Oak Burl

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Ron Mc

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I just got back from my wife's grandmothers ranch where I had some fun going through the woods looking for wood.
She had a lot of 100 year plus trees blown down from Katrina and I'll be darn if one of these things didn't have a huge Burl growing on it waiting for me to harvest.
The largest chain saw at my disposal was 14" so I had to cut it off of the trunk in blocks and slabs.
What I need to know is what do I do now so it doesn't crack up on me while it dries? I have about 50 lbs of burl in the back of my truck that I would love to process right so any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
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thetalbott4

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Anchorseal only angers these types of burls. Best thing to do is send them to Utah where they are happy. They like hangun around small Jet lathes.[;)]
 

its_virgil

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Sealing burls can be very dangerous, but I would be willing to take the chance for you. Just ship them to me and possibly save yourself an injury [:D] ???See you at bubbasville 12/27???
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 

TexasJohn

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If you would ship it to El Paso I would see that it dries out naturally in our dry climate. I am sure it would be very happy here. [:D][:D] Texas John P.S. I even have a pickuup truck to haul it in.
 

ldimick

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Ron,

It's apparent that this forum is filled with nothing but selfish people who do not want to help you. Send to me in CA and I'll see to it that they don't get their hands on any of it. [:p]
 
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Now that is a great christmas present.

Luckily, burl is pretty stable.

When I harvest burls I try to leave enough extra wood on the end grain to later trim off. Then I seal the end grain only.

Recently I found a black cherry tree that had a large burl going all the way around the truck. (BTW - this tree was already fallen). I make my first cut 8" above the burl. Then I made two cuts along the grain, parallel to the pith, leaving me two caps and a slab with the pith in the center.

Now I cut the two caps off the truck about 8" below the burl, This I will turn into bowls.

With what is left on the trunk, I make two more cuts parallel to the grain and the last cut about 8" below the burl. These turning squares I turn into boxes and pens.

I seal the end grain.

The two caps I placed into plastic bags with the cut end on the flat floor. I also leave the bag open so some air can get inside. The turning squares I have leaning upright and not in any bag. Most likely I will turn these first.

Edit in:
I like turning the caps as green as possible.
 

Dario

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Good haul Ron. If you are dealing only with burl caps then anchorseal the cut face. If it is a log...cutting it in quarters (if possible) through the pith is the best way to minimize cracking/checking. For oak, I anchorseal on the end grain part only.

Cherry and madrone burls, I anchorseal all around and several coats too!!!

If these are eventually to be milled to pen blanks...cut them to size as soon as possible, you may not need to seal them at all. While processing, you may put the others in a trash bag to slow drying....if they spalt so much the better ;)

Good luck!
 

Ron Mc

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Good Morning,
So basically everyone is in agreement that I need to go ahead and ship a chunk of it to different parts of the country to see whom has the best method?
Dario, Are you saying that I should cut to the final size I want before applying anchorseal?
 

DCBluesman

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Originally posted by Ron Mc
<br />Good Morning,
So basically everyone is in agreement that I need to go ahead and ship a chunk of it to different parts of the country to see whom has the best method?

No, Ron. Trust me, the old Bluesman does not want you to send out a chunk of that <b>green</b> burl to me, HOWEVER, I'll be glad to test out some of the pieces when it's dry and give you my opinion on which method worked best! [:D]
 

Ron Mc

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Bluesman I'll keep that in mind when it's ready!
One last question before I head off to find Anchorseal. Where can one purchase it and if more than one type available which chemical type?
I appreciate the assist and I'll post pics later today.[:D]
 

Dario

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Best source is UC coatings ( https://www.uccoatings.com/uccoat.php ) but they only do it by mail order so it may be too late for it now.

Woodcraft have their own end grain sealer that works same way (maybe a repackaged version). It is water based emulsion...white in color that dries clear (like Elmers glue ;)) You can buy it by the gallon and worth the money as far as I am concerned. Others may tell you to use paint, varnish, etc. While those work, they are not the best. I do use them when I have no options though.

If you can mill them down to pen blank size now...yes, do it as soon as you can. At that size you don't really need to seal oak (from my experience). Sealing will of course give you more protection. The down side is slower drying. Green wood must be milled a bit bigger to compensate for shrinkage and/or twisting.
 
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Ron, here are two sources, I've used both brands with equal success

http://tinyurl.com/aj8qu
https://www.uccoatings.com/uccoat.php

Thanks Dario, as long as the pith is removed, leaving the cut face unwaxed seems to work well for me. Here is a picture of a cherry burl someone gave me some time back. This sat for year with no wax on the cut face before it was given to me and had no cracks. I'm waiting to get a lathe big enough to turn a BIG bowl.

cherry_burl.jpg
 

airrat

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I have used the WC end grain sealer. Put a couple coats on. I didnt put enough on some mesquite and it all soaked in. Now its cracked.

Best of luck and if you plan on letting loose a couple of your "stash" let me know!!!![:D]
 

Ron Mc

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Here are some pictures of my goodies.
You can tell the size of everything by comparing it to the tailgate of my truck.
One of the slabs cut.
burlslab.jpg

Left side of tailgate.
burlsleft.jpg

Right side of tailgate.
burlsright.jpg

I'll be purchasing some grain sealer today to seal them up.
 

Dario

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Good haul!

Don't wait too long...once checking started (and they can be microscopic)...it is hard to stop it (even with end sealer).
 

Ron Mc

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I found someone to sell a quart of the anchor seal that they had and have sealed these puppies up for the winter. Boy, When the anchor seal dries it sure lets you see what you really have. WOW. Can't wait to make some pens and stoppers out of these![:D]
 
M

Mudder

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Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA
<br />I'm waiting to get a lathe big enough to turn a BIG bowl.

cherry_burl.jpg

My Lathe can handle 29" Diameter. Send it to me and I'll let you know how it "turns out" [8D]
 
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Originally posted by Mudder
<br />
Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA
<br />I'm waiting to get a lathe big enough to turn a BIG bowl.

My Lathe can handle 29" Diameter. Send it to me and I'll let you know how it "turns out" [8D]

It's 26" wide at the narrowest point, so that would do it. I have the kelton coring system and we should be able to get 5-6 bowls out of the center. Where do you live, or better yet, can you bring your lathe here with you???? We'll have a bowl-a-thon!!
 
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