LARK handmade knife by Pavel Honcharenko, order to buy in Ukraine, steel - k110 in stainless steel laminate 95x18 through nickel, 61 HRC

SPECIFICATIONS:

The name of the knife: LARK handmade knife by Pavel Honcharenko, order to buy in Ukraine, steel - k110 in stainless steel laminate 95x18 through nickel, 61 HRC
Knife type: Fixed blade
Brand: Pavlo Honcharenko's Handmade Knives Studio

Best use: Hunting, fishing, tourism, household, carcass division, slicing
Knife condition: New
The price is indicated together with the scabbard.

A sharpened knife is not a cold weapon.

Our knives are very sharp, so be very careful when opening and handling them. We are not responsible for any injuries resulting from the use of our knives.
Our products are intended for legal use only by responsible buyers. We will not sell our products to anyone under the age of 18.

Availability changes regularly, after confirming your order we will notify you of availability or when the item is ready. The product may differ slightly from the one shown in the photo.

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K110 steel for knives - features, pros and cons

At the moment, there are many possible materials for the production of knives. Depending on the purpose of production, different materials are used. Moreover, the content of the main substances of different grades of steel can differ significantly. The most typical grades of steel are high-carbon types of steel. Among them, you can find many types of materials that differ among themselves in the number of additional elements. One of the best grades of steel for hunting knives is K1100 from the Austrian company Böhler.

Composition and features
Böhler K110 steel is a high-carbon composition with a high chromium content. The metal is stamped by the method of cold stamping. Metal is produced by one of the largest metallurgical concerns in the world. Factories are located in Europe, North and South America.

In the production of K110, the technology of electroslag remelting is used. Due to this, the quality of the material increases significantly. Due to the presence of various undesirable impurities, serious defects may appear during mechanical forging. To avoid this, the method of electroslag remelting is used. During electroslag remelting, before the start of hardening, the melt is passed through a layer of special slag, which removes foreign elements from the molten metal, such as phosphorus, sulfur, and much more.

The method of electroslag remelting provides the final result with low levels of segregation, purity and homogeneity of the structure. In Böhler K110, the percentage of harmful impurities is significantly reduced and the compounds of metals and non-metals with carbon are evenly distributed.

Therefore, such a metal has a complex composition and is able to withstand even very thin corners during forging. One of the main advantages is extremely high strength and viscosity. It is preferable to harden such material in the air. If necessary, the nitriding method is used. Böhler K100 is used for forging knife products of the medium and high price segment.
Metal composition:

• It contains 1.5% carbon, which provides higher strength and hardness.
• Chromium content is 12%. This metal provides an increased ability of steel to be hardened, resistance to rusting and wear.
• Molybdenum 0.8% is used for the production of high-speed steel. It significantly increases the rigidity of the blade, makes it resistant to high temperatures.
• The percentage share of vanadium is 1%. This chemical element has high strength. Strengthens the elasticity characteristics of the material and makes it resistant to various aggressive environments.
• Manganese - 0.35%. Manganese is used during smelting. It significantly increases the hardness of the material. A characteristic feature of manganese is that various objects requiring high strength are made from steel with a high content of the chemical element. For example, safes, rails and much more.
• Boehler K110

Main advantages
Any steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, but their ratio in the substance will directly affect the characteristics of the finished product. This type of material is produced by electroslag remelting. And due to the high content of impurities, the increased strength of the material is formed.

The main advantages of K110 steel from Böhler include:

The main requirement that applies to all knives is sharpening. However, the sharper you sharpen the knife, the faster it will dull. However, this rule does not apply to K110 knives. Due to the high concentration of chromium in this steel, the resistance to wear is significantly increased. Therefore, the cutting edge will always be sharp. However, the use of such impurities reduces corrosion resistance. Although the knife will not rust very quickly.
The presence of a high percentage of molybdenum in the composition provides the material with the uniformity and homogeneity of steel. This is very important for a knife. A small amount of vanadium increases the strength and durability of the material, and manganese in contact with chromium significantly increases strength.
After a lot of tests, it was found that even after a lot of processing bones and opening cans, practically no serrations appear on the blade. The blade continues to be able to cut the newspaper under its own weight.
Due to the combination of various impurities in the composition of the substance and the method of manufacturing steel, knives made of this material are distinguished by an extremely long service life.
Increased resistance of the blade to various aggressive environments, which include some internal organs of animals. Therefore, the knife will not darken and rust for a long time.

