D. O. W. FIXED BLADE LIGHT BURLWOOD HANDLE

Another great looking FIXED BLADE knife from D. O. W. 

BURLWOOD

Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood, prized for its beauty by many; its rarity also adds to its expense. It is sought after by furniture makers, artists, and wood sculptors. There are a number of well-known types of burls (each from a particular species); these are highly valued and sliced into veneers for furniture, inlay in doors, picture frames, household objects, automobile interior paneling and trim, and woodturning. The famous birdseye maple of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) superficially resembles the wood of a burl but is something else entirely. Burl wood is very hard to work with hand tools or on a lathebecause its grain is twisted and interlocked, causing it to chip and chatter unpredictably. This "wild grain" makes burl wood extremely dense and resistant to splitting, which made it valued for bowls, mallets, mauls and "beetles" or "beadles" for hammering chisels and driving wooden pegs.^[1]

Some resemble an explosion in which the grain grows erratically, and it is these burls that the artist prizes over all other types. These spectacular patterns enhance the beauty of wood sculptures, furniture, and other artistic productions.

One of the most common materials used in the making of tobacco pipes is the briar burl. It is used for its inherent flame resistance and beauty.