Hosana! A burly gloat... More Pics

[David DeCristoforo]

Yesterday I had to make a quick run the the grocery store. It's only a few blocks up the street but the street was blocked by a tow truck and some unfortunate looking cars. So I cut over the the next street, one which, in the year I have lived here, I have never ventured down. My ever wandering eye was grabbed by this pile of wood stacked by the driveway of one of the houses.

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The three burls cannot be missed! I stopped and inquired as to their fate and the nice lady told me that it was her father's wood and that he cut mostly for firewood. I asked If I might have, buy or trade for the three burls and she said she would ask and to come back the next day. Today I went back and she said her father said I could take what I wanted if I replaced them with an equal amount of firewood. So up into the truck they went.

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I have no idea what kind of wood this is. If anyone recognizes it please enlighten me! But I took a few quick swipes with a block plane and there appears to be figure galore.

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There are no cracks at all and the burls appear to be sound. The lady said they had been there for about a year and a half.

04/15/

Got one cut up today. S'not oak! So far it's still "dunno"...

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[Peter Blair]

Wow! Thats quite a find David. Funny how sometimes life hands you a lemon and other times hands you lemonade!
Sorry I can't help with the wood identification but please share photo's of the pieces you create from these.

[charlie knighton]

sometimes you get a hot streak, enjoy

[Sid Matheny]

Those unfortunate looking cars sure made a great day for you and look forward to what you make with them.

Sid

[John Keeton]

No help with the wood ID, but David, you sure lucked into this one!! This stuff will be perfect for some of your work - congrats on a great score!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on a great find. Can't be sure on the burl but the wood in the first pic's that the burl is sitting on looks kinda like locust.

[Baxter Smith]

Not too shabby David! I hope you took back 4 pieces of firewood!

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm thinking these might be "Black Oak" burls. There's a lot of those trees growing around here and the bark looks right. I also thought it might be Hackberry which grows profusely in these parts but I have never seen a burl on one! But the bark does not look quite right so I'm leaning towards oak. I'll cut them up today or tomorrow and then I might get a better idea.

[David DeCristoforo]

Got one cut up today... It's not oak. Still looking for an ID. This was the least promising of the three. Not bad looking freewood!

[Fred Perreault]

It looks a lot like the black cherry we find frequently around here...... the bark, the flecks, the swirls. Does it have a scent?

[David DeCristoforo]

"Does it have a scent?"

Um... yeah... smells just like chainsaw oil...

Where's Al when you need him?

[Baxter Smith]

The insides look great. A little oil will make it even better. I don't see much burl other than cherry and it looks rather similar to what I see around here.

[Bill Wyko]

I ran into the Swami and he says he sees beautiful long stemmed goblets in your future. Nice score my friend, can't wait to see what you create.

[David DeCristoforo]

This does look a bit "cherryish" and cherry trees do grow around here. But I have never seen one large enough to throw off burls this big. I'm cutting the rest up today and will post a few more pics. Hopefully someone will recognize it.

[David DeCristoforo]

Here's another pic of the insides of the second burl. I still don't have a clue...

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[Roger Chandler]

I would say that something in the cherry family is not a bad guess........the burl experience I have is not extensive, but having seen cherry up close and personal several times, this one looks a bit like most I have seen.......only the dark colors are more rich in this last one you show...........perhaps the black cherry you mention is probable.

[John Keeton]

It does look like cherry, but wild cherry (black cherry) does not grow much west of Missouri. Perhaps a cultivar??

[Kathy Marshall]

Great score David! Can't help with the ID, but it looks like some cool wood. Look forward to seeing what it becomes!

[Jamie Buxton]

Maybe there aren't a lot of cherry trees around Davis, but there's lots of prune trees in orchards in Yolo County. I've seen small prune lumber that looks a lot like cherry.