The main disadvantages
The disadvantages include:

It does not have high breaking strength. Therefore, it is undesirable to throw products, check for the ability to bend.
Blades from this material are usually made with a small size and a narrow focus. These are hunting knives specially prepared for processing carcasses. They are usually used by the inhabitants of Siberia and the North. However, the sword will be able to show its excellent properties only with competent preparation and sharpening. Otherwise, it is very easy to spoil the cutting edge. However, if such care is provided, knives with K110 will be equal to and the characteristics of blades made of higher quality steel.
Conclusion
K110 from Böhler from the Austrian manufacturer is one of the highest quality products for forging knives. Despite the demanding care of the blade and the mandatory condition to dry thoroughly after contact with water, a knife made of such metal will serve for a very long time in the right hands. Therefore, it is definitely worth buying K110 knives and tools from the Austrian manufacturer. They can last a long time.

Asian buffalo

This is one of the largest animals belonging to the bovine family. The body length reaches 3 m, the height at the withers is 2 m. Large males can weigh a ton or even more. The horns of these animals are in the form of a crescent moon, directed in different directions and slightly backward.

The color of the animals is gray. The wool is thin and moderately long. On the forehead it forms a small tuft. The body of this animal is massive, powerful, the limbs are strong, muscular. The hooves are large and cloven.

The head resembles a bull's, with a more massive skull. The eyes and ears are small. The tail is thin, long, with an elongated tuft of hair at the bottom.

African buffalo

It is slightly smaller than its Asian relative. Its height is up to 1.8 m at the withers, its body length is 3 m. It weighs slightly less.

The African buffalo is black or dark gray in color. This animal has pronounced sexual dimorphism: females are much smaller than males. Females also have a less powerful physique. Their horns are shorter and thinner.

The African buffalo has unique horns. Their bases in adults are fused, forming a kind of shield of bones. It is so strong that a rifle bullet cannot pierce it. The horns at the base diverge to the sides, bend down, and then with the same smooth bend go up and inward. Young individuals do not have such a shield of horns.

The African buffalo has very poor eyesight. It receives information from the world around it through its highly developed sense of smell and hearing.

In normal circumstances, the animal roars and snorts. In extreme circumstances, it moos loudly.

Lifestyle

The buffalo grazes at night. It spends the day in the shade of a tree, in a swamp, where the temperature is lower. It sleeps or chews gum. Often a puddle or hole can be a shelter from the heat. It needs a daily watering hole. During the day, the animal needs up to 40 liters of water. In this regard, the buffalo never moves further than 4 km from water.

Females with calves are especially sensitive. They are constantly on the alert, showing their anxiety. When alarmed, the buffalo raises its head and throws back its horns. A quiet sound is enough for the herd to flee from danger. In case of serious danger, the animals can reach speeds of over 50 km/h.

Buffaloes are reluctant to enter the water. However, they are good swimmers.

Buffalo habitats

Back in the 19th century, this animal was common in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, buffalo populations can be found in Southern and Eastern Africa, where human interference in the biosphere is least noticeable.

Buffalo can live in savannahs, tropical forests, mountains (up to a height of 3 km). The animal feels best in savannahs, where there is year-round access to drinking water and juicy food. Buffalo does not live far from water bodies. Due to human extermination, the animal is most attached to protected areas: there you can meet herds of hundreds of individuals.

Demeanor

In the north of Tanzania there is a national park near Lake Manyero. It is here that the largest population of these herbivores is found. The animals are attracted by the spacious pastures located in the green zone between the lake and the mountain slopes. Some adult bulls do not associate their lives with the laws of the herd, preferring an independent existence. The large size and large strong horns are a sufficient reason to feel safe.

Important decisions for the herd are made by high-ranking females, and controversial issues are resolved in the form of a special form of voting. Closer to lunch, the herd settles down to process the morning feed. Sometimes the leading females raise their legs, turning in the direction, while the others carefully follow them. As a result, the herd moves further in the direction chosen by the "majority of those who voted."

At this time, it is time for procedures related to personal hygiene. Local species of woodpeckers and herons are happy to provide their services in cleaning the skin, in exchange for insects collected under the fur. Thus, the birds help the buffaloes regulate the populations of parasitic insects capable of carrying pathogenic microbes. The immune system of an adult buffalo allows it to cope with almost all common diseases. However, weakened individuals can become victims of parasites.

