Yes, you can get burl from where a limb has been lopped or broken off, or where all the roots join the trunk. Wood that is dead on the tree would not really need stabilising unless you have a lot of rain. For live wood, you can try painting the ends with wax, wood glue or similar. What this does is makes the drying more even, which stops splitting, cracking and warping. Of course after this, you would have to wait a few years. Commercial stabilising forces resin into the pores using pressure and vacuum. If you have limbs that have broken off and have been sitting in the sun for 5 years, the wood isn't going to move much. Worm holes could be a 'feature' as long as the wood isn't rotten.
