Cherry Burls

[PChristy]

I know no pics didn't happen -but... my SIL said that he recently cut a wild cherry down and I might want to go through what he brought home - I kept my grandson today and while we where outside I looked through his pile and came out with four pices with the burl - my question is do I need to seal this - I do not know how long it has been cut - or just let it dry - As soon as I can borrow one of our daughters cameras I will post some

 

[DaveO]

Seal it. Burl is notorious for drying poorly. Damage might have already occurred, depending on how long it's been cut, but sealing it now will prevent any further problems.

Dave

 

[PChristy]

Dave, my sil says that it might have been one -two months at the most - it has not been under any shelter just lying in the back yard in a pile - all I have to seal it with is latex paint - I will throw a couple of coats on it tomorrow - Do I need to rough turn it ASAP:dontknow: thanks

 

[DaveO]

Sealing the end grain now will help to prevent any further checking. Rough turning will help it to dry faster by removing the mass of wood. There is no reason you should rush to rough turn it, unless you want to.

I would really like to see what these burls look like. Ideally when you cut smaller burls you will leave a section of the normal trunk above and below the burl. That will take the checking as it dries. If this is from a larger burl and has been cut off the off the trunk, the end sealing is even more important.

Dave

Dave

 

[PChristy]

Sealing the end grain now will help to prevent any further checking. Rough turning will help it to dry faster by removing the mass of wood. There is no reason you should rush to rough turn it, unless you want to.

I would really like to see what these burls look like. Ideally when you cut smaller burls you will leave a section of the normal trunk above and below the burl. That will take the checking as it dries. If this is from a larger burl and has been cut off the off the trunk, the end sealing is even more important.

Dave

Dave

Thanks Dave, I will get a picture as soon as I can - I do not have a camera and I have to borrow one of my daughter's camera - my sil and his friend didn't know what they where cutting - he just wanted some firewood - I think that he will know next time he sees one -

 

[TracyP]

Phillip, I would like to see them also, spinning on the lathe that is:rolf:

 

[PChristy]

Phillip, I would like to see them also, spinning on the lathe that is:rolf:

:rolf: You might get to see them soon :icon_thum

 

[Skye]

Does it look kinda like this?

Here's some I boiled from another burl (smaller):

Oh, and make sure you only seal the ends. That way you can save some natural bark for the top of bottle stoppers, bowls, etc.

 

[Dragon]

Okay, I gotta ask. Why did you boil those pieces? Does that help the drying process by removing sap or some other reason?

 

[Skye]

Well, it does soften the sap on the outer bark, the boiling is to pull the water out of the wood. Think of it as eating a piece of chicken that someone boils to death. You get dry, tough chicken. I think it pulls the water out similar to soaking it in DNA, but all my DNA evaporated, so I had to go the boiling route. Here's a little info someone else wrote:

http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html

 

[Dragon]

Thanks for the info and the link.............:thumbs_up

 

[PChristy]

Well, it does soften the sap on the outer bark, the boiling is to pull the water out of the wood. Think of it as eating a piece of chicken that someone boils to death. You get dry, tough chicken. I think it pulls the water out similar to soaking it in DNA, but all my DNA evaporated, so I had to go the boiling route. Here's a little info someone else wrote:

http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html

Thanks Kevin, As I was reading this I was think how funny this is - you boil something in water to draw the water out of it - but since you mentioned the chicken I understand - I HAVE HAD SOME OF THAT CHICKEN:no: