First Burl Advice

[Greg Bolton22]

This is the first piece of burl that I have been able to get my hands on since i only use local wood. It looks like it may just be a grown-over pruned limb but is the best thing found after Irene. I would really like some opinions on the mounting orientation. I will be turning a bow because I do not have any hollowing tools yet. It does not look like a candidate for a natural edge bowl so I just need to know how to best show off what little bit of burl qualities this piece of oak may have. Thanks for any suggestions

Greg


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[Tim Rinehart]

Can't tell how big it is, but regardless...I'd be inclined to cut the pointed area from the area furthest from the barked area in preparation for a nice hollow form with the barked area at top of form.
Drill a 1" hole at center of barked area, just deep enough to get to solid wood to insert spur drive. Drive in the spur drive with mallet to seat it well.
Insert spur into headstock, and bring center up to area that you cut the 'point' from, centering on mass or what you see as most interesting part of wood.
Turn a tenon at foot (tailstock end), and then go for it. Leave as much of the natural bark as you want, perhaps allowing for an inclusion...or just turn it all away for clean surface.
Alternatively, could do similar process for a bowl too instead of hollow form. Either would show off the grain nicely I think.

[John Keeton]

I like Tim's idea for a hollow form. Since you don't have any hollowing tools yet, you could always seal this piece and save it for later.

But, if you want to do a bowl, keep in mind that the best figure lies in the outer portions of the piece, so you will need to go at it reverse of what Tim described.

[David E Keller]

I agree with both of them! If you're going for a bowl, I'd center the bottom on the high point of the burl... For a hollow form, I'd center the top of the form at the high point of the burl. I always start funky chunks between centers to allow for balancing and movement before I create the tenon. I hope you'll post some finished photos when you get it round.

[Greg Bolton22]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I had a chance to trim it up and put it on the lathe this weekend. It was stinkier than the worst elm I have ever turned but it was very pretty for oak. I decided to turn a semi closed bowl because that was what fit the shape of the wood the best.

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However, after very little hollowing I discovered that it was a limb site and all of the old limb material had rotted almost completely. A few minutes later...
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I saw how bad it really was. I was really bummed about loosing the piece and tried to come up with a way to re-attach it to the lathe but you could see daylight through the bottom of the bowl. My wife was not upset at that this piece was done early because the smell in garage was terrible. I was starting to get over it after a few days until walked past it with a rag soaked in danish oil and wiped down the outside! It would have been gorgeous! Maybe I will save up and buy an actual burl one of these days.

Sorry for the cell phone pics.

Greg

[Chris Burgess]

Dont write that bad boy off yet. You may be able to get a couple of small pieces off of it. Maybe some amazing pen blanks and stoppers at least.

[Tim Rinehart]

I saw how bad it really was. I was really bummed about loosing the piece and tried to come up with a way to re-attach it to the lathe but you could see daylight through the bottom of the bowl. My wife was not upset at that this piece was done early because the smell in garage was terrible. I was starting to get over it after a few days until walked past it with a rag soaked in danish oil and wiped down the outside! It would have been gorgeous! Maybe I will save up and buy an actual burl one of these days.

Sorry for the cell phone pics.

Greg
Greg, looking at that first pic, this piece is beautiful and you have a super shape going. I think there's still hope there...dang, hate to see that piece get written off. For a cell ph pic, it rocks with character.
When you get a chance, take some pics from different angles without the chuck and see what others think.

Two things come to mind...epoxy tinted black to join the pieces back up and then finish the hollowing.
...or, bring the bottom in sooner on the main piece.

[Allan Ferguson]

That really was looking good. Perhaps fill the bottom with epoxy and wood chips.

[David E Keller]

Can you flip it and hollow it? Looks like pretty wood!

[Greg Bolton22]

Thanks for all of the suggestions but this piece is beyond help. The only solid wood left is the exterior top of the bowl. You could easily stick a screwdriver through any place in the core. I've still got it sitting in the shop so I can watch it crack and suffer slowly instead of the instant heartache that caused me. I did save some of the cut-offs to use for bottle stoppers or maybe a pen.

Greg

[Erik Johanson]

What about attempting to stabilize the main chunk with the watered down white glue soak that I have heard mentioned before? That might make stiffen it up enough to then glue it back to together with the tinted epoxy method mentioned before and finish the piece. I my self have never tried it but from the posts here it seems like it might work for your.

In the following thread Wally Dickerman explains his process, again not sure if it will work but might be worth a try given how nice the piece works.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/archive/index.php/t-139517.html?