Black Spruce Burl HF and Bowl

[Baxter Smith]

This summer I made several posts about cutting a large black spruce burl.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?143750-Scenic-(prewood-)-gloat&highlight=
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?144368-Scenic-(prewood-)gloat-II&highlight=
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?145200-Scenic-Wood-Gloat-III&highlight=

I was unable to get the whole burl ashore in one piece so cut it into 3 sections. One was large and two were smaller. The two small ones were roughed out over the summer and they became my first projects to finish in 2011.

The first piece was attached to a faceplate to start as I had planned on a bowl. After seeing the grain and where the best colors were located, that changed. Because of the screw holes from the faceplate, it ended up with a large opening. I considered adding a collar and finial but couldn’t find anything on the island that struck my fancy. I wanted people to be able to pick it up and turn it over so left it as is.

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8 1/2 x 5 x 1/4 Finished with AO. Will buff it in a couple weeks though I sanded between each of the 6 or 7 coats so its pretty silky already.


After roughing the first piece into a HF and still wanting a bowl, I tried again on the second small section. Still ended up with a somewhat closed bowl because I didn’t want to lose what little color there was in this piece.
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10 1/2 x 4 x 1/2 Has 6 coats of WOP so far and will add at least a couple more. Then take off some gloss with steel wool.

A little history. In September of 1959, my father and the man whose tools I turned and hollowed these pieces with, purchased a small island off the Maine coast. It was a place to play/work/relax and picnic for their families.
The previous owner lived in Rhode Island and sold appliances. He had supposedly taken it in trade for a debt owed on a color TV. According to the story, he might have visited once or twice but may have been unable to land due to weather or sea. So for 250 dollars apiece, we have had a lot of picnics and memories. This was our first.
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The burl came from a tree about 100ft to the right of where this picture was taken. From the growth rings I counted this summer, it would have been about 30 years old at the time. It got rolled down over those very rocks. I would have been no more able to pick it up now than I would have been then.;):D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Baxter - nice work on both of these! Really like the hollow form - especially that one streak of vertical curl! That is cool!

Also like the family photo! Wish I had an island!!! Thanks for sharing a little family history!

[Curt Fuller]

Those are both beautiful pieces. I would not have thought spruce would finish up that nice. The picture of the picnic is great too. Is that you on the left? Wouldn't it be nice if we could buy land, especially our own island, for that kind of money now.

[John Keeton]

I am with Curt - I think you are the kid on the left!

Baxter, I like the Spruce - thought it would have more figure from the previous pics, but it still is very nice, and great color. Excellent work on the forms, too.

You may not own a South Pacific Island, but you own a North Atlantic one!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Baxter those are both really nice pieces. I agree that I wouldn't think that wood would finish that well.

[Josh Bowman]

Baxter, that hollow form looks great.

[Ron Stadler]

What pretty wood, really like your hf Baxter.

[gary Zimmel]

Nice work Baxter. I really like the forms.

[Roland Martin]

Very nice HF & bowl, Baxter. I would have never figured spruce would be so attractive, nice figure and color. Is this a bit difficult to turn?

[Bob Bergstrom]

Boy, those sure turned out well. If you own an island does that make you a king?

[charlie knighton]

very nice, thanks for sharing, your own island, cool

[Cathy Schaewe]

Like the others, I had no idea spruce would turn out like that. Very nice, and good memories!

[Steve Vaughan]

Love wood with a story, and you've got a good one. Great looking bowls too!

[dan carter]

Nice job. I like the HF. Your wood sure looks different than the Spruce around here. Both turned out quite nice.

[Michael James]

Those are certainly beautiful momentos of some happy adventuring. Good job all around and family included!

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks all.


Baxter - nice work on both of these! Really like the hollow form - especially that one streak of vertical curl! ....
Steve, Leo mentioned this summer that the spruce burl he had turned had some shimmer to it. There were other spots a little like that in the bowl but they are not nearly as pronounced.

Those are both beautiful pieces. I would not have thought spruce would finish up that nice. The picture of the picnic is great too. Is that you on the left? Wouldn't it be nice if we could buy land, especially our own island, for that kind of money now.

