Willow burl

[kevin nee]

Hello, I have been offered some Willow Burl it is standing 2 1/2 hours away from me and access is not easy
Would this be worth the effort of time & expense (truck gas & chainsaw gas & oil) How does Willow Burl cut,
dry ,turn and finish. Thanks in advance, Kevin
NOTE: We have 6 inches of snow on the ground & it is still comming down hard. Scholl has been cancelled!

[Dan Hintz]

I've never turned Willow, but I haven't come across a burl yet that wasn't gorgeous inside.

[Pat Scott]

I've turned Willow before (but not burl). It's a real soft and lightweight wood. I wouldn't use it for a salad bowl or plate or anything that will be used daily as it will mark easily. The bowl that I made was kind of a pretty light orange color after putting oil on it. It would probably be OK as a popcorn bowl since you don't use utensils. Willow sands easily also. I rank it softer than Pine if that helps.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Never turned willow burl but my experience is pretty much what Pat said. I have made a few display bowls. They make good popcorn or chip bowls.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I did turn Willow burl, it is one of LOML's favorite floor bowl,as it is rather large for table use.

I turned it green after very carefully removing the thick bark without marking or damaging the wood surface, as I wanted the outer surface as was, and not cut or turn it.

As it dried the twisting grain did open up as you would expect, when dried I filled all these splits with coffee ground and CA, by now the color has gotten much nicer than the picture shows when still fairly new.

There's also a picture from a large platter I turned from Willow, rather good looking wood, even if it is looked down upon as a turning wood, yes it is not very hard wood but it is one of these woods that you can turn green, turns quite well with sharp gouges, and you can just dry without worrying, it never seems to split.

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[Dan Hintz]

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That is the coolest external side of a burl I've ever seen, Leo...

[Leo Van Der Loo]

It took some doing, more time to get the bark off and then brush all that stringy cambium off, than it took mounting and turning it as I recall, but I would do it again, Thanks Dan :D

[kevin nee]

PHOTO OF THE WILLOW BURL! This257821 is a photo of the burl. Thanks for all the replies. Leo: Your photos sparked me up to get this!

[Dan Hintz]

Sheesh, how BIG is that thing?!

[Mike Cruz]

Kevin, I have some, and have turned some willow burl. Here's the deal:

Willow is very soft, stringy, and blah. Other than the burl, it is worthless. The burl is not like others that I've seen. It is however worth it.

CAUTION: Willow is one of those woods that picks up the scent from the ground and surrounding areas. So, if the ground is swampy/marshy around the tree, be warned...it ain't gonna smell purdy!!!!

The willow burl I got came from a tree that grew right out back of an old old bank barn. Yup, you guessed it.... a cattle barn. Turning the wood was like standing behind a heifer on a windy day while she was reliever herself. I'm sure my face looked perfectly appropriate for that smell and feeling as I was turning it. Luckily, I had on a face shield, AND there were no cameras.

So, prepare for beautiful wood, but don't say I didn't warn you...