Identify Burls

[Jeff Fagen]

A friend gave me a couple of burls and I think they are maple.I had to carry them out of the snow covered woods and the largest has to be over 100 lbs.
Their centers look spalted and punky.Anyone?
Also would you cut them through the pith to start with?I'd like to make hollow forms.

[George Guadiane]

I'm about 97,222% certain that they are Cherry.

[Greg Just]

I was thinking cherry too

[Jeff Fagen]

Sweet! I like that

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I believe your initial thought of Maple is right, I have never seen Cherry with that much sapwood, just prove me wrong.

Turn it and show the outcome

[Marc Himes]

I agree with Leo, too much dark heart wood for cherry, which also usually has a very light sap wood. I think it is maple. The main thing is that it is Burl. Nice gift!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I believe your initial thought of Maple is right, I have never seen Cherry with that much sapwood, just prove me wrong.

Turn it and show the outcome

I found a couple pictures from both Black Cherry and Maple with dark hearth, you can see the narrow sapwood on the Cherry and the color of the heartwood, compare that with the Maple pieces in the other picture.

The dark color streak in the Cherry is brown rot, this log had some, it was running more or less all the way up and down the log, it's very soft and you can stick your finger right into it, not uncommon in Cherry.

Black Cherry.jpg Maple log blanks.jpg

[John Spitters]

I'm thinking this is Maple as well, and possibly Silver Maple judging by the look of those leaves stuck to the logs.

[Jeff Nicol]

Jeff, Most definitley maple and most likely not red maple but some harder type. We have them like that up at our hunting camp by the hundreds, just not all of them are worth much. It looks like the center of the logs are a little punky too and that is usually from the burl letting bugs get in and they start to rot. A lot of these are not really true burls but bumps from the tree repairing itself after some sort of damage. They might have more of an "ONION" layerd grain rather than eyes and worls of a true burl. Still nice to turn, but sometimes will come apart at each layer so be careful.

Jeff

[Dick Mahany]

To me those appear to be a special genus of the famed Wisconsin burl. Most likely of the Eau claire subordinate genus. Further inspection identifies them as the special moss covered, snowy laden log variety. . They look like they will yield some beautiful turnings, so have fun and enjoy such an excellent gift.

Sorry, it's been a long day, and by the way, it looks a lot like maple from here, but I'm a far bit away. Enjoy.

[robert baccus]

Good call. Gotta be yankee wood.

[Jeff Fagen]

Thanks guys,They are from property my pastor just built on north of Eau Claire along the Chippewa river.,he was milling for flat work and had no use for these.They are definitely maple,I had just never seen a punky pith like that.I will be cautious when turning these.