Crotch burl preparation

[Glenn McCullough]

I have two cherry crotch burls (see photos) cut 3 days ago, sealed and waiting for me. I'm thinking hollow forms. My questions are: should I turn it to shape, store it to let it dry out a while? Should I turn it to about 1or 2" walls and then store it for drying? I usually get wood seasoned or at least not this freshly cut and not burls this large. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (sorry the photos ended up sideways)

 

[hockenbery]

The pretty flame figure in a crotch is in the center below and parallel to the two piths of the limbs.
The challenge in Crtoches is to show the flame in a pleasing form.

Your crotches appear to have three limbs. One choice is to pick two an cut for the flame.


Because of the swirling grain in the crotch light cuts are needed as you approach the finished surface to avoid tearout.

I would turn any hollow form to finished thickness.

Typically Tree trimmers cut crotches like a spear which ruins crotches for natural edge bowls and End-grain bowl with the limbs as wings.

Below is a photo of a 16"red gum eucalyptus bowl which is similar to what a cherry would look like.
My custom made log processing center
The crotch being cut to have the the flame on the surface of the cut.

The flame is generally is generally rather thin an inch or so either side of the center. So platters are popular ways to display the flame.

Crotch flame on the top of a hollow form works or in the bottom of a bowl.

 

[hockenbery]

I have been doing club demos - natural edge bowls from a crotch.

I start with a few slides to use in explaining the blank selection and preparation
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/Natural edge crotch bowl.pdf

I posted a video of one demo on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jVoI12Kfug

I like to turn crotches 3/16" or less in thickness. Large bowls maybe 3/8"
The wood wants to move in different directions.
Think of the growth rings trying to flatten out as the piece dries.
This causes the bottom of the bowl to rise up a bit.
The beauty of a footless natural edge bowl is this warp ages gives the effect of three feet making the bowl quite stable in functional use.

 

[hockenbery]

Glenn, Be on the look out for bark inclusions.

When a raised bark or stiched bark appears on the surface there is usually a bark inclusion.
This is where the two limbs grow close but are not joined. Many large crotches will have bark inclusions that are hidden.
Slicing through the flame shows the bark inclusion.

You mentioned burl. It may be bark inclusion more than burl.

Hope for burl but expect bark inclusion.
The wood is not physically connected across the bark inclusion and can be quite dangerous if you attach one section to a chuck and cut through the solid wood.
The bark will not hold the sections together.


Al

 

[Richard Coers]

I don't see any burl, am I missing something? Get cutting and turning quickly. It's going to crack quickly sitting there whole. If you can't start cutting, get it in a garbage can filled with water. If you leave a crotch cherry as thick as the 2 inches you mentioned, it will probably crack as well unless you dry it VERY slowly!

 

[Col Smith]

I don't see any burl, am I missing something?

Can you please explain where the burl comes in. The photo shows a normal crotch to me.
I know terminology differs in different countries.
What do you class as a "Burl" ? Not being argumentative, just curious.

Col

 

[Glenn McCullough]

crotch burl

Burl being an irregular growth on the trunk or limb of a tree, crotch or root burl being the irregular grain pattern in those areas. These are terms used in the furniture business for the last 35 years I've been in it.

 

[Bill Boehme]

It sounds like the furniture business has a rather loose definition of burl. You might want to check the definitions given by authoritative sources such as Hoadley or the US Forest Products Laboratory. Here is a definition from a paper published by the FPL:

... burls, such as those growing on the maple tree. yield wood with fantastically intricate and colorful grain patterns. No one knows for sure what causes burls to form on trees. They are a wild, abnormal growth somewhat comparable to cancerous tissue in animals. Some plant pathologists suspect that they may be the result of a virus infection. In any event, burls are known to produce beautifully grained and colored wood much prized for fine furniture, pipes, gunstocks, bowls, candlesticks, carvings, various novelties, and objects of art.​

The figure found in crotch wood is called feathering and is a normal growth pattern.

 

[Glenn McCullough]

Well, as in a previously recategorized post, this has become a terminology clarification post, I am not likely to get any further constructive advice on my original information request. So I will abandon it.

 

[robo hippy]

I would guess that you have a section of a flowering cherry. Generally there is a graft line of some sort, and then a number of branches come out from that. The trees never yield fruit, and don't grow very tall. There is probably no crotch flame pattern in it either. I did try that particular orientation for turning once. Just too much trouble.

robo hippy