Today's Project....Mesquite Burl??

[Kathy Marshall]

One of our club members was looking for some long mesquite logs at least 12" diameter and straight (for making rolling pins). So I asked my tree trimmer friends to watch for some straight logs and try to leave them at least 4' long. If you've seen much mesquite, you know that big, straight logs are not that common, the trunks and branches can be pretty twisted.
Well they bid and won a job for a large mesquite with a good straight section. They job was actually cleaning up after another tree trimmer that only took the branches and smaller part of the trunk and never finished the job.
The tree trimmers got in touch with the club member and he came and picked up some really nice logs (about 18 - 20" diameter and 4 - 5' long), then I came by and took what was left (the stump section and some other narly pieces).

Well, it looks like there might be a couple burls on what I took home :D. Not having seen mesquite burl before, I'm not really sure, but they're bumps and they look different.
I just cut off the smaller cap and I'm going to turn it today and see what it is. It's about 8" or so. The other one is on the stump section and is about 12" x 7 or 8" or thereabouts. It also has a sawcut down the center so I'll probably cut it in half for 2 blanks.
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Hopefully I'll have a pic of something nice later tonight!
Thanks for looking!

[Roger Chandler]

Looks like a burl to me, Kathy! Go get 'em! ;)

[Allan Ferguson]

How does the green Mesquite turn. Did a dry piece for a bow, did not enjoy turning it, but wood was pretty when done.

[John Keeton]

A burl, no doubt!! That is going to be unique!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Boy that should make for some nice turning Kathy. Love turning mesquite.

[Kathy Marshall]

Yep it's a burl alright! I'm hollowing the inside now and I think it might be a good one, something right up Dr Keller's avenue. :O

[David E Keller]

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product! Mesquite burl is not all that common from what I understand, and I couldn't be happier that you found some! I'd have to have a talk with the person who put a chainsaw kerf in the middle of that other burl... Shame on them!

[Kathy Marshall]

The turning is done except for the bottom. I'll leave then tenon on and let the surface dry for a day or two so I can do some sanding.
I probably should have turned more of the outside away, but not knowing how deep the burl figure went, I didn't want to turn it away. As it turns out, the figure went almost completely through it. The heartwood was pretty shallow so it didn't survive the hollowing.
I left it pretty thick at 1/2" but with the voids and bark I wanted to be sure it had enough support.
With a gouge fresh off the wheel it cut pretty nice, but it didn't take too many passes to take the edge off and need another touch up.
Once the sanding is done, I'll give it a coat of DO and hopefully the figure will pop.
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[charlie knighton]

lordy, lordy, that's gonna be pretty

mesquite does not need much sanding, just a little oil, oh my

[David E Keller]

That's wild looking stuff! Looking forward to seeing it all oiled up!

[Kathy Marshall]

How does the green Mesquite turn. Did a dry piece for a bow, did not enjoy turning it, but wood was pretty when done.
Green mesquite turns pretty nice, as long as the gouge is sharp, and it will dull a tool fairly quickly. The dry mesquite I've turned hasn't been too bad, just dusty, but there are several varieties of mesquite and there may be differences.

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product! Mesquite burl is not all that common from what I understand, and I couldn't be happier that you found some! I'd have to have a talk with the person who put a chainsaw kerf in the middle of that other burl... Shame on them!
I've gotten alot of mesquite and these are the first burls I've seen, I also haven't seen any on living trees and they are all over the place. There's a guy in Tucson that sells mesquite burl that was at the Desert Woodturners Roundup, but I wasn't willing to give up both an arm and a leg for some!

[Tim Rinehart]

Nice, very nice. Look forward to the DO treatment!

[Donny Lawson]

Kathy, that's just plum purdy. Looking foward to seeing the finished bowl.

[charlie knighton]

do not Beall buff it, you will be picking lint out of the eyes til july 4th

[Steve Schlumpf]

That is pretty! Love the colors and that wild grain!! Looking forward to seeing it with some finish on it!

[Bill Boehme]

For mesquite, that would probably qualify as burl. It likely formed as a result of a bunch of smaller side sprouts that either died or were cut off. I probably would have tried to make one large natural edged turning if it could have included the heartwood. Your turning looks nice and I am surprised at how much bark you have been able to retain. For those who have not had the pleasure of turning green mesquite, it turns like butter and the really nice thing is that you do not need to let it dry before final turning. Mesquite that is really dry is hard and generates a large amount of dust.

[Ed Morgano]

Beautiful wood Kathy and you're right, right up "Keller's alley". Might be a good name for the piece. :D

[John Keeton]

Kathy, that really is an awesome piece of wood!!! The finish is going to make a world of difference in the appearance of the figure.