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What is this "cherry burl"?????

G

Gretch Flo

Joined
Jun 9, 2004
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Location
Haslett, Michigan
Woman at work a couple of weeks ago said her husband was cutting firewood and did I want cherry burls??? Silly girl!!!. One small one I cut off into the branch and haven't cut into the burl. The large one (about the size of 3 volleyballs after loose bark removed) I cut off a first slab and it is filled with concentric rings that had ring shakes, When tossed onto the ground, a center piece fell out at the ring shake. A second slab had a bigger piece and a smaller one fall out and it a bowl unto itself. Looks like I could core it without a coring system!!!!!. There are no eyes.
So what is this????? (other than a disappointment) :mad: GretchATTACH=CONFIG]9430[/ATTACH]20160308_165055_resized (4).jpg20160308_164659_resized.jpg20160308_163655_resized.jpg.)
 

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I've harvested a LOT of cherry burls and have never seen that condition before. The growth rings are really wide indicating fast growth. It does look like Cherry, however.

Personally, I wouldn't try to turn it. You could make some very interesting carved pieces from it though. Maybe even a nested set. Definitely a case of being given lemons with an great opportunity to make lemonade.

Have to admit I am a bit jealous of the find.
 
Brent@TurnRobust said:
I've harvested a LOT of cherry burls and have never seen that condition before. The growth rings are really wide indicating fast growth. It does look like Cherry, however.

Personally, I wouldn't try to turn it. You could make some very interesting carved pieces from it though. Maybe even a nested set. Definitely a case of being given lemons with an great opportunity to make lemonade.

Have to admit I am a bit jealous of the find.
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It is cherry, turning it would be like launching a fleet of flying saucers!!!! If it only didn't have the ring shakes!!!!!
Gretch
 
don't throw it out

I have heard these called "onion burls". I am in the process of turning a couple of these. In my pieces the burls did not penetrate through the entire log, so the non-burl portions had no cracks. I rough turned the pieces, spinning rather slowly, and stayed out of the line of fire, but had no bowls crack open. After I let them dry, the ring shakes open up even more, and I filled them with black tinted epoxy. The bowls are looking quite special: they have the normal orange-ish cherry color, the cream colored sapwood, plus the darker reddish brown of the burl, all accented by the black epoxy, it looks like a tiger. They are taking a long time to complete because I have to keep adding to the epoxy inlay, apparently didn't wait long enough for the drying, and little gaps have formed. I'll post photos when finished, in about a month.
A safer option would be to let them dry as-is, without turning at all, and infiltrating with epoxy before turning.
 
I have seen them not only in Cherry. I believe it is a scar tissue on a cut or brocken branch. Usually hard and heavy like a rock.
 
nothing to add, but I and others are discussing this.......will be waiting for further developments.......is there other things beside epoxy that could be used on the seperations?????????? stay safe
 
Pitch Burl

Gretch Flo said:
That makes sense. altho I don't know why the word skin is included. "onion burl", or my thoughts="cabbage burl"
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Gretch, I'm thinking it might be what our wood guru (Steve Bartocci, "The Board Hoarder") calls a pitch burl. Below are pictures of a pitch burl I found that's from a Douglas Fir tree. Steve told me to take the pitch seriously -- he really gunked up a bandsaw blade trying to cut up a big pitch burl. The one in my pictures is small -- ~2" thick and 8" long. The surface is so cool though, looks like waves on the ocean. This particular one is very brittle, no chance it could be turned.

Pitch Burl1.jpgPitch Burl2.jpg
 
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Jamie Straw said:
Gretch, I'm thinking it might be what our wood guru (Steve Bartocci, "The Board Hoarder") calls a pitch burl. Below are pictures of a pitch burl I found that's from a Douglas Fir tree. Steve told me to take the pitch seriously -- he really gunked up a bandsaw blade trying to cut up a big pitch burl. The one in my pictures is small -- ~2" thick and 8" long. The surface is so cool though, looks like waves on the ocean. This particular one is very brittle, no chance it could be turned.