Oak 

Many plants commonly called "oaks" do not belong to  the Quercus species  , such as African oak, Australian oak, bull oak, Jerusalem oak  ,  poison oak, river oak, silky oak  , brown  oak   , Tasmanian oak, and tulip oak.

oak, (genus Quercus), a genus of about 450 species of ornamental and woody trees and shrubs in the beech family (Fagaceae), common in the northern temperate zone and at high altitudes in the tropics. The acorns serve as fodder for small game, are used for fattening pigs and poultry; the acorns of some species can be made into flour for human consumption. Lumber from red and white oak is used in construction, flooring, furniture, joinery, cooperage, the manufacture of sleepers, structural beams, and mine supports.

Physical description

northern red oak

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black oak

Quercus species  are characterized by alternate, simple, deciduous or  evergreen  leaves with lobed, toothed or entire margins. Male flowers are borne in yellow racemes that appear with or after the leaves. Female flowers occur on the same  tree  , singly or in two- or many-flowered spikes; each flower has a sheath of overlapping scales that enlarges to contain  a fruit  or  acorn , which matures in one or two seasons. White oaks have smooth leaves without bristles at the tips, sometimes with glandular margins. Their acorns mature in one season, have sweet-tasting seeds, and germinate within a few days after falling. Red and black oaks have bristly leaves, hairy acorn shells, and bitter fruits that ripen late in the second  growing season  .

Oaks can be easily  propagated  from acorns and grow well in moderately moist, rich soil or dry, sandy soil. Many will regrow from stump sprouts. They are hardy and long-lived, but not shade-tolerant and can be damaged by leaf-eating organisms or oak wilt fungus.

Main types and uses

The taxonomy  of the genus  Quercus is complicated by the large number of natural hybrids  .  Oaks can be divided into three groups, sometimes considered subgenera: white oaks  (  Leucobalanus  ), red  and black oaks  (  Erythrobalanus  ), and ( Cyclobalanus  ).

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cork

In  North America,  several oaks have ornamental landscape value, including  the common oak  (  Q. palustris  ) and the northern  red oak  (  Q. rubra  ). White oak  (  Q. alba  ) and common oak  (  Q. macrocarpa  ) form picturesque oak groves in the midwestern  United States  . Many oaks native to the Mediterranean have economic value: the galls that form on the branches of the Aleppo oak (  Q.  infectoria  ) are a source of Aleppo  tannin  , which is used in the manufacture of ink; commercial  cork  is obtained from  the bark of the  cork oak  (  Q. suber  ), and the tannin-rich kermes oak (  Q.  coccifera   ) is the host of the kermes beetle  , which was once harvested for the dye contained in its bodily fluids .

 Two East Asian oaks are also  of economic importance: the Mongolian oak (  Q. mongolica  ) provides useful timber, and the Chinese cork oak (  Q.  variabilis  ) is a source of black dye and is also a popular ornamental plant. Other  cultivated  ornamental plants include the Armenian or Pontic oak (  Q.  pontica  ), the chestnut oak (Q.  castaneaefolia  )  , the golden oak (  Q. alnifolia  ), the Holm oak, the orpad oak, the oak (  Q.  ilex  )   , the Italian oak (Q.  frainetto  )  , the Lebanese oak (  Q.  libani  ), the Macedonian oak (  Q. trojana  )  , and the  Portuguese oak (  Q.  lusitanica   ). Popular Asian ornamentals include the Japanese blue oak (Q.  glauca  )  , the daime oak (Q.  dentata  )  , the Japanese evergreen oak (  Q. acuta  )   , and the saw-toothed oak (  Q. acutissima )  .   The English oak  (  Q. robur  ), a hardwood tree native to Eurasia and North Africa, is cultivated in other regions of the world as an ornamental.

From «woodlands blogs»

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In early October, BBC4 aired a 90-minute documentary that shows every aspect of the life of an ancient English oak tree over the course of a year.  Oak: Nature’s Greatest Survivor  focuses on a single tree in  Witham Woods  , near Oxford, a site purchased by Oxford University in 1942 for woodland research. The film, presented by zoologist, entomologist and broadcaster  George McGavin  , begins with a high-tech assessment of the tree’s condition. By firing laser pulses, foresters create a three-dimensional virtual image of the oak tree so they can track its size and shape over a 12-month period.

