Finally caught one!
Mike Schwing from Md.
>These little buggers have been running all over my basement lately. I think they must have come in with one of my burl shipments. This is the Pacific Northwest Maple Burl Bug. So far, what I can tell about them is this: They appear to be made from a single, solid piece of wood with no joinery anywhere, except for the eye, which appears to look straight up (probably to avoid turner's feet). They avoid direct light, and appear to darken when exposed. This specimen is about 3" tall, not including the display stand. I have occasionally seen them taking refuge in my shavings piles, but they scatter as soon as I turn on the dust collector. Judging from the weight, I assume that the "brain" is nearly entirely empty, and when tapped on, it gives a distinct hollow sound. If anyone has more info on these, please forward it to me. I am going to capture, or at least try to capture, more. I believe I've seen a six legged one, slightly larger, over by the bandsaw.
Actually, I have NO idea what made me think to do this, but it has been in my head for quite a while. I have been thinking about learning to carve, and this was my first attempt. I cannot describe to you the glee that I felt while watching this emerge from a piece of wood, because I knew it was in my head, but I didn't know I could get it out of there. I have a LOT more ideas about where to take this. You can probably expect a whole series of them.
Comments welcomed!
