Cutting up a £500 Log (Ultra Rare)

All the Premium Masur Birch marking knives from this batch have now sold. Thank you to everyone who purchased one! If you missed out on these marking knives, don't forget there are plenty of other high quality options to choose from at:

FYI we ended up finding an even better log of Masur Birch. So most of the blanks in this video were downgraded to A-Grade as a result. If you want to see the knives on my website being made, check out the video on my Instagram feed here:

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My name is Matt Estlea, I'm a 28 year old Woodworker from Basingstoke in England and my aim is to make your woodworking less s***.

I come from 5 years tuition at Rycotewood Furniture Centre with a further 1 year working as an Artist in Residence at the Sylva Foundation, which is where I began growing my business. I then returned to Rycotewood to teach Evening Classes for 2 Years, while also teaching City and Guilds Furniture Making for 3 years. They were some long 12 hour days!

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[sheepewe]

Awesome! My father tried to grow those trees, but it is only like one out of 50 that has this, and only in small pieces, and it takeas many decades for it to reach this thickness since they grow much, much slower than ordinary birchtrees. Those are popular as traditional knfe handles in Scandinavia because it keep the fingers warm instead of draining the heat like a an antler handle in the winter. Linen seed oil finish is the traditional, but doing it right takes many day and about 3 weeks to fully set, my father still used to make them the traditional way, but most younger people don't seem to hawe the patience to make a durable oil finish anymore, properly done it should look like old British gunstacks and repel water but feel good to toch and letting the full beauty wood shine trou.

[mikerichardson]

Try a wedge in the kerf to keep it from closing as you cut.

[fredfred]

Great video! When I clicked on it and saw you had a piece of Masur/Karelian Birch, my first thought was that you could make replacement handles for E.A. Berg woodworking chisels. E.A. Berg chisels were made in Eskilstuna, Sweden. They have a shark logo, and are one of the best chisels you can buy.👍

[Andi.Mitchell.Designs]

You’re freaking me out running shorts through the jointer… just watched a video from Kingfisher Woodworks where he had a short tip down and suck his hand into the jointer….

[boriss.]

How about 1/4 sawing as you know with Oak it shows the Medullary Rays to their maximum.

[djmdog]

Why didnt you build a simple flat bottom jig with a side or pair of ends to hold the log so you could get a much straighter flatter cut?

[GeraldTheMaker]

sure cuz im new to woodworking, but some operations are kinda sketchy to the jointer, the way he use bandsaw

[daveyshmavey]

Should have done some that are quarter sawn. I understand you wouldn’t want to waste material, but the part that isn’t “premium” would become premium+

[TheClosetFloor]

Hey mate, have you ever done a video on how to cut up a log like that? I have some beautiful black walnut logs that I want to cut up, but I haven't yet. Mainly, because I am too nervous to do so. Everyone has a different way. Just a thought.

[_B_K_]

I tried to cut birch by hand once... big mistake... what a tough wood.

[Erik_The_Viking]

Lovely grain! I've been enjoying my new canarywood marking knife - just made a box for it out of alder, redwood and red oak. It deserved a proper home.

[nipperdog]

Nice piece of wood. I was shocked you cut it down. And not quarter sawn.

[robohippy]

There are all sorts of sled designs for crosscuting and ripping short log sections up on You Tube. Might have saved you some extra work. With a full log, , even as short as yours is/was, Have wedges ready for when the blade pinches. You have to be careful, people might start thinking of you as more of a turner.... Not a bad thing as far as I am concerned....

[cluelesscleric]

Dude! That's a beautiful reveal. I could sit and watch these sorts of things all day.

[CHRISBLACK]

Next try using a metal for the handle - aluminium for light weight, stainless steel for durability, brass or bronze for looking tasty !

[captainawasome]

How can a bit of simple birch be that expensive? For me birch has always been good for burning in a woodstove that you would pay 500 EUR for a couple of cubic metre dried.

[richardgoebel]

What was the yield on that 500 quid log?

[Mrwiseguyisthebest]

Gotta love woodworking video comments sections 😂 everyone in the comments is an expert

[a.v.auditsl]

I didn’t know mickey the poker player had a twin brother woodworker

[deerndingo]

How do they source such a log for felling? Is it only very old growth or is it identified as carrying some virus or ???