At its peak in late August, it is 19 meters tall and 30 meters wide and contains about 700,000 leaves. Its roots extend 30 meters from the trunk, and a digital scan in mid-January showed that it weighs almost 10 tons.

As the days shorten and temperatures drop, the nearly 400-year-old oak tree is forced to undertake what McGavin calls “  a colossal reallocation of its resources  ”—the first of four seasonal transformations it needs to survive. “  Under the influence of hormonal signals, the trees begin to break down pigments and nutrients in their leaves to store them for the winter  ,” he says, creating  spectacular fall colors  .

After the nutrients are removed, the leaves drop. But the leaf drop is not caused by cold weather. In fact, the oak can perceive red light in the spectrum using a chemical pigment (  the phytochrome system  ) in the leaf cells, which allows it to measure the hours of daylight. In October, when the oak produces its acorns, there are six fewer hours of sunlight each day than at the height of summer.

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In winter – the “most dangerous time of year” for an oak – a bare tree has to stay alive in the bitter cold with almost no energy expenditure. The bark acts as a blanket, but if the fluid inside the oak freezes, the tree suffers catastrophic damage. In doing so, it draws fluid from its cells, dehydrating itself. The remaining fluid has a high concentration of sugar – “  a kind of antifreeze  ,” according to McGavin.

The oak tree stores most of its nutrients in its roots during the winter months. But the root system alone is not enough to extract vital minerals from the soil. The oak also needs a “vast army of microscopic threads” to survive, including mycorrhizal fungi to extract phosphate from the surrounding soil.

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Spring brings an “epic growth spurt,” and by late April, the male flowers—the catkins—appear. Filled with pollen grains, they are dispersed by the wind to fertilize the female flowers and create acorns that will continue the oak’s life cycle. A month later, the oak is in full bloom and is teeming with insects. Among them  is the larva of the winter borer  , which eats 27,000 times its weight in young oak leaves. The oak can recognize chemicals in the creature’s saliva and defends itself by producing phenolic and tannins to inhibit the larva’s growth. Meanwhile,  gall wasps lay their eggs in the female flowers, prompting galls to grow in place of the acorns. This is where the wasp larva develops. There are hundreds of species of these wasps, each with its own unique gall structure. One of these galls – a sphere made by the wasp  Andricus collari   – produces an indelible ink when ground up and mixed with water, ferrous sulfate, and gum arabic. Gall ink was used in historical documents for 1,400 years until the 19th century.

Oak was also an important building material in ancient times. 13th-century masons used 2,641 tons of oak to build Salisbury Cathedral, which was felled in the spring of 1222. 

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The wood came from Ireland as well as England, although English oak, with its wide bands of early wood, was preferred over Irish wood with its denser rings. its lightness and strength. And in the 18th and 19th centuries, oaks began to be planted in Britain in large numbers to supply timber for warships.  It took 6,000 oaks to make HMS Victory – “the product of medieval acorns scattered all over Britain  ”. The curved branches of the oak were particularly useful for creating figured hulls.

By August of its second year, 3-D imaging shows that the oak has created  230 kg of new wood  in 12 months, produced from the carbon dioxide (and water) absorbed during photosynthesis. It has also released  234,000 liters of oxygen  into the atmosphere from the stomata of its leaves.

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Other results of the documentary:

• How oak trees react to gale force winds. At the Forestry Commission's research site outside Edinburgh, scientists rig an oak tree with sensors and then turn it upside down until it's uprooted. Their instruments show that it starts to fall when it's just six degrees off the vertical, but it would take a force 10 storm to have the same effect.

• How much water does an oak tree pump out of the ground in spring? Probes attached to a sap flow monitor measure this at 70 kg per hour at its peak, passing to the leaves through the xylem vessels. The cambium produces new cells that differentiate to form xylem and phloem tissue.

• When oaks took hold in Britain after the Ice Age. Four-metre peat cores taken from Wytham Fen show oak pollen preserved in the soil, first appearing 9,000 years ago.

You can watch   Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor   on BBC iPlayer until 31 October 2015. Click   here   for the link. 

The above post was sent by the user

• Jeff Segal,   a carpenter   with an interest in tree identification, cultivation, history and conservation – first appeared on  Timberyard.co.uk   with various images – see  here

Maple burl

A cap is a growth on a tree trunk; it has a much denser structure with a completely unique cross-sectional pattern.

