Working with Manzanita Burl & How to Finish

Even though manzanita burl wood is very hard, it is actually very easy to work with. The burl goes through a lot before we make the slabs available to purchase.

First, we let the burl season for a couple years. This allows the burl to dry slowly and helps it to become more stable. Next we pressure wash the burls to clean them up and prepare them for cutting. If there is evidence of bugs we put the burls in the kiln for a week to kill any critters.

The slabs are usually cut on a large bandsaw to a thickness of 1.5 to 2 inches thick. These slabs are then set aside for a couple weeks to allow the moisture from pressure washing to evaporate.

Then I take the slabs and  belt sander them flat removing the saw marks, then a random orbital sander with 120 grit sandpaper. This is to get the hard work out of the way so you can enjoy the time you spend working with this beautiful wood.

For you to complete the finishing, here are some recommendations and ideas: If you want to clean up the natural edges and voids a wire brush works good. Do this before sanding the faces.

When sanding the faces, start with 120 grit and sand until you don't see any scratches at all. Then sand a while more. Next go to 220 grit, then 300, 400, 500 and higher grits until you like what you see.

The more effort you put into sanding, the more manzanita burl will look like a gemstone instead of a piece of wood. Manzanita Burl will almost always have cracks and voids. These are part of the character of this type of wood. We usually leave them alone but sometimes we want to draw a little more attention to them.

Two things we do are; take a propane torch and lightly burn the crack and/or edges of the void. Then wire brush and finish as usual. This makes them look dark and gives an antiqued rustic effect. The other is pack the crack or void with something like crushed turquoise or a contrasting color sanding dust. Next saturate with crazy glue and let dry. Then finish as usual.

We like an oil finish the best, but I have seen other low gloss finishes that look good too. Watco danish oil is one that I like.

I take a brush and saturate the edges and voids, then both surfaces. When that starts to get tacky I wipe it down with a rag and apply another heavy coat. Once again, wipe off when tacky. Then use compressed air to blow out any excess in cracks, voids and along the edges. Wipe again and let dry overnight.

If you go over the faces with 0000 steel wool before the next coat you will get a much richer finish. Blow off all the steel wool residue then follow with a light wiped on coat. Repeat until you are happy with the look. Some people finish this up to 1200 grit sandpaper and follow with a buffing wheel and polishing compound.

Please vote with the button below if you found this guide helpful. Thanks!