Slabbing a cherry burl

[Brent Grooms]

I recently picked up about a 100lb chunk of cherry burl. It has both ends of the trunk coming out either side and is about 20in dia. Any suggestions on prepping this for blanks, besides anchorsealing?

[Jeff Nicol]

Brent, It sounds like a nice piece of burl! If the burl looks pretty solid you could cut off a couple of caps and see what is inside. Then take the chain saw and cut blanks that you want to use. If you only want a few right away you could leave it larger and cut some off another time. But make sure to seal it well on any cut areas. I have some big burls that I have not decided what to do with them also but I have a woodmizer sawmill and I can put them on it and cut anything I want to. If you had a reason to come to the Eau Claire WI area I could saw it into any thing you need! Feel like a roadtrip!!

No matter what you do once it is cut there is no going back!

Jeff

[William Bachtel]

If Medina , Ohio is closer I will saw it up for u for free. I saw Burls all the time. Don't you just love having a Woodmizer.

[Brent Grooms]

Thanks for the offers. I was planning on firing up the chainsaw and trimming the ends a bit and getting it sealed for the meantime. I was curious if anyone had suggestions on how it was best to cut it for yield... either crosscutting or ripping thru the pith and then dicing it up.

Once it is broken down by a chainsaw cut or two, my bandsaw can handle the rest...;)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Brent -it has been my experience with cherry burls that it really doesn' make to much difference how you cut it up as the grain goes all over the place. Only thing that may make a difference is bark inclusions. I have had a few pieces that I had to mount differently than planned because of there was nothing to grab onto with the chuck other than bark. Just one of those things that you won't know about until you cut it up.

Also depends on what it is you plan on turning with it. I usually leave everything in as big a blank as possible - sealed in anchorseal - so that I have more than enough wood to create whatever interests me at the time!

Have fun with it! Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!

[Barbara Gill]

I have sawn up several large cherry burls; the largest being big enough to fill the back of a big Dodge pick-up. It mush have weighed at least 500 pounds. I had to trim the one side a little to get my LT40 WoodMizer to pass. I slabbed the burl into pieces no less that 1 1/2". Because the trunk was through the middle, as yours is, I got some really neat tree shaped pieces that I sold to a flat woodworker. I had not really started turning yet. It seemed to me at the time and still does that the most value would be in pieces that could be turned into large platters. Since the burl surrounds the trunk most likely the center slabs will have burl on each side of the normal wood. This section could be cut a little thicker possibly for bowls.

[Jeff Nicol]

ABSOLUTLY LOVE MY WOODMIZER!!!!!

Jeff

[charlie knighton]

good thread, since seeing that truckload of burls and trying to figure out what needed to be done, and which end is up, i have learned a lot

if anyone has a picture of a burl chucked up, i could learn a little more :D