how to harvest a burl?

[pprioli]

Hi folks. I'm hoping someone on here might be able to help me out with something. I've got a maple tree on my property with a rather large burl that I keep eyeing up.

First of all, is it possible to cut a burl off of the tree without permanently damaging the tree?

Second, once I get the burl off the tree, do I need to treat it with anything special? How long should I let it dry for before I stabilize it?

And finally (out of order, I know), how much lee way should I give myself dimension-wise if I want to cut the burl into pen blank size? The burl is about 2' x 1.5' x 1.75'. Is that a decent size, or will I be wasting more of it than I use?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer advice.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Yes
Anchorseal
Good size

(Note, I have never done this but do read a lot)

 

[Dario]

Yes, you can harvest burl w/o permanently hurting the tree. I've seen a few pictorials online but don't have them right now. Will post as soon as I found them. Remember to paint over/treat the tree wound so it won't get attacked by insects or rot.

That size is okay but spring is the worse time to collect wood since sap just started flowing. If you can wait, fall and winter time is the best time.

High water content is your enemy and may cause cracking even with anchorseal.

Edit:

Try this link http://www.australianburls.com/AustralianBurls/Burl_Harvesting/Harvesting.htm

 

[workinforwood]

Also, because it is spring, the wood is soaking up the most amount of minerals which can cause unusual staining in the wood, that goes away into the dryer season. Because of the size your talking, I'm not so sure the tree will survive the surgery. It sure could, but the risk of death is certainly higher. I would slab it at 1.25" thick and simply sticker and stack the slabs with a cinder block on top. Leave the bark on. Let it sit for a good year and dry nice and easy. If you can get it up into the attic, sticker and stack it with a cinder block up there, it will be the best situation. Air in the attic is always dry and moving, unless your roof leaks.

 

[pprioli]

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll wait till the fall/winter to cut the burl off, and we'll see how it goes from there.

Dario: Thanks for the link -- a lot of good info on that site.

~Pam