A friend of mine recently gave me a 30-40 Lb Cherry Burl that he had sitting around outside for a few years. My question is, is this a wood worth holding onto in a dry place to get cut up later? Also, there is some kind of critter chewing it up internally. If this wood is worth saving, what is the best way to stop the bugs that are eating it? Thank you!
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Cherry burl? Worth saving?
- Thread starter PaMtnBkr
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I would cut slabs with a chain saw (unless you have a big bandsaw) and see what you have, at the same time you could kill the critters. I cut 2" wide slabs that after drying can be cut into blocks or scales.
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Yes, it's worth saving, however, as you said, the cherry burls are prone to ant colonies and such. It's kinda touch and go. I've had several cherry burls . I found most of them have holes on the inside from the creepy critters. when you cut it up, i hope you find the darker colored burl. Some are a bit on the salmon color side but the dark ones are beautiful , in my opinion. Also when you stabilize them, they will darken up a bit. I think cherry burls don't get enough recognition.
Here is a little story:I found a cherry burl at a flee market. It was huge. It had a bunch of tress that were cut down next to it. I spoke with the owner and he said he was going to cut that cherry and a bunch more trees for a parking area. He cut the tree down and used a dozer to put the burl in my truck. The tree was small but the burl was huge. It looks like a snowman body with the bottom part of the burl being larger than the top. It takes two people just to move it- not to lift it. It probably weighs 350+++lbs. I sealed it up to kill the bugs and its been drying for about 3 years. I'm hoping to get some nice shelves or maybe a small table. I forget the dimensions but I know it's stands up to the chest and is my wider than me. Im 6 ft 210lbs- to give you an idea.I'm hoping to have minimal damage on the inside. I will most likely cut it up into slabs and let dry some more. Take care- good luck. Burls are always worth it, if not for the fun only.-Marekz
Here is a little story:I found a cherry burl at a flee market. It was huge. It had a bunch of tress that were cut down next to it. I spoke with the owner and he said he was going to cut that cherry and a bunch more trees for a parking area. He cut the tree down and used a dozer to put the burl in my truck. The tree was small but the burl was huge. It looks like a snowman body with the bottom part of the burl being larger than the top. It takes two people just to move it- not to lift it. It probably weighs 350+++lbs. I sealed it up to kill the bugs and its been drying for about 3 years. I'm hoping to get some nice shelves or maybe a small table. I forget the dimensions but I know it's stands up to the chest and is my wider than me. Im 6 ft 210lbs- to give you an idea.I'm hoping to have minimal damage on the inside. I will most likely cut it up into slabs and let dry some more. Take care- good luck. Burls are always worth it, if not for the fun only.-Marekz
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- Dec 7, 2008
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- 7,187
There can be a lot of variation with cherry burl.
From the description Marekz probably has some good stuff.
A lot of the smaller burls only show eyes in the outer couple inches that fades away as you get closer to the trunk of the tree.
Those are good for bowl turners because they carve away a lot of the plain wood with the eyes portion becoming the outer shell of the bowl.
Photos would help to tell what you have.
My experience (very limited) with cherry burl was that it needed to be dried slowly or else it would crack a lot.
But..... the good figured stuff stabilizes very nicely and looks really bizarre.
As for bugs;
If you have access to a chest freezer or local meat locker, freezing will kill most bugs.
From the description Marekz probably has some good stuff.
A lot of the smaller burls only show eyes in the outer couple inches that fades away as you get closer to the trunk of the tree.
Those are good for bowl turners because they carve away a lot of the plain wood with the eyes portion becoming the outer shell of the bowl.
Photos would help to tell what you have.
My experience (very limited) with cherry burl was that it needed to be dried slowly or else it would crack a lot.
But..... the good figured stuff stabilizes very nicely and looks really bizarre.
As for bugs;
If you have access to a chest freezer or local meat locker, freezing will kill most bugs.
Doh! I never thought of freezing the bugs! And for the last few weeks my daughter has been using the freezer to kill bugs for a biology project! Sometimes the most obvious..........................!! The burl is about 18" in Dia so I'm going to at least slice it in half and see what's I got! Thanks for the feedback guys! Don