The cap is highly durable, the cap wood does not burn well, and is well processed and polished.

The dimensions of the blanks are approximately 135-45-30 mm.

Stabilized wood blocks are great for creating standard knife handles with through and insert mounting.
Stabilized maple cap is also great for carving, creating miniatures, jewelry, as well as various pendants, amulets, toys and crafts.
It is convenient to work with stabilized maple cap for both experienced craftsmen and beginners.
Stabilized wood of any color is straight, even blocks of real wood - maple cap, impregnated with a special composition.
The wood stabilizer completely fills all small pores, due to which all air and moisture comes out of the wood, turning it into a polymerized block of stabilized Karelian birch, only with improved properties.

Stabilized wood is several times heavier and much denser. It is not affected by moisture, does not change its color under sunlight, remaining a much stronger and more reliable material.
All this makes stabilization an ideal material for creating objects that are exposed to all physical and climatic loads - knife handles, cutters and various tools.

Stabilized maple sapwood polishes beautifully, giving a surface as smooth as glass or stone. Uncoated, stabilized bars have a faded appearance when dry, but their bright, deep texture is revealed under finishing compounds.

For its unique beauty, the cap is called wooden malachite!

In general, the smaller the pattern and the larger the size of the mouthguard, the more expensive it is.

The value of this unique material is evidenced by a historical fact given in the book "The Cap Box" (authored by Nadezhda Perminova): "... in 1837, up to fifty rubles were paid for a twenty-pound cap (a little more than 8 kg)... a thoroughbred bull was valued at the same amount at an agricultural exhibition.

Today, on the world market, the price of Kapo wood (solid wood and veneer) is many times higher than the price of any other wood, including: oak, elm, walnut, mahogany, and any exotic species.

The unique combination of material properties, limited supplies, and the uniqueness of the cap pattern in each product ultimately determined the generally recognized, high aesthetic value and corresponding consumer price of products made from this wood, which is used in the decoration of the most luxurious interiors.

Kap and suvel  are growths on tree trunks in the form of characteristic rounded inflows. To obtain such a workpiece is a dream for everyone who works with wood, and here's why. The fibers in such growths have a special deformed structure: their winding and chaotic growth creates a unique texture, which is called swill. But this is not the swill that is characteristic of, for example, maple. In the growth, it is very confused and has a number of features, thanks to which an incomparable wooden texture is obtained. With its pattern and characteristic sheen, it resembles marble, mother-of-pearl or moire pattern. Such material is a real treasure for everyone who works with wood.

Cap and suvel are similar in nature, but they are not the same. They differ in structure, texture pattern, formation features, and a number of other points that we have collected in this table.

Now about all this in more detail.

Bag

The people call the kap a “witch’s broom.” There really is something repulsive about it, but only if you don’t know what miracle nature has hidden under the thick layer of bark.

What does a cap look like?

Location on a tree
Unlike the suvella, caps are rare. They usually occur on tree trunks or in the basal part. They are much less common on branches. Basal growths (cap roots) have a flattened shape, while stem or butt growths are more like a ball, often asymmetrical in appearance. As a rule, caps are located on one side of the trunk as a characteristic influx; less common are growths that cover the tree around the entire circumference. There are both single specimens and entire cap colonies that cover the tree trunk in small groups.

Formation and structure
The fundamental difference between a cap and a suvel is in the structure. If you look at a cap in cross section, it will be filled with small wooden knots - these are the so-called kidneys. While a suvel is simply deformed and chaotically intertwined annual rings. Thus, a cap growth represents a kind of reserve bundle of unopened kidneys, created by nature as a reserve. Why? Dendrologists do not have a single opinion on this.

Under the thick layer of bark, the cap and the suvel are practically indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that the cap can give out is the small green twigs growing on its surface. This is part of the same dormant buds that have only become active for some reason. Without the bark, the difference between the cap and the suvel becomes obvious. The surface of the cap is covered with cone-shaped protrusions, while the suvel is completely smooth.

The sizes
of caps vary greatly: from walnut growths to truly gigantic formations. The largest of the documented caps in the territory of the former USSR was discovered on the bank of a flat-leaved oak growing on Sakhalin. Its height was 1.4 m, and the circumference was 10.8 m. The sizes of caps depend on the location on the trunk and the tree species. The largest are traditionally considered to be basal caps, but their extraction turns into a difficult task and is impossible without sawing the tree. Large caps, weighing 300 kg or more, can often be found on walnut, downy oak, Mongolian oak. They grow 3-4 times slower than suvel and are very rare.

