How should I treat this burl??

[woody350ep]

alright, let me make this clear from the start. I have never cut anything up for blanks, pen or bowl. I do have access to tools that I do not own, though they may not be capable of what I need. This is what I need help with. My buddy is cutting down a tree sometime soon. He is unsure of the type, but he hears me talk about burls and stuff and how nice the grain patterns they create are. Based upon his "hand sizes" I can estimate that it is about 10-12" diameter and it sticks out from the tree about the same. So, almost a basketball size I would say.

First, if we were to take this burl before he cut it down, would the tree have any issues any time soon? Also, what is the process for cutting it into blanks? I would like to make a bowl out of it if possible, and make some pen blanks as well. I was thinking I could just slice some off the end like a piece of bread for pen blanks and then cut them up, and have the rest of it for a bowl or something. Would this work?

What about drying of it? Should I let it dry prior to cutting into blanks and such, or cut it and then let it dry? What about the stability of the wood, is this a concern? Do I need to paint it to prevent checks?

He is going to take a picture to show me at work tomorrow. Also, a picture of the leaves or bringing in a leaf for me to see so hopefully I can ID it. He thought it was maple, but he thinks everything is maple lol.

On a side note, has anyone ever turned any honey locust? Another guy at work is cutting one down right now and is bringing me some logs. What is the grain like, and are they good to turn?

Thanks in advance.

 

[wdcav1952]

Jason, I'll let others chime in on the burl question. Take the honey locust!!!! It can make beautiful turnings.

 

[Mack C.]

alright, let me make this clear from the start. I have never cut anything up for blanks, pen or bowl. I do have access to tools that I do not own, though they may not be capable of what I need. This is what I need help with. My buddy is cutting down a tree sometime soon. He is unsure of the type, but he hears me talk about burls and stuff and how nice the grain patterns they create are. Based upon his "hand sizes" I can estimate that it is about 10-12" diameter and it sticks out from the tree about the same. So, almost a basketball size I would say.

First, if we were to take this burl before he cut it down, would the tree have any issues any time soon? Also, what is the process for cutting it into blanks? I would like to make a bowl out of it if possible, and make some pen blanks as well. I was thinking I could just slice some off the end like a piece of bread for pen blanks and then cut them up, and have the rest of it for a bowl or something. Would this work?

What about drying of it? Should I let it dry prior to cutting into blanks and such, or cut it and then let it dry? What about the stability of the wood, is this a concern? Do I need to paint it to prevent checks?

He is going to take a picture to show me at work tomorrow. Also, a picture of the leaves or bringing in a leaf for me to see so hopefully I can ID it. He thought it was maple, but he thinks everything is maple lol.

On a side note, has anyone ever turned any honey locust? Another guy at work is cutting one down right now and is bringing me some logs. What is the grain like, and are they good to turn?

Thanks in advance.

Woody, Woody, Woody; Don't go to a lot of trouble with those burls. You have asked so many questions that it's apparent to me that you are headed for a lot of trouble.

Cut them free from the tree, and when you have done so, msg me and I will give you an address in Canada to send them to. At my expense I might add. It's the least I can do for my American friend.

 

[woody350ep]

Cut them free from the tree, and when you have done so, msg me and I will give you an address in Canada to send them to. At my expense I might add. It's the least I can do for my American friend.

Alright, I cannot tell from text whether this was intended to be sarcastic or serious, so I will save my comments until I can know for sure, though I am leaning on sarcasm...........

As an additional question, how much might something like this be worth to someone?

 

[NewLondon88]

Alright, I cannot tell from text whether this was intended to be sarcastic or serious, so I will save my comments until I can know for sure, though I am leaning on sarcasm...........

LOL .. ok, lean a little. a little more. More ... More ... and . a little more.
There. You've got it.

As an additional question, how much might something like this be worth to someone?

