• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • February 2026 Turning Challenge: Cookie Jar! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Matt Carvalho for "Red Mallee Folded Form" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 9, 2026 (click here for details)
  • AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Burl wood help

T

Tabitha Campbell

Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Messages
7
Likes
3
Location
Wilder, Tennessee
I am new to wood turning, and happened upon this beauty! I certainly don't want to ruin it. What is the best way to prepare and turn a piece of burl wood into a bowl? I believe it is a white oak. There are probably 10 burls varying in size from about 10-20" in diameter. ThanksIMG_20190106_102139133.jpg IMG_20190106_102111140.jpg
 
Tabitha,

You have several tools available that should make this easy work. With a chainsaw you can cut the burl off of the main trunk of the tree or you could load the log with burl onto your saw mill and roll the log around until you get a good cutting angle to slice the burl from the log. Once the bottom of the burl is exposed you will have a better idea as to the condition of the burl wood grain inside. Some burls are solid and others can have voids and rotten spots on the inside, each one is different. Depending on the planned use of the burl you can remove the bark in several different methods if desired, some people use a pressure washer, wire brush, compressed air, media blaster etc.. When cutting the burl from the log you can leave an inch or two of the log attached to the burl this can provide material to mount the burl to a face plate or chuck maximizing the burl use. The bigger burl might be worthwhile to just cut the log on both sides of the burl and inspect to see how far the burl grain extends into the log. Most burl grain starts at the log surface where the tree incurred physical damage and the tree responded with abnormal growth to close the damage.
 
Looks to me like you will see some rot in those. I like Mike's approach but would mention that often the burl extends well in to the tree. I'd be reluctant to just slice it off the log, but instead cut along the pith of the tree.
 
Thanks for the feedback, the only problem is that the tree is in the middle the 30 acre wooded lot I recently purchased. I have managed to make a path with the ATV, but it's not an easy path. So I have to cut everything into pieces my husband and I can manage. One of the burls broke when the tree fell, this is how it looks inside. IMG_20190106_124204929.jpg There are a few hollow peices, but for the most part they are pretty solid. I was a bit off on my count too. So far I have 12 burls and there are probably at least that many more that I will go back to retrieve tomorrow. I can't wait cut them down to size and get them on my lathe!
 
Bill Boehme said:
The way that the piece in the picture looks makes me think that it is decaying and too far gone to successfully turn. Was the tree standing dead?
Click to expand...
No, it actually had a few green leaves on it. The peice that broke was one of the ones that felt hollow. But most of the others seem solid. I'll have to get the larger ones on my mill in the next day or so to see exactly what I have.
 
Going to be tough turning that sponge! I turned some really soft hackberry once while it was frozen. You might have to cast that inside a block of ice to get a form or any kind from it. Are those insect holes in it too?
 
that piece looks more like bark inclusion
 
If it is really soft from rot, I have used thinned lacquer to harden soft burls. I don’t have an exact ratio but start at least 2:1 thinner to lacquer. Rather than adding a top coat you want the lacquer to soak into the wood to harden it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top