Burl Question

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Wheaties

Wheaties

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Joined
May 8, 2009
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714
Location
Omaha, NE
I have just ordered some burl (specifically Amboyna, Buckeye, Camphor, & Thuya) to make some pens with. I have never turned any burl and am kind of nervous about it. I don't want to ruin any of the blanks, but most likely will. Is there anything I should know before I attempt this? Any helpful hints?

Thanks
 
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Are the woods you ordered stabilized? If not, they will have a tendency to blow out while you're turning them, so keep your tools sharp and keep your touch light. Wear a face shield if if you can, in case they do blow up. Try to get them stabilized in the future, it's well worth the extra couple of dollars (plus they're less likely to crack down the road).
 
Hope you know how to sharpen your tools.

IF you do, here's a couple tips:
After milling the ends, put thin CA on the ends and let it soak in, this will reinforce it, so it is less likely to split as you turn the nib and finial.
Turn the blank to round (without cracking it), might want to use a gouge, unless you are VERY comfortable with a skew. Once the blank is round, douse it with thin CA and let sit for a while. This will reinforce the blank and give you a better chance of survival.
Depending on the burl, there will frequently be voids. You can sand a slurry with CA and fill the voids with sawdust, or you can fill with contrasting powders. Start with the burls you think are least desirable - you will have a "learning curve". No point in wasting the BEST ones, first.

Good luck-
 
I agree with all the above posts as Burl will tend to have voids and blow so be patient. You can fix the voids and usually the blowouts and have a beautiful finished product. Being able to turn with a very sharp skew has assisted me in not having so many blowouts. If you feel that your tools are not sharp and you have to put some extra pressure to get them to "cut" then stop and get them sharpened...this will make your burl turning much nicer.
Peoples reactions to the burls are my favorite!!!
Enjoy you experience.
 
I guess I am just different as I think a properly prepared, turned and finished burl blank is just a matter of learning how to do it. I think stabilization of said burl blanks is a waist of money and not needed for MOST burl, but thats just me.
 
I agree. I stabilize any burls that are punky or obviously unstable, but otherwise they are turned without being gooed.
 
For me, most of the burls tend to get harder and harder as you round them down closer to final size. I've never understood how it works, but sometimes a burl will turn fine, then become as hard as a rock as the piece gets smaller. I typically stop at that point and get the gouge and skew as sharp as I can and try again. Once I've gotten to the point where I'm not making progress with the turning tools, I go to coarse sandpaper for the rest of the work. Heat will become your enemy if you go this route, so work at a slower lathe speed and take some breaks. Dousing with CA never hurts.
 
Nolan said:
I guess I am just different as I think a properly prepared, turned and finished burl blank is just a matter of learning how to do it. I think stabilization of said burl blanks is a waist of money and not needed for MOST burl, but thats just me.
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I agree, I am a fairly new turner and only have trouble with the burls that are punky or have voids (these do need stabalization). The trick is SHARP tools and light touch.
 
I don't bother with stabilized burls and agree with every tip mentioned. I will add, that I glue my burls to the roughened tubes using gorilla or sumo or rhino glue...all the same basically, expanding glues. I find the adhesion is better, especially with the expansion, and there is flexibility at the same time. This reduces the chances of a blow-out.
 
jkeithrussell said:
For me, most of the burls tend to get harder and harder as you round them down closer to final size. I've never understood how it works, but sometimes a burl will turn fine, then become as hard as a rock as the piece gets smaller. I typically stop at that point and get the gouge and skew as sharp as I can and try again. Once I've gotten to the point where I'm not making progress with the turning tools, I go to coarse sandpaper for the rest of the work. Heat will become your enemy if you go this route, so work at a slower lathe speed and take some breaks. Dousing with CA never hurts.
Click to expand...
That sounds suspiciously like your tools are getting duller and duller:wink:
 
GouletPens said:
That sounds suspiciously like your tools are getting duller and duller:wink:
Click to expand...

