How to get the Most!

[Allan Ferguson]

Box Elder burl with three branches. Looking to make some bowls and burial urns. Need suggestions on how to best utilize this piece of wood, cutting ideas. I have a nova 16-2444 lathe, and a Monster articulated hollowing unit on order. this is the largest piece of wood that I have ever gotten for turning. I also have a chainsaw with 24" bar.

[Jim Burr]

Can't wait to see what you come up with...good luck!!

[Bob Bergstrom]

I would go for quality rather than quantity. A number of highly figured pieces will look better than a few large, but mixed figure ones. I have found that pieces with equal figure all around will sell faster than the other and command a higher price. it is hard to not think that bigger is better but it will pay off in the long run.

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm thinking that if this were my call. I would go for three large rounds positioned in such a manner as to "miss" the three heart centers. That would still leave three bowl blanks cut from the outside "points" plus some smaller pieces.

[David E Keller]

Nice get! Hard to say without studying it in person, but I'm leaning toward splitting into three along the natural division lines... That may give you some crotch figure in each piece then allow from further breaking down if desired.

[John Keeton]

My guess is that the bark inclusion goes all the way through on the natural division lines. I would cut it up as three separate logs, and then see what I had. If you have burl figure on the inside portions - all the better. But, I am betting much of it is only on the outside portions.

[Tim Rinehart]

I like DDs suggestion, but you need to have some confidence that the barkline isn't effectively cutting the resulting blanks in two.
I just got done doing something similar...I had to spin the piece in several angles and lots of pencil marks before mine made sense. The symmetry of this piece and hard apparent bark line make me think you'll possibly reduce issues to simply separate across the natural boundary lines and either split each at pith, or use entire one third piece as an end grain hollow form.
Really hard to see even with your pics...gotta poke around and test how stable the area is between the trunks.
Good luck with this one, look forward to your results also!

[Richard Allen]

Burls tend to be like ice cream comes. The part you see is the ice cream (the dome shape on the outside) with the burl going into the tree.

Then you have the crotch figure between the branches which would also be worth harvesting. From the looks in the pictures you might be able to harvest both the burls and the crotch flame.

Looking forward to seeing what comes from this hunk of wood.

[Reid Strand]

tough to say without seeing the underside, but I'd vote for slicing 3 bowls off the outsides of the three sections, and then take a risk on the center as an end grainer. Of course, I wouldn't want to be in the room with you whilst you tried the center section. Good luck whatever you try.

[Allan Ferguson]

Thank you all for your suggestions. It really is a challenge to decide how to cut into this thing. Allan.

[George Guadiane]

I see four primary pieces:
I would start with the three piths and find the center among them - make a bowl or cored set from that, along with the bark there will be crotch figure.
Then, as DD suggests, I'd get the three lobes and use them as their shape best dictates.

[Thomas Canfield]

You did not show the bottom or trunk end of the section. If the bark lines are still visible without a solid center, then the 3 cylinders along the bark lines would seem to be in order. If you have a solid center, the options increase such as cutting off 3 side grain sections of the 3 branches and doing an end grain of the center. It looks like the sections removed would make both a larger and smaller bowl, and one of the sections would have the big burl at the bottom outside. That is a nice problem to have, and it will be hard to make a bad decision what ever you do.