help with burls

[George Pell]

Hello,
I may have an opportunity to get a couple of oak burls and possibly a maple burl from a local tree clearing service. I’m not sure what I need to do once I get the burls. I know I need to seal the ends of the log section, and that burls need to dry slowly since they are prone to cracking. Do I just put them aside for several years and wait for them to dry? Do I cut the burl off from the rest of the log section? There are no local kilns that I know of, so that’s not an option. I don’t want to do something wrong and ruin the burls. Also, these would be used for box lids, not for turning. Thanks.

George

[John Shuk]

It might be more trouble than it is worth. If you send them to me I'll take them off of your hands. Seriously. Just slather sealing wax all over any exposed faces and let em sit till you are ready to use them. If you are making veneer you could use em pretty quick because they'll dry well. If you are turning them you can rough them out and let them sit as well then come back and finish turn them when they are ready. A couple of monthes should do.