Osage Orange Burl

calharkins

calharkins

Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
184
I have a nephew that dug up a few large bois de arc stumps after he cut the trees. He said I could have one or two. Does the stump wood on bois de arc have a good looking burl? Anyone have any experience with this? Is this worth taking to a sawmill or should I just forget it?

Thanks for the info!
 
Slice it up and find out :) Even plain osage makes some nice handles.
 
Hey Cal, send me a chunk and I'll test it out for ya! I love the stuff!:thumbup:
 
Osage Orange is pretty...


feb09_1.jpg



One of my favorite woods. And tough as a nail.
 
Cal, you should be able to show wavy grain, but probably not burl. I don't think a saw mill will touch it with a ten foot pole because there might be gravel caught in it. Should be worth chopping up yourself though.
 
Cdent made a good point about rocks. When we cut up stump material we always will end up hitting rocks. If you have a mill cut the stump you will have to pay for a blade each time you hit a rock which is bound to happen. Here is how to do it yourself.

After you pull the stump, trim away as much of the roots as you can with your chainsaw. With a pressure washer blast away all the dirt and bark paying special attention to the underside to make sure there are no dirt or rocks in any of the gaps. Paint the cut end of the stump to seal the end grain to control some of the cracking. If you won't be cutting the stump into slabs right away, throw a tarp over the stump. Do not leave it in direct sunlight.

When you cut the stump into slabs;
If you cut across the stump (crosscut) you will get about 10 times as much cracks and waste.
Best way is to cut the wood vertically (from top of stump down toward roots) for the best stability,
Make your first cut splitting the stump in half. This way you get a good idea what is inside the stump and if it is worth going further. As you come across rocks bust them out with a hammer and prybar or strong steel chisel. Any time you cut a rock you will need to re-sharpen the saw. Don't be tempted to keep cutting with a dull saw. It makes more work than it is worth. Quicker to re-sharpen. After it is split and the wood looks pretty clean you can cut slabs with your chainsaw parallel to the cut you just made. Probably should keep the slabs 2&1/2" thick or thicker.
After you cut the slabs, stack them off the ground with 1x2s for stickers between the slabs. This allows air flow between the slabs for drying. Keep the wood out of direct sunlight or you will get tons of surface checking (cracks). A tarp will protect the wood from the weather. Normal air drying time is about 1 inch per year.

After you have done all this you have 2 choices.
1. Let the wood air dry abour 2 or 3 years.
2. Let it air dry a few months and then find someone with a kiln who will finish the drying for you in their kiln. By letting it air dry a while before going into a kiln a lot of the moisture has gone away so the wood won't move as much when it goes into the kiln. (less waste)

I hope this helps some.
 
I appreciate all of the input. I am going to try to find a sawmill that will cut up the root. If I get it done, I will remember you guys with some blocks and scales. I will keep you informed on my progress.

Thanks
 
Hey Mark (Burl Source),

Thanks for taking the time to post those tips on slabbing up a root burl. I've been floundering around chain sawing stuff up from time to time without having a clue. Now I know what to do with a root burl. If you don't mind, would you share some tips for "regular" burls? What about crotch wood?

All the best, Phil
 
I have several Osage Orange burls. They came from major branches, not stumps, and are magnificent as well as tough. It makes great handles. I've never tried it as thin scales, though.
 
Burl Source said:
Cdent made a good point about rocks. When we cut up stump material we always will end up hitting rocks. If you have a mill cut the stump you will have to pay for a blade each time you hit a rock which is bound to happen. Here is how to do it yourself.

After you pull the stump, trim away as much of the roots as you can with your chainsaw. With a pressure washer blast away all the dirt and bark paying special attention to the underside to make sure there are no dirt or rocks in any of the gaps. Paint the cut end of the stump to seal the end grain to control some of the cracking. If you won't be cutting the stump into slabs right away, throw a tarp over the stump. Do not leave it in direct sunlight.

When you cut the stump into slabs;
If you cut across the stump (crosscut) you will get about 10 times as much cracks and waste.
Best way is to cut the wood vertically (from top of stump down toward roots) for the best stability,
Make your first cut splitting the stump in half. This way you get a good idea what is inside the stump and if it is worth going further. As you come across rocks bust them out with a hammer and prybar or strong steel chisel. Any time you cut a rock you will need to re-sharpen the saw. Don't be tempted to keep cutting with a dull saw. It makes more work than it is worth. Quicker to re-sharpen. After it is split and the wood looks pretty clean you can cut slabs with your chainsaw parallel to the cut you just made. Probably should keep the slabs 2&1/2" thick or thicker.
After you cut the slabs, stack them off the ground with 1x2s for stickers between the slabs. This allows air flow between the slabs for drying. Keep the wood out of direct sunlight or you will get tons of surface checking (cracks). A tarp will protect the wood from the weather. Normal air drying time is about 1 inch per year.

After you have done all this you have 2 choices.
1. Let the wood air dry abour 2 or 3 years.
2. Let it air dry a few months and then find someone with a kiln who will finish the drying for you in their kiln. By letting it air dry a while before going into a kiln a lot of the moisture has gone away so the wood won't move as much when it goes into the kiln. (less waste)

I hope this helps some.
Click to expand...

Very helpful information. I have some land with a lot of Osage orange, locust, and black walnut trees on it and today I found a magnificent looking Osage orange tree wit a good sized burl stump. It's about 14 ft around with an estimated weight of around 3 tons. I started digging around it today and got down to the taproot below the burl. I was doing some research yeaterday and couldnt get a straight answer from my search so now I'm left wondering what a fair price is per pound for the burl stump and where I could sell it. I'm new to harvesting, so I'm not wanting to try my hand at drying and curing it. I was also wondering where I should go with the crotches and trunks- which also have burls. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Jake you do realize this thread is over 5 years old?? Also you are not supposed to discuss selling here.

Phil here is a piece of crotch I am cutting,I cut it with the chainsaw so it will fit on the bandsaw next I will cut it where the red lines are. With crotch I like cutting it so you end up with pieces that look like a Y, that will give you the best feather figure.

cutting crotch.jpg

Calharkins how did it turn out?
 
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