Is any species of burl useful?

weo

weo

Joined
Sep 21, 2014
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Hello all. Question about burls... Is any burl a good burl for handle material?
As I was running my dogs around my local park I noticed the park district felled an Autumn Cherry tree with a few decent sized burls on the trunk. I asked, and was told that I could have the pieces if I wanted them as they usually take large loads to a plant to get turned into pressboard. The head of the department also told me where they dump the smaller loads and that folks are allowed to cut them up for firewood. I went to the spot and noticed a few burls there (plan on going back when I get back to town with my chainsaw) and plan on making regular check-ins, if any burl is useful, that is. I don't want to waste my time and effort if most/many burls are worthless.
I don't really know how to identify species especially when it is lying on the ground in chunks.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
 
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Yes...! ! Burls....especially the darker, harder varieties make great handle material.
 
I collected burls for years and years. Cut some up too. Some came out GREAT while others Meh. I have since stopped collecting burls and larger chunks of logs or pieces of wood. When I need a nice piece I look for a handle sized chunk. Maybe slightly oversize but still only one handle per block. It may cost me a little more cash but I get exactly what I want rather than having to cut burls up like a diamond cutter and sit on them for a year or longer waiting for them to dry. Then some will crack so much they become worthless. I traded 2 knives once for 6 Desert Ironwood logs. I got hundreds of handle sized pieces of wood but only 2 had any good figure. It cost me probably $300 in band saw blades and 80-100 hours of work trying to cut those logs up. Had 5 trashcans full of scrap from all the checked wood. No I no longer do the buy large boards or burls. Too much work for me.
 
I have a couple thousand pounds of burls drying in the barn. I pick them up when I find good deals. I put up ads on CL and find quite a few people willing to sell what they only see as firewood. I have also gotten in contact with the local loggers. Loggers and mills hate burls and cut them off and leave them lay. The logger down the road from me will put them on his truck and deliver them to me on his way home. Burls are really a crap shoot. I've gotten some burls that were junk inside, and others that were gorgeous. I'm slowly learning what to look for and what not to look for. I try to leave the burls in the biggest size I can. I paint the bare wood with Anchor Seal or latex paint.
 
They can be a crap shoot for sure!!! As Forrest says, "Life is li-ike a box of choco-luts...." Ya never know what you're gonna get inside a burl.
 
Seems like all the grain running different directions, it all would be prone to checking and not as strong as regular wood? Just make sure you have it professionally stabilized and it should be fine. As long as it looks good, use it. I have an uncle that is a logger and am going to talk to him about being on the lookout for some burls.
 
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