View attachment 9443View attachment 9444
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Jamie-I turned a pine burl (rather large) from Mich st Univ campus (go green BTW-won a squeaker BB tonite).
What a PITA. Spent 2 different 30+ min sessions cleaning up the band saw, more time cleaning out the grooves in my athletic shoes. And the burl was not that pretty. Just that amber color you see in some pine boards. I still have one piece left after all these years and I have been told it probably isn't "pitchy" now.
Then I had some small burls (galls??) from northern mich-sister-in-laws place. Same pitchy mess but of course on a smaller scale.
The current cherry burl isn't pitchy at all. I took some pics and then cut out a circle on the band saw and may tackle tomorrow or the next day( while taking a break from doing taxes) . If you don't hear from me in 2-3 days, call 911!!!!;) Gretch
 
Gretch Flo said:
Jamie-. I took some pics and then cut out a circle on the band saw and may tackle tomorrow or the next day( while taking a break from doing taxes) . If you don't hear from me in 2-3 days, call 911!!!!;) Gretch
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Will post pics in 2 replies
DISCRETION HAS OVER RULED.
I used a power hand planer to flatten what hopefully would be the bottom of the bowl. Then I drilled a hole for the screw chuck on what would be the opening of the bowl. While tightening the screw chuck, another bowl was being pried loose (which of course had a screw chuck hole in it). . Removed that and
got a grip/ Flattened the bottom some more, and could see the onion skin was reaching all the way down to the bottom. I was hoping there would be an isthmus of some solid wood. I gave up and placed the bowl blank on the band saw and tried to get some strips, but they all separated too and looks like bacon strips.. There was no way with the bowl intact I could get epoxy to go thru all the depth of these rings shakes. I haven't thrown away the other 4-5 blanks-some may have some intact wood more of the way around. Any thoughts??? Sadly, GretchDSCN1925 - Copy (640x360).jpgDSCN1922 - Copy.JPGDSCN1923 - Copy (640x360).jpgDSCN1935 - Copy (640x360).jpg
 
Hi Gretch!

Is it possible you don't have what you think, and it could be some other species? Your photos reminded me of these two burls I have on my shop wall. They were given to me, and were harvested locally years ago. They've been hanging on my shop wall for at least 20+ years now, and I've never decided to do anything with them. Not sure, but I think they are some kind of pine. Anyway, the way they grow is sorta similar to what you have, minus the shakes that separate. I suppose yours could be cherry, but I've done quite a few cherry burl bowls, and none of them have the look of what you are showing us. Generally, what you have does look very similar to cherry non-burls, though........just adding to the discussion. :D

ko
 

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glad you are safe, Gretch........interesting wood but there is always tomorrow ........is there more wood in the forest??????????

They've been hanging on my shop wall for at least 20+ years now, and I've never decided to do anything with them
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.......I guess we all have some wood siting in a corner we just have not figured out what to do with......here is mine......piece of dogwood///or actually two different dogwood trees intertwined.......
 

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odie said:
Is it possible you don't have what you think, and it could be some other species? Your photos reminded me of these two burls I have on my shop wall. They were given to me, and were harvested locally years ago. They've been hanging on my shop wall for at least 20+ years now, and I've never decided to do anything with them. Not sure, but I think they are some kind of pine. Anyway, the way they grow is sorta similar to what you have, minus the shakes that separate. I suppose yours could be cherry, but I've done quite a few cherry burl bowls, and none of them have the look of what you are showing us. Generally, what you have does look very similar to cherry non-burls, though........just adding to the discussion. :D

ko
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Sure looks like "onion burl"-but I am guessing that this kind of figure could happen to another species 0f wood. When the weather gets decent, I will photo the cut ends of the burl that were the branch to show it is cherry. Gretch
 
Gretch Flo said:
Sure looks like "onion burl"-but I am guessing that this kind of figure could happen to another species 0f wood. When the weather gets decent, I will photo the cut ends of the burl that were the branch to show it is cherry. Gretch
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Photoed the cut off branch of cherry. Sure looks like cherry to me, Gretch
DSCN1939 (640x360).jpgDSCN1940 (640x360).jpg
 
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