Now What Do I Do?

[James Roberts]

My brother-in-law is clearing land to put up a pole barn and saved this oak burl for me (he says there are some more where this came from). It was harvested at the beginning of February and I got it to my house on the 19th, gave it a coat of wax sealer and took these pics. The log it is on is 19 inches long and 9-11 inches in diameter. This is my first "live" burl and I don't want to screw it up. Any suggestions on how I should proceed will be greatly appreciated.

[Dennis Ford]

Deciding how to cut up a burl is usually a challange. Going by the picture, I think a hollow form might work. I would orient the HF similiar to your picture "Oak Burl 001.jpg" with the base of the HF toward the grating of the wagon. I like HFs for highly figured wood because they have lots of surface area to show off the grain and usually look good with voids. This piece will likely have some voids.

[Dick Wilson]

Send it to me:eek::confused::confused::D.

[David E Keller]

Ever wanted a coring setup and a set of nested bowls? This would be a great burl for that... I think Jack Mincey posted a gorgeous oak burl nested set a while back that's worth looking for.

Outside of that, I'd likely quarter it for hollowforms after slicing it off the log. If the figure extends into the log, I'd try to gt a few peppermill blanks and stopper blanks out of that.

Remember that the best figure is typically just under the bark, and don't forget to take picture for us when you get around to chunking it up!

[James Roberts]

Thanks guys for the input. I've only tried a few hollow forms on some dry, stable woods with some success using my home-made captured rig (I'll try to post some pictures of those later) on a jet 12-20. I would love to have a a coring system as well but the money thing, you know? I'm thinking along the same lines as Keller and cutting it into a couple chunks and see what I can get out of it. I am concerned with the drying process and not losing too much to cracking/splitting. I'm more of a bag it and wait a few months type but I have considered the wife's microwave:rolleyes:. Any more thoughts?

[robert baccus]

All good advice--------Do you remember how to play pin the tail on the donkey--------or mumbley peg?----old forester

[Dan Hintz]

You're only a few hours away... I'll trade ya time with my coring setup for one o' them thar burls :D

Or you could just give them all to me... I'm closer than Dick is :p

[Jamie Donaldson]

The initial cutting of a big burl can be a troublesome mystery until you learn to read the wood from experience, but this burl may be problematic as viewed from this distance. It may be a partly dry burl, dead and hollow in many areas. I would quarter this burl down to the center of the tree trunk, thinking of finished turnings as cones or bowl forms with the largest possible top(natural rim) diameter in blank form. This will reveal the good and the bad parts of the burl blanks, and guide future cutting for blank shapes. Don't wait too long, or you will loose much of the good wood to checking.

[James Roberts]

I guess I have my work cut out for me. As soon as I get a nice day and some time after work I'll take a stab at it and let you know how it goes. Thanks all.