Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Burl question?
J B
>I have found two burls, still on the tree (basswood and a white oak) and I'm going to cut them before the sap flows here in northern Mn. I have little experance with burls. Is it better to green turn them or seal them and let them sit for a few months? Any advice will be appreciated. Hate to ruin a good burl they are hard to find up here. Thanks JB
Re: Burl question?
tdaniel
>I have better luck when I let them sit a few months in the shade. The oak is the one that may give you trouble.
TD
Re: Burl question?
Brad Vietje
>Hey JB,
Here's my 2-penny advice...
Depends on how big they are, and whether your turning skills are at a point where you feel you're ready to turn them. If you're confident making bowls, vessels and the like, and have been just chomping at the bit for a chance to turn some burl wood, I'd say go to it ! If you feel like you'll need to practice a bit more to make best use of a valuable and rare resource, you can store them, well sealed, for a minimum of a few months, if you protect them in all the usual ways.
If they are larger, you might consider working with someone to core them into more than one bowl or other shape, to get the most out of them.
Today I would opt to turn them green, to final thickness, wet sand, soak in some Urethane Oil, dry slowly, then finish sand off lathe, very gently, or just smooth the fuzzies with a ScotchBright pad to get the beautiful wrinkled surface that burls often produce. Tomorrow I might be in the mood to turn them a little thick, seal, dry, and re-turn them round a few months later, and finish with a higher sheen, smooth surface. Everyone has a different take on this, and they're all right for them -- what feels right to you ?
Here's one piece of solid advice: when harvesting the burls, don't cut the trunk too close to the burl -- leave a good 6"-8" on either side, or a foot or so for larger burls. This way you can seal the cut ends, and protect the burled wood from most cracks. You'll also have more design options. In either case, keep them out of sun and wind, which can cause surface checks into the surface of the burl. Also, keep in mind that those burls usually go well down into the trunk of the tree, usually making a conic shape with the "point" toward the pith of the tree.
That's my 3 cents worth (inflation, you know...)
Safe Spinning,
Brad Vietje
Thetford, VT