I don't think that my tools are as sharp as they should be, but they stay as sharp as I can get them. I use a Work Sharp 2000 which is basically a sandpaper sharpening system. The tools are sharp enough to work PR, Corian, and most woods without any problems. But some burls give me trouble for the final shaping.
 
sbell111 said:
I agree. I stabilize any burls that are punky or obviously unstable, but otherwise they are turned without being gooed.
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Steve ... I'm quite sure you meant "glued", or at least I hope you did. :wink:


Wheaties ... Burls are a quirk of nature and caused by all sorts of things from injuries, bug bites, to diseases of the tree as it grows. I have found over my years of turning that burls are either going to be a problem or maybe sometimes they are just in the "mood" and there are no problems at all.

However, my bottle of thin CA is ALWAYS nearby so I can grab it just in case the burl gets weirded out on me! Scary sharp tools are another necessity that really makes burl turning more enjoyable.

Take your time, keep your tools sharp, and avoid over heating the wood as much as possible. Of course, holding your mouth at just the right angle always helps! :biggrin:
 
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This is my 2 cents worth from my experience.

The TYPE of wood burl may determine more whether or not is needs to be stabilized first. Buckeye burl needs to be stabilized of worked with the tips Ed and others mentioned.
But Camphor burl is related closely to Cinnamon burl. Both generally have a nice close cellular pattern that turns suprisingly easy (IMHO.) I have the CA close when turning any burl wood. But I've never had to use it on camphor or cinnamon burls. The tighter the basic cellular structure, the less it needs to be stabilized first.

Above all, with burl wood . . . take your time and keep your tools sharp.
 
Nolan said:
I guess I am just different as I think a properly prepared, turned and finished burl blank is just a matter of learning how to do it. I think stabilization of said burl blanks is a waist of money and not needed for MOST burl, but thats just me.
Click to expand...

I agree with Nolan, Ive turned many burl blanks, mostly buckeye, that most would not have attempted with little problems. I use CA when I have to as I turn and I usually sand the blank to the finished size and shape after getting it close with the tools.
 
Whether the burl is stabilized or not will affect turnability as well. It will obviously be harder to turn if stabilized (literally, not figuratively!).
 
One thing that I have found helps is after drilling, I use thing CA on the hole. I then let it cure naturally and re-drill before gluing in the tubes. I have not had a blow up since I started using this method.

When milling the ends, I don't go all the way on the first go. I stop, put a few drops of thin CA on the ends, let it cure naturally then finish milling. I have found burls are more prone to tear out during milling, and this helps prevent that.
 
One thing that helps with the tearout during end milling burls is a 6-blade cutterhead I got from Daniel....lots of people here use it.
 
Wheaties

Burls in my country and we have more than a lot engender all sorts of myths and legends.

I would agree with scrupulous preparation of brasses, drilling after glueing with a flexible but spreading glue properly cured.

My experience with Amboyna is it turns like butter. Buckeye soft as butter requiring care and can be better if stabilized, the word punky rings true, Camphor no big drama, care with Thuya. All of these can result in magnificent grain structure albeit typical burl grain in swirls or like all end grain demanding respect.

Especially important to me is to face blanks after glueing and dry to use a disk sander first to face them with respect and care, I do all mine hand held and usually in batches ie cut drill abrade the brasses, glue then when ready face the blanks. Sharp chisels are always easier to use.

talking with my Burl gathering mate this morning he describes burls as a form of cancer on a tree engendered by insect attack and a lot of mystery abrasive damage etc one thing is for sure pens made from them can be outstanding so any special effort is rewarded.

Have good experiences and enjoy the journey.

Regards Peter.
 
I find the burls are different and each needs to be approached a little differently. Buckeye that I have had has tended to be soft, almost punky, and needs to be cut with a honed skew for success for me. Easy to have tearout. CA glue on the ends helps, and solid glue coverage is essentail.

Amboyona is almost bullet proof (almost- but not quite). Love to turn it and smell the wood cutting.

Campfor and Thuya fall in between.

Try some maple burl -- also nice nice stuff, and the aussie mallee burls are almost bullet proof and dramatic. Redwood burls are soft and easy to tear.

I am a "honer" and keep the tools sharp.
 
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