Burl wood help

[Tabitha Campbell]

I am new to wood turning, and happened upon this beauty! I certainly don't want to ruin it. What is the best way to prepare and turn a piece of burl wood into a bowl? I believe it is a white oak. There are probably 10 burls varying in size from about 10-20" in diameter. Thanks

 

[Mike Johnson]

Tabitha,

You have several tools available that should make this easy work. With a chainsaw you can cut the burl off of the main trunk of the tree or you could load the log with burl onto your saw mill and roll the log around until you get a good cutting angle to slice the burl from the log. Once the bottom of the burl is exposed you will have a better idea as to the condition of the burl wood grain inside. Some burls are solid and others can have voids and rotten spots on the inside, each one is different. Depending on the planned use of the burl you can remove the bark in several different methods if desired, some people use a pressure washer, wire brush, compressed air, media blaster etc.. When cutting the burl from the log you can leave an inch or two of the log attached to the burl this can provide material to mount the burl to a face plate or chuck maximizing the burl use. The bigger burl might be worthwhile to just cut the log on both sides of the burl and inspect to see how far the burl grain extends into the log. Most burl grain starts at the log surface where the tree incurred physical damage and the tree responded with abnormal growth to close the damage.

 

[Richard Coers]

Looks to me like you will see some rot in those. I like Mike's approach but would mention that often the burl extends well in to the tree. I'd be reluctant to just slice it off the log, but instead cut along the pith of the tree.

 

[Tabitha Campbell]

Thanks for the feedback, the only problem is that the tree is in the middle the 30 acre wooded lot I recently purchased. I have managed to make a path with the ATV, but it's not an easy path. So I have to cut everything into pieces my husband and I can manage. One of the burls broke when the tree fell, this is how it looks inside. There are a few hollow peices, but for the most part they are pretty solid. I was a bit off on my count too. So far I have 12 burls and there are probably at least that many more that I will go back to retrieve tomorrow. I can't wait cut them down to size and get them on my lathe!

 

[Mike Johnson]

You can also stabilize the burl wood if it is soft in spots, which requires a vacuum pump and vacuum chamber.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The way that the piece in the picture looks makes me think that it is decaying and too far gone to successfully turn. Was the tree standing dead?

 

[Tabitha Campbell]

The way that the piece in the picture looks makes me think that it is decaying and too far gone to successfully turn. Was the tree standing dead?

No, it actually had a few green leaves on it. The peice that broke was one of the ones that felt hollow. But most of the others seem solid. I'll have to get the larger ones on my mill in the next day or so to see exactly what I have.

 

[Richard Coers]

Going to be tough turning that sponge! I turned some really soft hackberry once while it was frozen. You might have to cast that inside a block of ice to get a form or any kind from it. Are those insect holes in it too?

 

[Tabitha Campbell]

That was the one that split when it fell. This is what the others look like inside.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

that piece looks more like bark inclusion

 

[Guy Scronce]

If it is really soft from rot, I have used thinned lacquer to harden soft burls. I don’t have an exact ratio but start at least 2:1 thinner to lacquer. Rather than adding a top coat you want the lacquer to soak into the wood to harden it.