Author Topic: What is burl? (Read 1683 times)

monte · « **on:** December 31, 2005, 08:07:02 pm »

hi guys!

First of all Happy New Year to all

My questions are what is burl, what species is found on?how do you cut it? and finally what is it used for?

Thanks

Tom · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:12:15 pm »

Monte,
In a nutshell, a burl is a ball of convoluted grain that grows on roots, stems or limbs of most any tree and is caused by buds going awry or insect stings or wounds or many often unknown reasons. Some burls are solid and some are not. There are terms you will hear that describe the solidity like Onion, which describes one that is will fall apart.

Solid burls are used for turning stock, especially bowls, pipes, gun stocks, knife handles, musical instruments, veneer, picture frames and many other ornamental uses. Their dollar value is generally high and compared to construction lumber, off the scale.

monte · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:15:05 pm »

neat!!

And are they more common in certain species more then others

does anybody have a pic of what it looks like?

Bibbyman · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:20:18 pm »

Just go to the Forum Image archive and do a serch on burl. You'll come up with two pages of thumbnails. There are picures of burls inside and out. If you find one you'd like to know more on, from the picture you can search out the post where it was placed.

Burlkraft · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:23:51 pm »

Monte,

Let me set ya straight.........Burl is bad

>:(It's hard to work with and it dries funny and you just shouldn't mess around with it $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$

If you EVER come across any burl........Box it up and send it to me

I'll dispose of it properly....and save you all the agony

No really now..............

Burl is caused by many things. It usually forms around some type injury to the tree. I have actually farmed burls before. I had a few acres of some young black cherry and I would shoot them with a 22 rifle and a burl would grow in the area of the wound. I found this out once turning a chunk of cherry burl and I found a 30-06 slug in the center. It must have been shot during the deer season. It couldn't have been me

Cuz I usually never miss

I found a #2 coon trap in a burl once. Somebody must have forgotten they put it there. That couldn't have been me neither cuz I don't ever forget anything

What wuz we talkin' about now

Oh yeah...SEND ME YOUR BURLS

If ya ever find out what exactly causes bird's eye....Be sure to give me a call

Happy New Year

Tom · « **Reply #5 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:24:46 pm »

Described as a cancer/tumor on a tree, Burls are not specific to any tree but their value will depend on the species that created it. I've found few pictures of burls on trees on the web just now, but you can search with Google and I'm sure you will find a lot of sites that will have photographs.

This one is of a huge redwood burl.

http://www.redwoodburl.com/

isawlogs · « **Reply #6 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:34:58 pm »

Here is a pic of some yellow birch burl cut up , made a incent burner for my daughter .

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #7 on:** December 31, 2005, 08:44:10 pm »

Burl is fairly common on yellow birch. There is a turner up near Andover that uses alot of yellow birch burl. I found one on a crown license once and later when the foreman for the license was thinning out the block, he cut it for his uncle and a friend of his . It was a huge burl on an old growth tree, had to be skidded by machine to a trailor at roadside. I don't know how the guy handled it when he got home.

Gordon gets a fortune for his turnings, some up to $4000 USD each.

Some of Gordon's Turnings

monte · « **Reply #8 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:07:33 pm »

OK
If a person has burl would it be more rewarding financially to cut it myself or sell it whole!

beenthere · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:20:30 pm »

If you cut your burl, then you are taking that chance of there being something remarkable inside, or something that is not. If it's remarkable, then you have more value in what you might sell. If not remarkable, it is firewood possibly. A risk that you need to decide on, and how much a gambler you want to be.

monte · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:25:27 pm »

Quote from: beenthere on December 31, 2005, 09:20:30 pm

If you cut your burl, then you are taking that chance of there being something remarkable inside, or something that is not. If it's remarkable, then you have more value in what you might sell. If not remarkable, it is firewood possibly. A risk that you need to decide on, and how much a gambler you want to be.

Makes sense!

If it is nice inside what dimensions do you recommend I cut?

Frank_Pender · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:25:56 pm »

I kind of know some things about the stuff. I have around 3,000 lbs of Western bifg Leaf Maple burl setting about the place.

Tom · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:28:02 pm »

That's the $20,000 Question. You have to know what your customer wants or you can't sell it.

That's why most sawyers without specialty markets are reluctant to saw logs, burls or crotches until a customer says what they want.

beenthere · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:29:36 pm »

Monte
Tom is right (he always is

)
Can you post a picture with a description of what you have?

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #14 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:31:08 pm »

Quote from: Frank_Pender on December 31, 2005, 09:25:56 pm

I kind of know some things about the stuff. I have around 3,000 lbs of Western bifg Leaf Maple burl setting about the place.

I see in Gordon's gallery he has turned a few big leaf maple.

monte · « **Reply #15 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:31:55 pm »

Quote from: beenthere on December 31, 2005, 09:29:36 pm

Monte
Tom is right (he always is )
Can you post a picture with a description of what you have?

