of tatters of birch bark and other fragile and dangling tails - they will fall off anyway.
I consider birch growth as the most accessible and beautiful. The rest of the growths are cooked using the same technology. The log is accordingly cleaned of any debris and fragile particles. We pour water. It is convenient to do this with a faceted glass (it contains 250 ml). Water should cover the piece of wood by about a centimeter or two. The tree naturally floats up, but let's press it to the bottom and see everything. Pour water, no matter what, cold or hot - it will boil anyway. You can throw a piece of wood into a saucepan no matter how much it is a pity, the volume of a separate piece of wood is important, and not the total volume of wood.
We take table salt, which is not a pity. We don't make soup. Pour 2 large tablespoons per liter of water
with a top of salt. It is possible and more, no matter how much it is a pity, it's okay, it's impossible to overdo it. The main thing is that the water should be sugary salty. You can use clean sea water (just clean, otherwise it will be disgusting to smell like mud). Salt will draw juices from the tree, but the tree will not saturate.
We find sawdust of resinous wood species. Spruce, pine, the easiest to get. We take a saw: and forward. We need two powerful handfuls of sawdust (we rake the sawdust with both hands). It is sawdust, and not shavings from a simple hand planer. The shavings will come from an electric planer (you can get it at the nearest sawmill or cut it yourself). I always use them. They are quite small and are usually plentiful and easy to obtain. The more resin in the sawdust, the better. And the smaller the sawdust, the better. We fall asleep in a saucepan. Sawdust will give the suveli a pleasant ocher color. From soft pink-yellow to ocher-brown. Also see O The wood will add strength and texture to the wood.
When the water boils, reduce the fire and leave it simmering for 6-8 hours, maybe more, as long as you have enough patience. If the saucepan is large, then you can not turn down the flame, let the water boil and bubble. But you need to watch that the water does not boil away completely. Salt, sawdust, temperature and time will do their job. Add water as needed. During the cooking process, a red "broth" is formed. And scum. Scale is best removed immediately. It is very difficult to wash off.
It took 6-8 hours (depending on the size of the piece of wood). We take out the wood. Rinse under running water from sawdust. Water from a pot
we throw it out as useless, but you can leave it for the next time, if there is where to store it. But pouring water is easier. We throw the growth
on the closet, wrapping nothing. For a day or two, let it cool down.
We repeat the process of cooking and drying 2-4 times, depending on the volume of wood. You can use a pressure cooker to speed up the process. Time is reduced to 4-6 hours.
At the last cooking, you need to quickly peel off the bark while the tree is hot. Although she herself should fall off by this time. Carefully!!! Hot!!! Use gloves!
We throw it on the closet for a week or two. The wood is basically already dry, but let the remaining moisture go. The tree will "rivet" to the atmosphere. After the final drying, the tree will become like a bone, and it will be possible to cut, saw, grind it. There will be no foreign smell. It will only smell like wood.
In the process of accelerated drying of wood, it must be remembered that small cracks can be reflected, and therefore it is necessary to give
allowance for their removal in subsequent processing.
Once again I remind you that large pieces cannot be dried like that. Cracked. Necessarily. Checked.
After the final adaptation of the tree to the atmosphere, we make a product from it. It is desirable to impregnate the suvel and cap with oil, and, if
there is a desire, then wax too. The tree will show the texture, "play", as they say, all its inner beauty will appear.

If you have any questions or any clarifications about the above technology, I will answer to the best of my ability and ability.

The cap is also called the "witch's broom" - this is a small formation on a tree, of a benign nature. Basically it looks like a drop, from which thin branches grow, gathering into a bundle. In the section across, you can see the structure of catchy knots. Processing cap is not easy, although grinding and polishing still lends itself. As a result, the work has a very attractive appearance.

Some areas of the birch burl may give off mother-of-pearl. In industry, it is not of particular value, but is quite expensive due to its beauty and uniqueness.

Burl can sometimes be used as furniture veneer, but most often it is exotic wood burl. But from a birch burl they make beautiful caskets, women's small jewelry or hairpins, cigarette cases.

The birch burl has a high-quality texture, so a knife with a wooden handle is very beautiful and expensive.

Two identical caps cannot be found in nature, even the halves differ from each other. They can be seen in many different trees. In our latitudes it is very much appreciated birch burl. It does not grow large, the maximum diameter is like that of a large plate.

Due to the dense texture, it is difficult to make any drawing on the cap, and it makes no sense.

In order for the birch burl to be used for its intended purpose in the future, it is very important to assemble it correctly. To do this, we will acquaint you with detailed instructions:

Proper processing of birch burl

Very often, when sawing a cap, a unique and inimitable pattern is formed that the master does not want to change. In other cases, the cap after sawing is processed:

Large caps are almost always sawn, as several items can be made from it at once. The cap is divided into several plates, the thickness of each depends on what item is planned to be made.
In order to get an excellent drawing in the future, you should think over the cutting angle in advance. The more sleepers on the cut, the better.
When the burl is fresh, the pattern is weak, but sawing is much easier.
That the drawing manifested itself in full beauty, before making the item, the cap should be steamed well.
You can steam the cap at home, fine sawdust is suitable for this. To carry out the procedure, they take a container of the right size (it is recommended to use an old pan, since the dyes that will appear cannot be washed off). Sawdust is laid out in a generous layer on the bottom, a cap is placed on top. It is impossible to lay tightly, there should be a gap of at least 0.5 centimeters. Sawdust is sprinkled on top in a thin layer.
The laid cap is poured into a saucepan with well-salted water (mainly the bottom layer). Water should not completely cover the workpieces, but only touch them a little. Salt is taken with the calculation of 1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water. If there is a little more - it does not matter.
The prepared cap is covered with a lid and put on a small fire. As soon as the mixture boils, they tell off about 10 hours, and let the cap steam well. To avoid trouble, they look into the container every hour, if necessary, add water.
At the end of the day, the container is removed from the fire and left to cool.
After cooling, the blanks are washed under running water and left to dry. Turn them over every few hours to dry evenly. The drying period lasts about 3-4 days.
When the blanks are completely dry, they are again steamed according to the above scheme, dried again. The procedure is repeated up to three times.
If, after steaming, the bark has not completely fallen off, it is carefully removed by hand.
The drying procedure is preferably carried out on the street. The first day is turned over quite often, on the third day 1-2 times is enough.
It is great if it is possible to carry out the final drying in a special oven several times.
If the cap is very large (larger than a basketball), this type of processing will not work. The drying or steaming process can cause cracks and other damage.
Boil as basically cut into pieces. Whole growths on a birch are processed as common tree- by sanding and varnishing.
When evaporating, the burl plates acquire the shade of the emitted components, it can be very diverse (yellow with a golden tint, brown, etc.).
After processing, subsequent procedures can be carried out, for example, varnishing or painting.
Before varnishing, the surface is well polished with coarse emery, then fine. Wood dust can be wiped off with a soft cloth.
The drawing will appear in all its glory if the cap is treated with wax.

In fact, working with a burl is very painstaking, it requires attention and a lot of time. But what is obtained as a result of labor is certainly pleasing. Birch burl makes excellent souvenirs that have an individual and unique pattern.