Gloat - Which way do I go?

Re: Gloat - Which way do I go?

Mike Schwing from Md.

>What do you want to turn? How big can you go? Based on the bandsawn half circle I see on the ground to the left you have a small-medium sized lathe?

That is a good sized burl, and if it is all good quality when you cut into it you're going to have a lot of options.

If you want to make natural edged shallow bowls and platters (favorites of mine) take slices off starting from the end of the cap till you reach your lathe's max swing. With what is left over you have options for hollow forms or other burls. I don't particularly favor burl bowls with no natural edged features so I wouldn't cut it up for me without keeping the burl edges in mind.

Also, if you orient your workpieces with the natural edges as the top you will find the burl gives you very nice vertical patterns as the grain rises up the sides - look for the piece I posted the other day for an example.

If possible, take a pressure washer to the burl to blow the bark off.

Re: Gloat - Which way do I go?

Raymond Overman

>Thanks Mike,

In answer to some of your questions, my lathe will handle a 12" diameter blank. I'm hoping to turn a few bowls, maybe a few ornaments, and possibly some pens out of scrap.

A problem I'm going to run into is I don't have a variable speed motor on my lathe so anything I put on it that isn't somewhat true makes my lathe walk across the yard. I've got to sell a few pens here at Christmas so my wife will let me buy that motor and controller.

Re: Gloat - Which way do I go?

Doug Trembath

>Raymond, I use a lot of burl, and every time, without exception, I turn it, and think, then put it aside for a while, then roll it around and think, and put it aside, then look at it again, and I think by now you get my drift. I'm almost always disappointed with the way I end up cutting one, thinking I could have gotten a better usage somehow. Mike's suggestions are good if you want to make that type of piece. I do a lot of hollow forms, and find that no matter how you cut it, the burl looks nice, but if you orient the bud flares vertically, you get a more fascinating pattern that folks go wild over. Haven't turned any Dogwwod, but have seen a few pieces on the web, and it can be spectacular. How come you guys get all the burls locally? I have a large Sugar maple burl I got when I removed a tree for a guy in the next town, but that's about it. It ain't fair, I tell ya!

Send it to me and make a lifelong friend! If it comes out nice, I get all the credit, if not, you get all the blame! 8>)

Seriously, just think of what you want to make, and dive in. It takes quite a lot of experience to locate the pieces in such a nice burl.

One other thing, burl is usually pretty stable, but cut it away from the pith, leaving some of the tree attached, seal the straight grain very well, and it will store nicely if you leave the bark on. Let me know if I can help out.

Doug Trembath

Studio in the Woods

Re: Gloat - Which way do I go?

Raymond Overman

>The funny thing is Doug, I've walked the woods on my family's farm many afternoons and haven't seen a burl like this. Only a few scabs here and there. You would expect at least a couple in 45 acres of hardwoods. My father and I have started looking at logging piles where they leave the trunks that are too gnarled and other than a few nice crotches, haven't found anything there either. It usually just goes to chip or mulch anyway.

I can point out every burl, knot, or scab in town on standing trees on someone else's property. If only a chainsaw didn't make so much noise.