Texture
Kapov wood has a characteristic texture, thanks to which it is quite easy to distinguish it from souvel. On the kapo cut, dormant buds seem to be wrapped in numerous layers of wood fibers. Such nodules are somewhat similar to the texture of a “bird's eye”, but in the kapo they are not distributed so evenly. Here everything is chaotic: the buds merge with each other, penetrate each other, are absent in some areas, and accumulate very densely in others. All this creates complex lace abstractions, somewhat reminiscent of a malachite pattern.

Bird's eye (maple sapwood) and cap texture

The more dormant buds, the more complex and richer the wood pattern. Larger buds have fewer buds, so their texture is closer to suvels.

The biological role of caps
Both caps and suvels are often called diseases. This position is not entirely scientific, but it cannot be called unequivocally erroneous, at least because the biological role of the growths is still not understood. There are various hypotheses on this subject. For example, caps are considered a reserve supply of kidneys from which the tree can regenerate, for example, in the event of drought or partial loss of the crown. There is also an opinion that the growths increase the mechanical strength of the trunk, protect it from damage or prevent pathogens from entering. There are many assumptions, and all of them are convincing to varying degrees. However, most dendrologists agree that the ability of trees to form caps does not have a clear function - it is a kind of side effect of evolution, which was once more important than now.

Suvel

Suvel is a growth without dormant buds. Sometimes such formations are called "suvelval" or simply "svil". Unlike the cap, the structure of the suvel does not have woody knots, and all the beauty of the texture here is created by chaotically intertwined vessels. From such deformed fibers, a ball or drop-shaped influx is formed on the trunk. It grows three to four times faster than the cap and is found on trees much more often.

What does a suvel look like?

It is quite easy to distinguish a suvel from a kapa. Neither small twigs nor buds break through it. Under a thick layer of bark, the surface is absolutely smooth without conical bulges, like a kapa. The whole beauty of the texture here is formed by the chaotic release of intertwined fibers. It does not just go in light waves, like in some tree species, but is gathered into dense folds, bundles, and plaits. The whole beauty of the pattern is enhanced by a special ebb, reminiscent of marble, mother-of-pearl, or a moire pattern. A kapa does not have such pronounced overflows.

Suvel changes its appearance more after finishing. For example, when deeply impregnated with colorless oils and carefully polished, the wood acquires a special “bone” texture. Because of this, suvel is sometimes even called wood bone. In some breeds, after processing, the svelte veins literally show through the structure of the material. This effect is highly appreciated by knife masters: most often they make knife handles from birch, walnut, and ash suvel.

The density of the souvel is lower than that of the cap. In this, it significantly exceeds the hardness of the trunk wood. Processing the souvel of birch and other species requires certain skills, since, like the cap, it is not the most pliable material. But despite all the difficulties of working with it, there is no incomparable pleasure. The souvel is always a mystery: it is impossible to predict what amazing beauty the pattern will reveal after the next pass of the cutter.

Where to find valuable growths

Caps and suvels occur on all species, but deciduous trees are more prone to their formation. In our latitudes, such growths are most often found on the shore, and all its species. Maple, rowan, walnut, ash, hornbeam, oak, elm are also considered prone to cap formation. But, let us repeat, this does not mean that they do not occur on other deciduous trees.

Conifers have a much lower ability to form growths. They are more likely to be found on European spruce, Siberian larch, and some other conifers. Pine suvel is inferior in beauty to the growths of deciduous trees, but there are much more hassles with harvesting and processing here, due to the high resin content and tendency to crack.

It is better to go looking for caps from April to May. Firstly, at this time the forest is not yet covered with greenery and the growths are clearly visible. Secondly, it is during this period that the active movement of sap begins in the trees, thanks to which the bark from the cut growth is removed much easier. This is especially true for caps, which, as we have already found out, are distinguished by conical bulges, which make it difficult to remove the thick bark.

But harvesting sapwood in the spring involves some difficulties. First of all, at this time the wood is very saturated with moisture and it is more difficult to saw it. Secondly, sapwood or souvel with excessive moisture can present many “surprises” during the drying process: from severe mold to complex through-cracks that will hopelessly spoil the valuable material. For this reason, many craftsmen prefer to go in search of sapwood in September-October, when the intensity of sap movement in the trees decreases.

