Large burl ideas

dpsnyder

Dan
Corporate Member
I have had this large burl growing on my property and we just sold out house, so it was time to harvest it. It is massive and weighs about 200 lbs! I think it's cherry, not sure.

Any ideas on what to do with it?
 

Attachments

  • 20211120_120310.jpg
    20211120_120310.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 146
  • 20211120_120327.jpg
    20211120_120327.jpg
    2.4 MB · Views: 143

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
I'll turn you a bowl from it, if you would like.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Naw, just get the whole burl to me. I'll cut the bowl out of it, LoL. See my post with The
Mother Bowl for an example.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
If Mike is willing to turn 3-4 bowls for you, I would let him do it. My proposition was one bowl for you and I'll keep remaining cores. You can have the shift knob and pen blanks.

I also would not expect utility bowls. These will be art forms.

Note that turning wet cherry will coat your tools/lathe in sap. But, it will smell really good.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
What's beneath that bark is anybody's guess. It could be beautiful solid burl figure or it could be honeycombed with pits and bark inclusions. I think you're going to have to make a cut or two on it first to see what you've got. We'll keep out fingers crossed that it will be great solid burl.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
If Mike is willing to turn 3-4 bowls for you, I would let him do it. My proposition was one bowl for you and I'll keep remaining cores. You can have the shift knob and pen blanks.

I also would not expect utility bowls. These will be art forms.

Note that turning wet cherry will coat your tools/lathe in sap. But, it will smell really good.
If you have a coring tool that would be the most effective use. I can only cut with chainsaw and waste the insides of the bowls. But, it looks like 3 or 4 lobes around the trunk. That’s what I was referring to as making more than one.
 
What’s the largest oak burl you’ve seen? I have a 5’ diameter red oak. I slabbed it out. Still waiting on it to dry…

Watched it grow my whole life until it died. Like Christmas Day opening it up.

I believe I’m going to keep one for the family. Intend to do a table top. Milled a couple of wide crotches from the same tree for trestle table legs.

Bet you can’t guess the weight.
 

Attachments

  • 9C1DBAA3-D981-45B7-B40F-D1174A7BE734.jpeg
    9C1DBAA3-D981-45B7-B40F-D1174A7BE734.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 105
  • CFF7EC25-17BC-4F30-82A8-AE5B1613BFC1.jpeg
    CFF7EC25-17BC-4F30-82A8-AE5B1613BFC1.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 104
  • B62F49F7-9FD2-4157-8C8C-D416E54584BE.jpeg
    B62F49F7-9FD2-4157-8C8C-D416E54584BE.jpeg
    5.5 MB · Views: 102
  • 20E197EF-4075-4153-AB00-5CA368EF7551.jpeg
    20E197EF-4075-4153-AB00-5CA368EF7551.jpeg
    3.7 MB · Views: 103
Last edited:

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I think that tree Scott Smith @SSSmith took down made your burl "host tree" at one look like a sapling, but I am not sure if his had many if any burls in it...
I would still guess that thing weighed a ton! (~2000 pounds)
 
It’s amazing the lengths we go to get wood to the mill!

I had to build a 9:1 mechanical advantage with a capstan witch and “leapfrog” the burl out of the woods about 1/2 a mile. From there I had a wrecker drop it off at the mill!
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
Dan, I've got a coring tool and I can turn up to 24" diameter on the right side of my lathe drive head...larger on the left! But, as Chris already mentioned, you really need to prep the piece properly and let it sit for several years to dry out or it'll crack to pieces!
 

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top