Box Elder Burl

[Ray McGrath]

I originally posted this in the general forum, however I'm guessing I may get a better response here.
While cutting firewood last fall I noticed that quite a few Box Elder trees on my place had what I assume is burl, normally I don't bother cutting Box Elder for firewood.
Question is has anyone used Box Elder for woodworking? How would one go about harvesting the burl properly? Link to original post with photos below.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=137124 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=137124)

Thanks,
Ray

[John Keeton]

Ray, others will have more experience, but the sealer is Anchorseal, and it looks like the burl encompasses the tree. Obviously you would need to fell the tree to harvest it. Even the box elder itself, if it has color, is sought for turnings, but particularly the burls. I would think the most popular sizes would be 12" in diameter, and at least 4" thick. But, if one could harvest it in rounds such that a natural edge bowl could be turned from it, that would be nice as well.

[David E Keller]

You can cut the burl off the tree, but you run a risk of damaging the tree or killing it. If that's not an issue, cut away.

Anchorseal the blanks immediately if you plan to store them, or you can rough turn them immediately.

I love box elder burl. It is often highly figured and sometimes has an attactive pink/red spalt. It's fairly soft wood and quite pleasant to turn. It also takes dye very well if you like that sort of thing.

[charlie knighton]

i received this blank from out west, box elder burl

it was green when i received it, i put it in cardboard barrels with dry shavings (no achnoseal) for over 6 months, i turned it around xmas time

[Mike Turner]

I have used flamed box elder in flute making. I purchased it from these guys ...Beautiful wood indeed http://powdercreeksawmill.com/

[Ray McGrath]

Thanks John, thats the name of the product I was thinking of.
I'll drop the tree early this summer, I've always considered box elder to be a weed tree, perhaps my opinion will change.
Thanks all for your input

Ray

[charlie knighton]

Ray, the flame red in box elder is mostly in the center of the tree,
the burl is mostly on the outside ,
it is possible to have flame and burl, i hope you have some in your tree

[Seri Robinson]

Just a heads up - the red/pink color in boxelder is not spalting, it is a color produced by the tree in response to stress/wounding (hence its occurrence near branch stubs and the heartwood/sapwood interaction zone).

Since the pink isn't caused by a fungus, it fades very quickly in sunlight or indoor light. You might want to consider a marine grade finish for any pieces with the pink, just to preserve the color a little longer.

[bob svoboda]

Bet there's some nice stuff inside that gnarly thing.

[Mike Willeson]

Very nice!

What is a "cardboard barrel"? Can I assume this slows down the drying process...OR....?


i received this blank from out west, box elder burl it was green when i received it, i put it in cardboard barrels with dry shavings (no achnoseal) for over 6 months, i turned it around xmas time

[Joseph M Lary]

I have a friend that has 3 or 4 Box Elder trees like that on his place he want me to remove, just havent got the time to get out there and I need to order a 5 gal Anchorseal also .

[Jeff Fagen]

Warehouses and shipping companys use cardboard drums to ship and store in.They have metal rims top and bottom to hold them together.Pretty good storage as long as you keep them dry.
Hope this helps.