# Who harvests their own burl?



## jigman29 (Dec 3, 2015)

Been looking around and have found some easy to spot but it was small. Do certain trees have better than others and should I be looking around the base or more towards the upper parts?


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## trad bow (Dec 3, 2015)

I have a couple about the size of a basket ball. My hunting lease was cut and the loggers cut those sections of the tree out and left them laying on the ground. I picked them up freshly cut in the afternoon when work was shut down. Freshly cut clear cuts that have the scraps cut and piled up are a great place to find some large burls.


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## Anvil Head (Dec 4, 2015)

All depends on what you are looking for and intended use. Some species have very distinctive and attractive burl, some don't.
For example Walnut, maple, oak have very nice burl - sourwood, sweetgum, popular do not.
If you are a turner or carver or knifemaker, you know which woods best suit your purpose and which don't.
Be aware that many burls are open fibrous inside and or rotten, thus being unsuitable for most projects. However good burl is pretty exciting to cut up and use. 
I approach everything from a knife handle perspective, so I'm always evaluating end result cost effectiveness. Too much work and little yield is a no-go. There is a lot of waste material to trim away to get to the good stuff. Knowing where to cut or not cut comes from experience in "reading" the chunk of wood. Can't really learn this from a book or by watching. Got to get in there and do it.
Have a plan when you cut one up. Be ready to block it out, seal it up and prep for curing out. Burl will go all over the place as it dries. Cut it too small in dimension cuts and it will twist, crack, split and shake to the point of useless if you are not careful.

By all means, if you can get it cheap or free, go for it. Make sure your chains are sharp.


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## tree cutter 08 (Dec 5, 2015)

I see the most on wild Cherry's. Got some basketball sizeburls on some on on my driveway. See a lot on oaks we cut. Usually sasve them and give them to a guy that turns and he make me something in return.


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## flyrod444 (Dec 5, 2015)

I have cut a several tons of burl up for turning both bowls and game calls. If I'm making a bowl I turn them green and put them into a paper bag or cardboard box to dry for a year or more and then return them and finish them up. The burl for game calls I cut into slabs at least 1/4" thicker then I need to allow for some shrinkage as it dries. It takes a year for every inch of thickness to dry it. If one tries to speed this up they take a chance of it checking more.
Jack
Here are just a few of the items I've made from burl wood and one of the largest burls I've ever worked up.
elm burl bowl roughed out.



Maple burl hollow form



redoak burl slate calls



red oak burl bowl



2000+pound red oak burl


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## Anvil Head (Dec 6, 2015)

I thought I got lucky when they put in the Walmart over on 41 in Acworth. There was a huge (3x bigger than you burl in pic). Land clearing foreman said I could have it....yay! Watched it hit the ground, it bounced then blew apart. No yay, rotten all the way through. Amazing that the tree was even standing. Sometimes it's a crap shoot, but you can't know if you don't take the shot.

Nice burl and nice turnings!


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## flyrod444 (Dec 6, 2015)

Thanks I've been vary fortunate in obtaining some wonderful wood over the years, and it makes turning out nice items so much easier. This one I found on the edge of the river fishing one day, but I haven't been able to talk the land owner out of it. The land went on the market last month and I'm waiting to see if I can trade a bowl or two to the future land owner for it when it sales.
Jack
This is a maple burl on a very large tree so the burls are very large.


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## Gaswamp (Dec 6, 2015)

cool pics jack


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## jigman29 (Dec 6, 2015)

That is some great woodworking! I rode and walked with the wife like we do on most sundays. I found one on my neighbors property that is about 6' tall and at least that wide. Doubt they will let me cut it but I am sure gonna try lol.


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## ripplerider (Dec 12, 2015)

I know where theres a burl on the side of a red oak that would honestly weigh 3to500 lbs. Problem is its on Forest Service land and its about 15 ft. up the tree. id either have to climb it and shave it off with my 660 stihl or cut the whole tree, which I wouldnt do since its a huge healthy tree. I know the Forest service will sell permits for harvesting burls occasionly cause I ran into a guy at the Brasstown Folk school who was selling hand hewn bowls made from burls harvested on N.F.land. I asked how he got permits and he smiled and said "I work for the Forest Service." Its only a couple of hundred yds. from the road but it would be rough getting it out of there. Plus Id be scared it would fly to pieces when it hit the ground.


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## flyrod444 (Dec 12, 2015)

I got a dead and down permit one winter and harvest a truck load of cherry burls that were on downed trees near my house on US Forrest land. I was able to use about half of them, but the others had to much rot to use. The Smoky Mountain National Park has tons of burls that are just along 441 going thru. Several are downed every year and just lay there and rot, it is such a waste. The workers that have to clean up the trees that fall across the road or trails aren't even allowed to take the wood to the camp sites for fire wood, it's just dumped some where in the park to rot. 
Jack


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 13, 2015)

I cut a huge maple burl several years ago. It's partially spalted and has a lot of bird's-eye patterning in it. Very nice wood. I also have a black locust burl out in the shed that I haven't cut into yet.


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## jigman29 (Dec 14, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> I cut a huge maple burl several years ago. It's partially spalted and has a lot of bird's-eye patterning in it. Very nice wood. I also have a black locust burl out in the shed that I haven't cut into yet.



I bet that locust will sure enough be hard as a rock!


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