The maple burls are easy to cut - to a point.  Being hardwood, it is fairly forgiving.  I have and thought about using spiral blades but not happy with the end result.  Not smooth enough.  This pattern was done for me by Candy Zine (look her up on Facebook) from a photo she, herself took at an Indian pow wow.  The thick burls are tricky in as much as the entry holes must be perpendicular or the back side of the piece won't look like the front and that is my goal.  I used 0/2 Olson's on this piece.  Just like towing an RV:  "go slow and swing wide", my moto with scroll sawing something this intricate is:  go slow and let the blade do the work, especially the small ones that I use.  Thank for the wonderful compliments.

Jane Hiatt