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Thread: BURL advice needed

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Kennebunkport, Maine
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    Default BURL advice needed

    My plow guy also runs a tree service. A guy wanted an "UGLY" White Oak cut down...almost TOTALLY burl!!
    Darn Shame it's White Oak, but cut a piece wet yesterday, as I know as little about Oak burl as he does.
    I cut the smallest one so I could jig it fast.
    TIGHT bark inclusions in interesting patterns. no idea on the rest of the bigger ones.
    About Half have burl on 3/4s of the tree...rest circle tree trunk 100%
    I bought 3 full ball one's, and got 3 free small odd shapes,
    BUT How much do you think he could get for the truckload(Ball Park Guesstimates VERY welcome!)
    Most have 3-6" of trunk attached, bu almost whole tree was burl, and he's older than me, so not always possible so he can lift it.
    RAIN all day yesterday,and he'll seal end grain and saw cuts today....cut 2days ago in drizzle with 4" of snow on ground.

    At least now he knows how to cut burls, and will keep a sharp eye out now(and bring it here first
    He's been offered $200 for the truckload by a guy who does odds and ends for LLBEAN, but turned it down as it's too much hand work for that price.
    His brother DOES own a WoodMizer FYI.
    Here's the very smallest piece I surfaced, to see what was what.
    Truck pics next.
    scott
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    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

  2. #2
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    Apr 2013
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    Default

    Truckload pics.....There's also a piece as big around as the biggest in pics included, but over 6' in length and 100% burl and no good place to cut, and he could NOT lift it into the truck.
    I've recommended asking Huston and Company(just down the road),My wood turning friend, and contacting wood turning clubs, but thought some of you guys would give me good advice.

    Too bad it's not Sugar Maple, Black Walnut, or such
    ANY advice welcome about truckload price(most desirable for him) cutting, selling individually, or slicing(but slicing is last option) welcome!
    Seeing a truck come up the drive with a load of burl was kind of a nice distraction
    Happy holidays t all!
    scott
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    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    gleason, wi 54435
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    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but white oak doesn't take a back seat to any species when it comes to durability or strength. Merry Christmas

  4. #4
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    Apr 2013
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    Kennebunkport, Maine
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    Thanks Bob!
    Certainly heavy enough Green, while I was shifting the ones I bought , so I could seal ends with Linseed/wax butter!
    Picking up a couple more pieces for myself, after surfacing a base for a shallow "banana" shaped bowl?
    Going to also pick up a "scrap" piece we jokingly called called a 4' "dog bone"....has a 2 inch Ball burl at one end,a nd then 3.5' of branch, and ends with a 5" ball burl.
    In shape and size it Highly reminds me of a "1800's "Indian War Club" I bought at auction in a lot of 1800's Inuit Soapstone carvings.
    May use it instead of a baseball bat at front door

    pics are of a second small Free piece. so I can suss this burl out a bit. Bark inclusions are very tight, and soak up almost no oil....wood "looks" soft, but only place my thumbnail can even mark it is in the RAPIDLY shrinking Cambium layer(given me hopes bark will remove easily?) Some bark from standing deadwood branches is coming off with fingers...and leaving beautiful solid wood shaped I associate with burl. Gotta make me a good hardwood spud, and see if bark will come off easily in a few months.

    Steve offered me a deal for the entire truckload plus the two man to lift piece still at site..for a VERY reasonable price....but don't feel like loosing a garage bay or large portion of 32X8' greenhouse with BIG burl I'd have to saw up for Desktop, OR go into the Burl Biz. Never mind doing it from a wheelchair and a bad back!
    Somebody could get a good deal now, as he doesn't want to clean a shed out, AND wants full use of his pickup back!

    scott
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    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    gleason, wi 54435
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    Get a burl you don't like as much and put it in the driveway for people to drive over with their cars. It might debark your piece with a lot less work. Caution I haven't tried this on work pieces since I don't work much with burls, but when I drive over branches in my woods the bark gets peeled pretty fast.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    94

    Default burl

    Quote Originally Posted by scottp55 View Post
    My plow guy also runs a tree service. A guy wanted an "UGLY" White Oak cut down...almost TOTALLY burl!!
    Darn Shame it's White Oak, but cut a piece wet yesterday, as I know as little about Oak burl as he does.
    I cut the smallest one so I could jig it fast.
    TIGHT bark inclusions in interesting patterns. no idea on the rest of the bigger ones.
    About Half have burl on 3/4s of the tree...rest circle tree trunk 100%
    I bought 3 full ball one's, and got 3 free small odd shapes,
    BUT How much do you think he could get for the truckload(Ball Park Guesstimates VERY welcome!)
    Most have 3-6" of trunk attached, bu almost whole tree was burl, and he's older than me, so not always possible so he can lift it.
    RAIN all day yesterday,and he'll seal end grain and saw cuts today....cut 2days ago in drizzle with 4" of snow on ground.