Thanks Curt, the wood was prettier than I expected as well. Guess its not only good for 2 x 4's and pulp. Real estate prices have changed for sure, along with the property taxes.:rolleyes:
I am with Curt - I think you are the kid on the left!

Baxter, I like the Spruce - thought it would have more figure from the previous pics, but it still is very nice, and great color. Excellent work on the forms, too.

You may not own a South Pacific Island, but you own a North Atlantic one!!

John, glad you didn't confuse me with my three sisters, though one didn't arrive till the following week.:D Leo said it would be kind of like an onion and he was right. A little bit of decay in the outer layers helped on the color.


Very nice HF & bowl, Baxter. I would have never figured spruce would be so attractive, nice figure and color. Is this a bit difficult to turn?
Roland, it turned pretty well though spots were quite prone to tearout. This piece of spruce wasn't nearly as pitchy as I thought it might be. May have to try some more!

[Michelle Rich]

the pieces are great & I like the story that went with them. Cool.

[Jim Burr]

What great history Baxter!! The wood sure does make some pretty forms!

[Terry Beadle]

Nice bowls !

Not much lawn to mow on that island....hoot!

Must be good clamin' and crabs? Lobster rolls? Too neet !

I'm awarding you gloat points too.

[bob svoboda]

Really nice forms, Baxter. Never knew Spruce could be that pretty.

[Rich Aldrich]

Baxter - nice work. Did you try to heat the hollow form up for a while to set the pitch? I am turning a spruce burl and thinking about putting it in the back of my outdoor wood boiler where the water lines go in and out. The boiler is in its own contained metal insulated building so that the buiding is 2 feet longer than the boiler itself. My biggest concern is bringing the temperature up to fast.

[David DeCristoforo]

Very tasty HF. I really like thicker bowls. You did good with this one.

[Baxter Smith]

the pieces are great & I like the story that went with them. Cool.
Thanks Michele. That place does have a lot of stories now.:)


What great history Baxter!! The wood sure does make some pretty forms!
Thanks Jim. That place does have some history but I only know a small part of it. A couple brothers quarried it in the late 1800's for granite. Built a wharf out of some big granite blocks(now pretty tumbled down:(). Loaded up a ship and got about a half mile before it sank. End of business. The work involved in splitting and moving around that granite still amazes me.

Nice bowls !

Not much lawn to mow on that island....hoot!

Must be good clamin' and crabs? Lobster rolls? Too neet !

I'm awarding you gloat points too.
Thanks Terry, Not much grass though a scythe has been out there a couple of times to keep some of the weeds down from around the camp. I have dug out a few clams but not enough for a meal. It is almost all granite ledge. Lobster on the other hand.....;)

Baxter - nice work. Did you try to heat the hollow form up for a while to set the pitch? I am turning a spruce burl and thinking about putting it in the back of my outdoor wood boiler where the water lines go in and out. The boiler is in its own contained metal insulated building so that the buiding is 2 feet longer than the boiler itself. My biggest concern is bringing the temperature up to fast.
Thanks Rich. I did nothing with setting the sap and I hardly noticed it when roughing. Not at all when finish turning. The top of the tree snapped off last winter and I didn't cut it till mid summer. Maybe it was the way it grew as well. The top soil out there is pretty thin and it grew pretty much on top of quarry remnants. Lots of clam shells in among the roots as well. Probably discarded by the people who quarried it.

Quite a few years ago I helped my Dad build a rock crib(for a wharf) out there. Used spruce logs he cut. No chainsaws.:eek: Peeling bark was my job. Those had plenty of sap. Wasn't that hard as long as the logs were recently cut. I cut up some blowdown about 10 years ago when I built a replacement bridge across one of the quarry holes with my kids. They got to peel. Had to pass on the tradition.;) I did use a chainsaw though.:)

[David E Keller]

I think you definitely made the right call on the HF... That's a great looking piece. I think that's the first island gloat I've witnessed on the forum as well. Kudos.

[Kieran Kammerer]

Beautiful pieces and great story. I will pay you twice what your dad and his friend paid for the island. Kieran

[Baxter Smith]

Beautiful pieces and great story. I will pay you twice what your dad and his friend paid for the island. Kieran
Thanks for the offer Kieran, but it wouldn't cover last years taxes... and my kids might never speak to me again.:) You are more than welcome to come for a picnic sometime!:D