I didn't take a picture of it yet, its on my 80 acre lot, its about seven feet up a pine tree and about 3 feet in diameter, nothing big.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:37:53 pm »

I see it sometimes on red spruce also. There's probably lots of pitch in those. $:-\$

monte · « **Reply #17 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:41:00 pm »

Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 31, 2005, 09:37:53 pm

I see it sometimes on red spruce also. There's probably lots of pitch in those. $:-\$

What do you mean by pitch

monte · « **Reply #18 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:45:14 pm »

I am curious about one more thing!
Does burl check or crack when it dries?

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #19 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:45:47 pm »

pitch is pitch is pitch

Pitch pockets: pine, fir, spruce, and hemlock have pitch canals in the wood. If there was damage to the tree then pitch gets oozed and the wood slowing compartmentalizes to seal the wound as the tree grows, sometimes making a burl.

monte · « **Reply #20 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:52:15 pm »

I can't believe the wealth of knowledge you guys have

Thank you very much

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #21 on:** December 31, 2005, 09:54:17 pm »

Well...I am writing a book.

monte · « **Reply #22 on:** December 31, 2005, 10:17:01 pm »

Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 31, 2005, 09:54:17 pm

Well...I am writing a book.

good luck with your book

maple flats · « **Reply #23 on:** December 31, 2005, 11:12:39 pm »

I saved a small burl today in a cherry log. Will try to cut it in a few weeks but this log was standing dead with about a inch average punky oll up and down except the burl looks solid. I don't expect too much though, just wanted to try it instead of making firewood with it. The rest wasn't good enough to saw up for lumber so it is firewood.

monte · « **Reply #24 on:** December 31, 2005, 11:29:51 pm »

Hope you could get a pic to show us!

beenthere · « **Reply #25 on:** December 26, 2011, 12:26:45 pm »

Yup, extending this thread to show a burl that Burlkraft honored me with for Christmas. A real beauty of burl and his workmanship.
Very much appreciated.

Sorry I missed getting a pic with the cheese, sausage sticks, and dip yesterday.

On New Years Day while watching the Packers and the Lions it will be filled again.

Jeff · « **Reply #26 on:** December 26, 2011, 12:32:24 pm »

That's awesome.

Magicman · « **Reply #27 on:** December 26, 2011, 12:44:21 pm »

Wowwee, that is a piece of art. Congrats to both of you.

Warbird · « **Reply #28 on:** December 26, 2011, 01:12:06 pm »

Very nice. And very nice thread to revive with this.

Norm · « **Reply #29 on:** December 26, 2011, 01:22:43 pm »

Very nice!

Magicman · « **Reply #30 on:** December 26, 2011, 01:58:11 pm »

I wonder what happened to Monte??

Patty · « **Reply #31 on:** December 26, 2011, 02:55:02 pm »

Don't know about Monty but I do know that is a beautiful burl!

Good job, Steve!

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #32 on:** December 26, 2011, 03:10:45 pm »

Quote from: Jeff on December 26, 2011, 12:32:24 pm

That's awesome.

I was about to type the same message.

Peter Drouin · « **Reply #33 on:** December 26, 2011, 06:07:40 pm »

nice job you did

lumberjack48 · « **Reply #34 on:** December 26, 2011, 06:40:51 pm »

I seen one on the Road Show last week, it was made by some Native American Tribe.
It was Elm, 25" x 30" by 9"s deep, they valued it at $30,000. i dang near fell out of my wheelchair.

nas · « **Reply #35 on:** December 27, 2011, 07:38:06 am »

Beautiful job Burlkraft

Nick

customsawyer · « **Reply #36 on:** December 27, 2011, 10:10:16 am »

It looks to me that I need to get Steve my address. Nice work.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #37 on:** December 27, 2011, 11:51:06 am »

I bet finger food tastes some good served on that.

doctorb · « **Reply #38 on:** December 27, 2011, 12:57:36 pm »

Beautiful. What species of tree??

clww · « **Reply #39 on:** December 27, 2011, 01:02:08 pm »

Nice work, Steve!

Burlkraft · « **Reply #40 on:** December 27, 2011, 05:34:35 pm »

Quote from: doctorb on December 27, 2011, 12:57:36 pm

Beautiful. What species of tree??

Cherry

isawlogs · « **Reply #41 on:** December 27, 2011, 07:42:49 pm »

Really a nice peice of art you made there Steve!

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #42 on:** December 27, 2011, 08:14:18 pm »

I think beenthere has it with his potato chips and dip ready for the ball game.

Patty · « **Reply #43 on:** December 28, 2011, 06:51:21 am »

Is that one of those cherry burls you created with a gun shot to the tree? It is beautiful!

News:

Author Topic: What is burl? (Read 1683 times)