Caps and suvels are more common in deciduous forests. Moreover, foresters note a certain pattern: there is a greater chance of finding woody growths in areas with sparse undergrowth, and especially those that are flooded in early spring.

For those who are serious, it is better to get acquainted with foresters and agree on the supply of material. Here you should understand the following. By the standards of industrial woodworking, caps and souvels are considered a marriage. They are not made into moldings, and a line for the production of, for example, the same veneer is not available at all enterprises. Also, caps are not used as firewood - they are not pliable in processing and smolder more than they burn. Of course, most likely, a forester understands what he is dealing with. But if a person does not do carving or sharpening himself, he is unlikely to prepare and store dimensional blanks. As a result, caps and souvels often have a share of ordinary waste during logging, so it is usually not difficult to agree on supply on mutually beneficial terms.

Another working scheme is to search for growths in the waste of sanitary fellings. Tree crowning in yards, squares, and along roads is a systematic procedure in most large cities. You can use this. Moreover, it is often much easier to get along with utility workers than with the same foresters. Having examined the waste and found a valuable growth, most likely you will easily agree to have it sawn off right on the spot.

Provision

With the growths on fallen trees, everything is relatively simple: they are cut down along with the trunk section, and then the homeowners, in a calm atmosphere, decide what the blanks will be used for and how to cut the massive stump more rationally. But finding a fallen tree with valuable growths is like winning the lottery.

Much more often, you have to cut the trunk and branches from a growing tree. Doing it with a chainsaw is a very barbaric method. And walking through the forest with such an accessory can cause a lot of misunderstandings during a meeting with a forester.

How to cut suvel and kap?

The most delicate and at the same time effective method is to use a bow saw. We would like to note the importance of a high-quality blade with the correct tooth spacing. Otherwise, the saw will wedge and bind in the "cap wood", which will turn an already difficult sawing on a scale into a real test.

The second tool that will not be superfluous is a small axe: it is used to carefully chop off the bark around the growth. On thick trunks, it is better to saw strictly tangentially. This reduces the useful size of the workpiece, but allows you to avoid hopeless jamming of the blade during the sawing process. On relatively thin trees, the saw line can be slightly deepened towards the trunk. Of course, it is better to lay an arc within reasonable limits, especially if you still take up a chainsaw.

Seven sweats have come, and the desired stump has finally been cut. Now the most important thing! You need to close the wound on the tree to prevent it from dying. For covering, it is often recommended to use garden pitch or ordinary clay. These are working methods, but they are not reliable enough (especially clay). It is better to cover the cut with oil paint.

How to dry a mouthguard without cracks. Two ways

Those who work with slatted wood know well that the most difficult thing when working with this material is not finding or even cutting off the desired growth, but drying it properly. So that the workpiece does not turn out to be hopelessly spoiled by mold, warping, or through-going cracks.

Just in case, let's remind you: you can only work with wood in a dry state. The moisture content of the workpiece should reach at least 15%, and even better - 10-12%. This is important for any type of processing: turning, carving, joinery. Raw wood is poorly processed and is almost guaranteed to bring "surprises" in the form of cracking, warping and even mold. In general, wood needs to be dried, and kap or suvel is no exception.

It is not difficult to guess that due to the anomalous structure of the fibers, the drying of wood growths is significantly different from that of ordinary lumber. The internal stress here is much stronger, and the nature of their manifestation is completely unpredictable. Because of this, the blanks often have deep cracks, or even completely split into pieces.

Let's say right away that there is no 100% working scheme that will help avoid the unpleasant consequences of drying. Each cap or suvel is unpredictable. Plus, a lot depends on the size of the growth, the type of tree, and the time of cutting. Nevertheless, we will focus on the two most effective ways to dry birch and any other cap without cracks.

Seasoning

This is standard atmospheric drying, but with its own minor features. The general algorithm of actions is approximately as follows.