With burls, it would be hard to say. Until you've cut it down and cut into it, you never know what will be inside. For all you know it could be all punky and useless. Or it might be stunning. You'll need to open it up, take pics and then take bids.:biggrin:

 

[dalemcginnis]

I see that no ones actually answered your question yet on the burl so here's what I did when I found one. I cut it into 1" slabs and coated all sides with green wood sealer. Cut it and seal it while it's green. It will shrink some and may warp some that's why I cut mine at 1". I have heard you can use latex paint to seal but I don't know how long it would take to dry with paint.

As for the bowl rough turn it while it is green then set aside to dry before finishing. There are many different techniques for drying a green bowl. Mine is, soak it in DNA overnight then place it in a paper bag full of shavings for a month or two.

 

[Mack C.]

Alright, I cannot tell from text whether this was intended to be sarcastic or serious, so I will save my comments until I can know for sure, though I am leaning on sarcasm...........

Hi Woody; My comments were more tongue-in-cheek, and were not meant to be hurtful sarcastic in any way. My apologies if that's the way you took them!

As an additional question, how much might something like this be worth to someone?

I feel NewLondon88 gave you the best answer with respect to it's worth.

 

[tim self]

Re: How should I treat this burl?

Hey, he didn't ask how to cut it up. He ask how he should treat it!:biggrin: With love and admiration. You may never find one like this again. (like a good woman!) I wish I was in your positon though.

 

[wolftat]

Hey, he didn't ask how to cut it up. He ask how he should treat it!:biggrin: With love and admiration. You may never find one like this again. (like a good woman!) I wish I was in your positon though.

Do you mean he should take it out to dinner and try and get real close and personal with it?

 

[woody350ep]

Mack - I didn't take it that way, no harm done.

Thanks for the tips Dale

Tim and Neil - I'll get as close and personal as I need to to get something done......

 

[bdonald]

Well, I got a piece of locust from my neighbors tree when another neighbor was trimming it, and made a few blanks. I turned a slimline out of it for her as a keepsake for when she eventually moves, as she loves that tree. I was impressed with what the wood looked like, and talked her into letting me go after some bigger pieces <really isnt that hard after giving her a pen and promising her a bowl at a later date >. I let them dry for about 2 months after cutting them, I did a comparison where 2 air dried with waxed ends, and 2 were soaked in DNA for 24 hours, then waxed. I weighed them until they stopped losing weight, then figured it was time to turn. They were actually ready after 3 weeks, but I thought I'd give it a little extra time since I had other stuff to do anyways. Extremely easy to turn. They took a honey locust down at the park down the street from me and it's just sitting there, so I'm in the process of getting permission to hack it into blanks before they send it through the shredder. I think you'll definitely be pleased.

 

[bdonald]

[Cut them free from the tree, and when you have done so, msg me and I will give you an address in Canada to send them to. At my expense I might add. It's the least I can do for my American friend.[/SIZE][/FONT]

What is this, the Canadian highway 12/7 scam, like the nigerian 411 scam?

 

[Fred]

Jason ... If I had the burl I would follow the directions found here http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/ and boil the wood as directed. Look along the left side of the site for the article link. Then I would put the burl in a cardboard box and forget about it for several months.

If you follow Steven's (a fellow IAP Forum member) directions I can just about guarantee you that you will have a wonderful bowl blank to work with. To save some drying time you can pre-turn it down a good bit - leave room to finish it later - and then boil the thing. I turn a bunch of bowl blanks and always boil them and I have yet to have one split, crack, check, warp, etc. on me. The same procedure works wonders on fresh cut pen and bottle stopper blanks.

The drying time is greatly reduced compared to just sealing it and letting it dry 'naturally'. I also boil my blanks if they are coated with wax as this will remove every bit of wax from the wood. Boil the wood and skim off the wax prior to removing it from the water, drain it well, and seal it up and let it dry.

I was truly amazed in the results I got when I first used Steven's method. Try it yourself as I bet you will be just as pleased as I am. At least boiling doesn't require any painting of wax or whatever other 'stuff' one might be prone to use.

Let us know if you try the procedure and post your results ... Good Luck! :biggrin: