Help with Spikey Burls

[Toby Bouder]

Found these in the garage today and don't know how to proceed from here. The spikes are awesome and I am afraid to do anything to ruin them. I had no idea this was hidden under the thick bark. I don't know what kind of wood this is either. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks, Toby

[John Keeton]

You have a gold mine, Toby!! My guess would be maple, and I would seal the endgrain, even if they are dry, and cut into them as needed for special turnings. Even some of the "non-burl" wood there looks great! Congrats.

[Roger Chandler]

+1 on John's assessment........those spikes could be used as natural edge features. I would cut one section off at a time, and seal as JK mentioned above..........get a small one to start, and perhaps turn a natural edge goblet on a pedestal......you might be pleasantly surprised with some BLO to pop the grain or perhaps some dye treatment...........these have real potential, Toby!

[Harry Robinette]

May be Maple but I'm leaning more toward Beech. I had a burl a couple years ago that look an awful lot like this and it was Beech.
Would help to have picture of the cut side to see the actual wood.

[Toby Bouder]

May be Maple but I'm leaning more toward Beech. I had a burl a couple years ago that look an awful lot like this and it was Beech.
Would help to have picture of the cut side to see the actual wood.

Hi Harry, This is a slice from another piece, just cut on the table saw. The color is pretty close to actual.
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[Richard Coers]

Looks like ash to me.

[robert baccus]

Fantastic haul--how about a clean endgrain pic??

[Harry Robinette]

Toby
I think Richard C is closer to it,but not ash the grain isn't open enough for Ash.Does it smell when cutting it. I'm sure someone will figure it out.

[William Bachtel]

Red Elm, but could be Ash. Does it have a weird smell to it. If it does than Elm

[Jeff Nicol]

I was thinking some type of elm also, but without more to go on or having a piece of it in my hands, that is my best guess.

Jeff

[Toby Bouder]

This is an end grain shot cut on the table saw. The background is walnut for reference. The wood is relatively light in weight. The sapwood is about 1/2". The medullary rays are not visible (some scoring from the saw blade near the center). It has little to no smell.
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This is another piece with the bark still on.
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An interesting feature, here the burl grew over a cut off limb. Odd that the limb didn't rot at all.
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[robert baccus]

Looks much like Sassafras but the smell would give it away. Catalpa is much that color and very light in weight and rot proof to boot.