hairy burl

[DWFII]

I have some big leaf maple burl cut-offs..courtesy of a local turner. there is a piece out of which I might bet a small bowl. There is a nice dome of burled spikes and knobs under the relatively flat cut-off surface.

I am kind of wondering how to turn this piece. Should I leave the bottom of the bowl more or less natural...hollowing from the flat surface? Or should I hollow from the burly surface? (I'm kind of new to bowl turning)

Also I wonder how to finish off the burl surface. Someone told me that a high pressure water jet was used to remove bark. I have already removed the bark by hand, but underneath the knobs and spikes are kind if "hairy" Sanding all those highs and lows seems out of the question. So what can I do to clean up the burl surface? Smooth it out?

And if a water jet is used...wher do I get access to one of those?

Thganks...


DW
In the High Desert of Central Oregon

 

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi DW

The answer is, either way is fine for hollowing. It all depends on the look you want to achieve. From a very subjective point of view though, I would seriously consider turning most of the pointy parts smooth. If you hollow it out from the flat side leaving the bottom natural, or mostly so, it will be interesting to look at, but very uncomfortable to hold. However, this orientation lends itself well to winged bowls, where you have a finished bowl with a natural edged wing on it. I did a demo on this in January for our local club, and the pictures were published on our club website just this week. You can see the article if you go to http://lehighvalleywoodturners.com/Demo0205.html. I did not turn a burl, informing my audience that I was not going to waste a good burl on them (translation - I don't want to screw up a nice piece of wood in public), but the principles are the same.

Below are two pictures of pieces I have done. This first one is pointy side up, and the second is pointy side down. There are lots of variations, but this is the general idea. As far as that hairy stuff, I am not sure what you mean by that, but if you want to send it to me for inspection, I will be glad to look it over for you. :cool2:

Pointy side up

Pointy side down

I hope this helps you with your dilemma. Probably the best solution is to acquire another burl and do one each way!

Bill

 

[DWFII]

Bill,

Thanks for the response. Beautiful work, BTW. And thank you for the demo. [just as an aside...I sure have enjoyed your video and learned a lot. ]

As for the hairy stuff...maybe I explained that badly. Once I pulled the bark off, there seemed to be a lot of very stringy residue--some of it almost hairy and some of it more paper-like--that covered every millimeter of the burly side. Up and around and over the spikes and knobs...down in the valleys between them.

I wonder if this is because the burl seems a bit aged or if it is something everyone has to deal with.

And how to deal with it? I can use a wood scrper and remove this stringy stuff and the wood underneath is almost smooth enough for finishing. But it is very tenacious...just to scrape away the "fluff" between two spikes takes a minute or so. And sanding would take all year. There must be a better way.

Bill, I'd be glad to send this to you for inspection but it really is a "cut-off." A discard, in fact. Almost not enough there for a bowl. Besides it would only feed your cravings. 🙂


DW
In the High Desert of Central Oregon

 

[Mark Mandell]

Hair

DW,

What you are describing is the cambium layer of the tree. It is the thin transition layer between the wet bark and the sapwood. As it dries, it tends to come off the sapwood in long strings. I seem to remember that in many aboriginal cultures it is used like other fibers to weave cloth or make cordage. As your wood dries the layer will tend to separate and slough off, but a pressure washer will strip it very nicely. If you don't have one, just head on down to your local "5-minutes-of-fun-for-a-buck" DIY car-wash and blast your piece clean.

M

 

[DWFII]

Mark,

Thank you. that's pretty much what I wanted to know. Is a pressure washer something that is readily available...maybe at a car parts store?

DW
In the High Desert of Central Oregon

 

[Jeff Jilg]

You can get different size pressure washers at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I bought a small one 6 years ago and it's good for cleaning sidewalks and the odd paint job. Would also work for this purpose - cleaning wood.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Mark,

Thank you. that's pretty much what I wanted to know. Is a pressure washer something that is readily available...maybe at a car parts store?

DW,

As Jeff mentioned, all the Big Box stores are selling them, plus the catalogue outfits like Harbor and Northern have even bigger selections from little bitty ones all the way up to nuke-powered selfpropelled industrial jobs. A 1,200-1,500 PSI electric will cost you anywhere from $180 to $325, depending on brand and retailer. The DIY's like Lowe's and HD are pushing gas powered models, but there's a wide range of quality out there, significantly in the motors and pumps. My first was a Karcher electric which had a very good reputation. Lasted me 6 years of stripping and power cleaning the extensive PT decks and walks around the house plus keeping the salt and mud off the vehicles.

You can Google the topic and turn up a zillion options, but since your use is simple and on the low end of capacity, don't get sucked (or pressured) into the bigger-is-better routine.

Mark

 

[DWFII]

Jeff, Mark, all,

thanks....

DW
In the High Desert of Central Oregon