1. The cut area (the back of the cap or souvel) is covered with an improvised sealant. This can be oil paint or, for example, PVA glue. This is necessary in order to slow down the accelerated exit of moisture through the end. Rapid drying leads to a sharp imbalance of internal stress and increases the risk of cracks. Thus, in the case of atmospheric drying, time is sacrificed in favor of the stability of the wood.
2. The place where the workpiece is drying should be well ventilated. At the same time, it is necessary to provide protection from direct sunlight and moisture. Plus, there should be no dampness. From spring to autumn, such conditions are easiest to provide outside, by making an improvised rack with a protective flooring for drying. This is especially important if there are a lot of workpieces.
3. It is better to place two square spacer slats under each workpiece so that air currents can blow it from all sides. However, for the winter period, it is still better to move the caps and souvels indoors.

Atmospheric drying is a slow process. And this is its main drawback. It takes about a year to dry a medium-sized workpiece to 15-17%. At the same time, during the entire drying period, it is necessary to carefully monitor that no foci of biological activity appear on the wood. Timely antiseptic treatment, which we discussed in detail in a separate article, helps to prevent this problem. But after such treatment, for obvious reasons, it is better not to use the caps for making spoons, dishes, boards and other utensils.

Accelerated drying

Here we come to the question of why boil souvel. Boiling in a salt solution is one of the methods that helps to quickly remove moisture from a wooden workpiece, minimizing the likelihood of its cracking. That is, it is a kind of stabilization technology. Now about how to boil a cap and souvel. But let's start a little from afar. Back in 2005, a user of one of the weapons forums under the nickname Serjant shared his method of accelerated drying of souvel. The method itself turned out to be so successful that it is still being passed around the Internet in various variations, and old-timers call it "drying according to the Serjant method." We will briefly summarize its essence as much as possible:

1. I place the entire workpiece in a container and pour water so that it covers the log by 2-3 cm. It is advisable to first clean the growth from the bark for better penetration of the salt solution.
2. Salt is added to the water at the rate of 2 tablespoons (with a slide) per liter.
3. In the classic version, the author also suggests adding sawdust of resinous rocks to the water. This can be omitted. The sawdust broth does indeed give the workpiece a pleasant ocher hue, but only on top. Inside, the texture remains ordinary.
4. Place the container on the fire and cook the stew over low heat   for 6-8 hours  , periodically adding water and salt.
5. After cooking, the workpiece is dried for one or two days. No need to use any newspaper wrapping. Follow the standard rules of atmospheric drying discussed above: use spacer bars, hide the workpiece from the sun, provide natural ventilation.
6. The cooking-drying cycle is repeated   2-4 times   , depending on the size of the workpiece. The total cooking time should be at least 12 hours.
7. After the final cooking, the workpiece is dried for one to two weeks.

It cannot be said that this method is so fast. And it requires a lot of trouble. But such stabilization is not a year and a half of atmospheric drying. Also, with boiling, you can worry less about cracks. Salt effectively displaces not only free, but also bound moisture that is in the cells of the tree. This ensures deep, fast and, most importantly, uniform drying of the workpiece. The tree is stabilized with a minimal imbalance of internal stress, due to which the risk of cracks is significantly lower.

Why do you need birch cap and suvel? Features of processing

Carving on a suvel and a kappa is very different from working with ordinary wood. It requires special skills and an understanding of this non-standard material. The usual Bogorodsk knife or a carving board will not help much. The high density and chaotic arrangement of fibers make it difficult to process with a hand tool. Even sharp chisels are not suitable for this material. Therefore, today, processing of wood growths is more often carried out using electric tools. Processing of small parts in products and other decorative items is done with a Dremel, with various crowns, small discs, and burrs.

What can be made from a cap and a ruler?

Wood growths are widely used in decorative and applied arts. There is even a separate direction of artistic craft - root plastic. From the cap and the souvel they make elegant boxes, cigarette cases, jewelry and much more. The same cap root is usually considered the best material for making smoking pipes.

In industrial woodworking, burl is mainly used for veneer production. It is also used to inlay furniture: headboards, tables, sideboards, and other items. This material is especially appreciated by gunsmiths: burl and suvel are the best material for knife covers and rifle stocks.

The hotel direction of cap processing is the creation of dishes and turned products. Turning in a special way reveals the beauty of the already unique structure of this material.

Bowls, plates, dishes, and other turned products look like full-fledged works of art, designed by nature and sculpted by man.

Traditional dishes are also made from tree growths. For example, the famous stump - a Finnish bowl that accompanies the inhabitants of the north throughout their lives and is a kind of amulet - is carved from the bark of a birch tree.

Cutting boards deserve special mention: they are so unique in their beauty that, while they are not used as utensils, they serve as self-sufficient designer decor.