    At least now he knows how to cut burls, and will keep a sharp eye out now(and bring it here first
    He's been offered $200 for the truckload by a guy who does odds and ends for LLBEAN, but turned it down as it's too much hand work for that price.
    His brother DOES own a WoodMizer FYI.
    Here's the very smallest piece I surfaced, to see what was what.
    Truck pics next.
    scott
    SCOTT
    How good of a job does your sealing mixture do? What are the ratio mixtures?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Kennebunkport, Maine
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    Ha Bob.....a Burl "corduroy" road......12-18" chunks of wood on my dirt road would pretty much eliminate visitors, and make a snow wood mountain shortly with plowing
    No vehicle myself, or I MIGHT try it on the front grown up lawn.
    I think enough freeze/thaw cycles in garage would do it, but going to put them in my attached 32X8" "Plant Torture Room" (greenhouse....where temps this winter will range from 20-130F.
    On small Yellow Birch burl Bobtail Farm gave me....I coated the flat chainsaw side with 80/20 Linseed/Beeswax "Butter" then floated in sink bark side down for 24 hours, then in and out of freezer 3 times....and it popped off with a small wedge and my smallest dead blow fast!
    5.8.18 BB1 1 BARE.jpg9.30.18 YELLOW BIRCH BURL 1.jpg
    May try spud soon, as cambium layer is very soft and shrink fast as it's so soft and porous...I think a Winter of freeze/thaws will do it.

    Jerry, really depends on what I'm trying to do. If green logs, then recut to rid of any checking if fresh cut, then the cheapest almost "anything" to slow the end grain moisture loss will work....house paint/basement concrete sealer/almost anything will help. I happen to have a pickle jar full of the above LinWax mix left from children's blocks...so that's what I used on the fresh chainsaw cuts on the burls. I do virtually all oil finishes, so always coat fresh cutoffs with it and it won't interfere with my finish.
    50/50 Food Grade Mineral oil/Beeswax,regular paraffin, or micro-crystalline wax is a non-drying non-toxic food safe finish called "Wood Butter" for cutting boards and wood utensils is good..but needs regular Easy refinishing, BUT will mess up any other finish.

    For plain Vanilla wood without any outstanding grain, I mix up an 80/20 Earthpaint Linseed/Beeswax mix in a double boiler(kind of using canning jars) in simmering water(beeswax only needs 150F,so not even simmer is needed)...and then stir as it cools to homogenize. Use that as my go-to finish...Beeswax will only give you a satin finish, but sanded to 600G previously..darn close to a semi-gloss with 3-5 coats....ALL excess taken off....and then rub AGAIN with a totally clean cloth or Viva Brand paper towel.
    Tung can be used also, but jells to soon for me except in very small batches.

    These burls and fancy grains and exotics are getting1-2 coats of a 30/30/40mix of Earthpaint 3D Illuminator/Earthpaint Linseed/D-limonene (Milk Paint, but almost any good citrus thinner will work).
    **Warning**in August, last gallon of Earthpaint takes 3-4 days to dry(used to be one coat a day with a fan), and 3D Illuminator used to be about the consistency of a brushing lacquer, and SHOCKED me when it came out like blob of cold molasses!!! Worked FINE once I added enough citrus thinner for my liking(stretches it wonderful!)

    GOT to do a test of old vs. new and write them...maybe just got a bad batch that didn't get up to temp? NO heavy metal salts like hardware store "Boiled Linseed" IT'S NOT BOILED!
    Cadmium and other heavy metal salts are NOT good for you or kids! Probably lost a couple years using "Japan Dryer"

    THINK I cover it Jerry?
    If not e-mail me from my contact list.
    Oh....and merry Christmas back at you!
    scott
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    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

  8. #8
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    Apr 2013
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    Played with the "bowl side" of that burl...still need to decide actual shape of the "Bowl" inside this one.
    Pics are with a coat of 3 way seal on them.
    Fluting toolpath and "MN"ing down to interesting wood at 1/8" depth.....and then gradually increased depth of 100% "smooth" flute, until I got the shape I kinda like.
    scott
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    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

  9. #9
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    Mar 2004
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    Delray Beach, FL
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    A truckload of Burls cheap? Steve Glassel: Are you on the way???

  10. #10
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    I was hoping for an expert opinion from Steve
    Probably because it's White Oak and wet?
    Pretty sure he'd go for $500USD.
    It's his plow truck, and he has to use another truck, OR clean a shed spot to store.
    He's anxious for a quick turn around...or may not keep looking for burls for me in the future.
    Needs truck for blow downs from windstorm we just had.

    May just buy myself and store in greenhouse... Price would DEFINITELY go UP(but DON'T want to go into Burl Biz)
    I'd consider storing it for an immediate offer, on my front lawn....but SNOW will be a PITA shortly.
    Greenhouse storage I'd charge $100 on top because of moving stuff, bu then you'd have to lug through house after snow falls.
    Be a bear because of the size of some pieces...but then one 60+ yr old moved it by himself in the first place
    You scratch my Cherry trim...YOU fix it
    scott
    scott P.
    2013 Desktop/spindle/VCP 11.5**
    Maine

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