Box Elder Burl

U

unky_gumbi

Joined
Aug 28, 2009
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I just realized that I may have a huge Box Elder in my back yard:o and the base of it is pretty much solid burl with a bunch up the rest of the tree.

This is a fairly large tree by urban standards and its getting old and parts are dieing off so it is getting to be a bit of a hazard, not to mention that the shade from it keeps grass from growing in the yard. So I have all the reason to cut it down, and even more if it is a Box Elder. I will go out and take some pictures tomorrow if the rain doesn't start to early to see if you guys agree with my ID on the tree and how to go about processing it for handle materials.
 
OK I got some pictures this morning, and scanned a leaf
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So am I right and this is a Box Elder with a sizable burl and worth getting excited over?
 
hey Unki Gumbi:

I cant say if that is box elder or not, but it is full of burl.

I wouldnt cut down a tree in my yard unless it is on its way down anyway.

See if you can slice a small burl off vertically maybe? Then you would have some backyard burl.

Take a walk in the bush looking for burl, and you might be a little suprised at how common it is. If you cut down your backyard tree it will be several years before the wood is dry enough to use, and you will look at the stump during that time and think I wish I didnt cut that tree down. At least I would.
 
No I would have no regrets about cutting down this tree, the center of the top is dead and its ripping up the shingles on the house and because of it I have next to no grass in the back yard. Between mine and the neighbors tree my back yard is fully shaded all day. His is the same type of tree with even more burl in it.
Mine is the yard on the right in the first picture and left in the second, and that is how most of it looks, the odd little blade of grass and dandy lions is all there is
 
Hey... if you have no problems cutting it down, cut it down!

If its tearing up your shingles, trim it back or top it.... and maybe try fertilizing the grass like twice as much as is reccomended.... that huge tree is sucking the nutrients out of the ground pretty good probably.

If you do cut it down and it turns out, sell me some. Burl that you cut yourself on a knife handle is awesome if you can pull it off.
 
Yup that is box elder. Greeting to you up there in Manitoba from down south in Minnesota. A box Elder is not a terribly pretty tree at least as they they grow in the north. They are prone to breaking off large branches in wind storms and they rot out pretty easily as well. It is just a matter of time until it rots some more and drops a branch or the entire tree on you in a nice spring wind storm. We had one fall just last week, it finished dieing a year ago and a good bit of wind and down she goes. We have a very large one near our house and it let loose a huge branch that just missed our house. So read up on how to properly cut and cure/dry a burl and then when you have a place for the burls to dry set up, cut the tree down. Remember Box elder is pretty useless for scales until it is stabilized. Other then a small amount of use among wood turners, nobody uses this softwood unless stabilized.
 
Bhamster is absolutely correct about wood turners and getting it stabilized. Box Elder lumber on it's own isn't very decay resistant and isn't particularly hard for structural uses.

If it's burled, it can be stunning. If it's got beautiful reddish-pink streaking, you might tempt some turners.

Check out some woodworking sites for sealing burls (there are products specially made for sealing them until they are of a sufficient moisture levels) and have at it. Also, see if there's a local woodworking club that might have some real firsthand experience in cutting the burl for maximum figure and greatest yield.

Just be careful dropping that tree. Dangerous stuff.
 
I wont be dropping this myself, I will hire it out, let them take away the top part and leave me the burled section. I have a guy coming around next week to give me an estimate, but from what I told him he is guessing around $200. He is a wood worker too so he said he may give me a deal in trade for some of the burl if its nice.
 
Hi George. Nice tree. In your part of the country, it's called manitoba maple - and yes, it is also called box elder. Turners will enjoy it wet, but for knives, it is going to have to dry for many years - and then be stabilized. It stabilizes and even double dyes very well. The red streaks are fungus, specific to this species and it's a treat (and a crap shoot) to get a tree where is has penetrated well without completely destroying the wood. Don't discount even the straight grained candy stripe pieces.

Here is the bad news. The very best burl will be right at ground level and it will be full of in-grown rocks, which will play hell with your chainsaw. You need disposable chains - a power chain sharpener - and a bottle of rum for when it's done. ;)

If you want to practice, there's one in my yard right beside the old smashed chainsaw.

Rob!
 
I never associated Manitoba Maple with Box Elder before, I was just searching local trees on google and bang there it was, kind of embarrassing to have lived here for 7 years and not know what trees are in my yard:o

I will let the pros take care of the top part of the tree and I will break out the shovel and very sharp Polanski to get as muck of the stump as possible. I would love to come out and take your tree down for you, I have 4 blades sitting here waiting for HT, I could drop them off at the same time:D could have a 5th before the end of next week when I plan of sending the m out:eek:
 
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