best method for processing cherry burls

[Scott Regenbogen]

I was just fortunate enough to be given some beautiful cherry burls and was wanting to get some opinions on preperation. I normally cut and wax-dip green stock, but haven't had any cherry burl like this and wanted to know what other techniques people use.

 

[MichaelMouse]

It's sort of like raising kids. No matter how equal the treatment, they'll end up what they want to be.

Slowing rate of moisture loss by control with wax, paper or other confinement is the least of the problems with burls. If you don't have any regular straight-grained wood in the trimmed chunks it'll never figure out a way to warp, so it's not really necessary. It'll retain its shape in the whole. What will drive you crazy is the appearance of a big bark pocket where you wanted wood later on. Can't control it, so keep your glues and spare bark on hand for fill, and watch that you don't cut through, allowing the east piece to move north while the west moves south. They do that.

Don't wear earplugs or turn on your background music when cutting a burl. You want to keep your ears tuned for the slightest "click" warning you of a discovered crack. Stop, find and secure it, or eat a piece later.

Most of all, be flexible. What you were after specifically may never happen. Make the best of what's revealed. The wood knows what it wants to be.

 

[Gary Chapman]

It's sort of like raising kids. No matter how equal the treatment, they'll end up what they want to be.

Slowing rate of moisture loss by control with wax, paper or other confinement is the least of the problems with burls. If you don't have any regular straight-grained wood in the trimmed chunks it'll never figure out a way to warp, so it's not really necessary. It'll retain its shape in the whole. What will drive you crazy is the appearance of a big bark pocket where you wanted wood later on. Can't control it, so keep your glues and spare bark on hand for fill, and watch that you don't cut through, allowing the east piece to move north while the west moves south. They do that.

Don't wear earplugs or turn on your background music when cutting a burl. You want to keep your ears tuned for the slightest "click" warning you of a discovered crack. Stop, find and secure it, or eat a piece later.

Most of all, be flexible. What you were after specifically may never happen. Make the best of what's revealed. The wood knows what it wants to be.

Mike
You give some of the best advise, your comments entertain me as much as inform. I love them.

 

[Barbara Gill]

A number of years ago I was given two Cherry burls, one too big for my sawmill. I trimmed a little off the edges on both sides of the big one and then cut slabs off. What was neat was many of the slabs had the shape of a tree as the burl went all the way around the trunk. They were bought by a flat woodworker who was into natural furniture. I coated all with a coat of Anchorseal and stickered them in a barn. The thicknesses ranged from 6/4 to 4/4. All dried nice and flat. I wasn't interested in turning bowls as the wood was much more valuable to a flat woodworker.

The rest of the burl and the second was sawn the same and kept for platters. It too dried just fine.

 

[Brent@TurnRobust]

I've turned a lot of cherry burls, they are quite forgiving, and pretty plentiful in the part of Wisconsin I'm from.

If the burl is uncut, it will stay just fine for months - just seal the ends or cut parts. You can rough turn and anchor-seal just like a regular piece of wood and then finish turn after normal drying times..

My biggest problem with them is they tend to harbor ants, so be prepared for ant and ant egg shavings as well as wood shavings.

It's hard to turn an ugly cherry burl piece. The wood covers lots of design and turning errors. Done well, they are as pretty (to me) as any other wood you can turn.

Good luck, and don't be afraid of them. It will work out fine.

 

[Gretch Flo]

Burl "find"

A group of 12 of us originally in an aerobics class 12-15 years ago get together for ea others birthdays and Xmas.
A few days ago we celebrated my and another gals's bd.
My gift was the greatest gift I could every ask for.
The gal organizing the gift knew a bar owner that had a carpenter ( from 4 hours away in Northern mich) 2 years ago make great hanging lamps suspended from tall ceilings using branches with smallish cherry burls. Very unique. The bar top and back had lots of cherry burl branch decoration. Sadly the place burned down a year ago but is being rebuilt. . She contacted the carpenter looking for a burl for me. He said he'd fix her up. She drove 3 hours to meet him. He had 5 4-6" diameter branches 3-6 ft long (bark stripped) with burls (volleyball to basketball size). 2 were blacken and had been removed from the burned out building. I am unsure what the other burls are. One now is leaning as of today against my house where the brick chimmey meets in a corner-for decor. Another is leaning in my 3 seasons room. Not sure what to do with the rest. May even have to turn some of them. But they are so unique-like hurting a piece of driftwood. I was (am )a happy camper. Bests getting a piece of jewelry!!!!!!! Gretch

 

[Scott Regenbogen]

Burl processing question

Thanks for the information and the interest. Thanks especially to Michael for his as always insightful and informative response. I'm gonna go for getting them ready and not sweat it if things split or crack. That's what CA and epoxy are for, right? Thanks again.