Dead tree burl...

[Marc Lapointe]

I'm new a turning and came across a 4"-5" diameter tree that has a 10"-12" almost perfectly round burl surrounding it. (kinda looks like a meatball speared with a big toothpick) Although I'm new at this, I am compelled to try and turn this burl into something. My question is what is the best way to store it until I'm ready to use it? I estimate the tree has been dead for a while. Does that mean the burl is no good or that it is already dry and I don't need to worry about drying out and cracking. I can get a pic later if needed. Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks,
Marc

[Marty Eargle]

If the tree is dead, there is a decent chance the burl has some rot in it. That's how burls work...you never really know what is inside until you cut them open. I'd go ahead and harvest it ASAP, see how wet it is, and go from there. At best, you can do a DNA soak and seal the grain until you know it is dry and are ready to turn it. At worst, seal it up in a plastic bag until you're ready to turn it...and hope for the best.

[Bruce Pratt]

The burl is probably ok for turning, but is still going to be "wet". Cut the tree a couple of inches above and below the burl. If you are going to do a pair of bowls, I'd suggest you cut the burl in half, parallel to the long axis of the tree. Depending on the species and condition of the tree, you may need to make your cuts off center to remove the pith/heartwood, which is prone to cracking. Coat the open surfaces liberally with Anchorseal (or equivalent) or wax. At this point, it is the ususal choices of turn green to final or twice turn with your choice of drying techniques. If you are going to do a single hollow form, have at it, but be aware that you may get cracking in the base. In all cases, strive for uniform wall thickness, as this will help to reduce cracking.

To follow-up on Betty's comment - checking the piece with a metal detector would be a good precaution.

[Betty Fox]

And watch for surprises inside the wood. Voids and stuff can give you quite a shock if you hit them unawares. I wonder if there's a website with 'things you find in burls' on it?

[Curt Fuller]

Marc, I've attached a picture of a similar burl (scrub oak)I found and turned a couple years ago. It was almost the same dimensions as you describe. The thing I've found with burl is that the grain in the actual burl is so helterskelter that they usually don't crack. They may shrink and twist but the ones I've worked with don't crack very often, at least not like straight grained wood will crack. But in the one I turned, I used the part of the tree the burl was growing from as the base of the hollowform and it cracked enough that I had to remount it and re-turn it a few months later so it would sit level. So I would seal the ends of the log that the burl is growing from but not worry much about the actual burl. These globular shaped burls have so much interesting wood inside that I would love to find more of them. I'm anxious to see what comes from your burl.

[David E Keller]

There's hardly such a thing as bad burl unless it's rotted beyond salvage(That's pretty rotten in my book!). I turned an elm burl piece a while back that was pretty far gone, but the parts that weren't were worth saving.

elm-burl-with-bloodwood-1.jpg
I use anchor seal on any cut surface, but I generally don't seal the actual burl unless it has a cut surface. Looking forward to seeing what you find in that burl! FWIW, I generally find the best burl figure near the outside of the burl, so I try to orient the finished piece accordingly.

[Marc Lapointe]

Thanks all. I'll be sure and post some pictures once I get it harvested and start on it. Starting a new job Monday so it could be a while.

[charlie knighton]

Marc, check this out

David Nittman's Spoon

that's advanced turning, ya might want to cut it with part of the limb, save the burl til your skills improve, you do not run into burls that often