• 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
  • Congratulations to Bernie Hyrtzak, People's Choice in the January 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to David Croxton for "Geri's Basket Illusion" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 2, 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.

silver maple burl

D

david johnson

Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
3
Likes
0
I have a chance to buy a large silver maple burl, I would like to get some info from others who have worked with it. Will it have cracks like oak or more like cherry burls. I have done several cherrry burls and really enjoy working with them. Any info, suggestions, hints would be greatly appericated
 
Thanks for repling. this thing is at least 24" across and 12" deep. I just don"t want to get get burned. I turned a bowl about 13" across from the same tree and was very happy with the results.


Dave johnson
 
Does it have the bark on or off? Bark off is the best way to buy since you can see any rot, plus you can tell better if it is one burl or a cluster. If you can see branch buds I would buy it. They turn very nicely. I consider an oak burl to be about the worst species, and I have not seen one with limb buds, just swirls.
 
How old is it? How far past the burl did they cut...make sure to look for small fissures. Typically you can figure 1 dollar per pound on a burl...the best ones are free
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top