Drying oak burl

[Richard Dooling]

What should be considered when dealing with green burl since there are no growth rings or pith?

I assume I need to seal as normal.

Thanks,
Richard

[Leo Van Der Loo]

What should be considered when dealing with green burl since there are no growth rings or pith?

I assume I need to seal as normal.

Thanks,
Richard

If you are going to seal it, consider how you are going to remove that whatever you slap on to seal it, maybe bagging it in a paper bag or wrap craft paper around it to slow the drying.

Burl, depending the type and manner it grew, has directional growth to grow bigger, though quite different from the regular growth, so when drying there are often small to very small splits between the separate “clusters” ( as a way to describe the growth), I have a few pictures that show this somewhat.

With larger splits as in one of my bigger one that has the large growth clusters, I have (after the piece was turned and dry) filled these splits with Coffee ground and then later added Polymerized Tung oil as a finish.

With the fine clusters that have just minute openings,I have left them as they are, That’s something you would have to decide for yourself.

First picture shows the opening up of the growth clusters, second one shows the very minute openings in the dry but not finished burl, the last one as this one looks now after filling and finish.

burl growth opened up.jpg not finishe at this point.jpg Willow burl now.jpg

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks Leo,

I hadn't considered that I might get a sealing material deeper into the burl than I would want. The pieces are too big for a paper bag and will have to be stored outside under an overhang until I can do some initial processing. So maybe I'll try wrapping in craft paper and put them in large plastic bags that are not sealed too tight.

While I want to discourage rapid moisture loss I also don't want to encourage mold. Southeast Virginia can be cold and damp this time of year.

I'm a little out of my depth here and I've just recently started to process logs rather than buying dry wood.

[Tom Albrecht]

Having just come from a class on turning green wood, I have to ask why you want to wait? Why not turn it green? I do understand that time and life get in the way sometimes.

[Richard Dooling]

Yes - time, life and time of life. Bad knees and such . . .

Also I've got a lot of this and it came to me while in the middle of other projects. Not that I'm complaining. Free burl - oh yeah!

[Bob Bouis]

Oak burl sure is pretty if you turn it immediately. If you wait it tends to discolor from fungus, at least where I'm from. You have maybe a month before it starts turning blue. Not that it isn't still nice.

[Bob Bergstrom]

I did couple large oak burls this year corded possibly ten bowls from it. I waxed them and put them in lawn waste bags. Nice and heavy anslow drying. I also Saran wrapped the rims and duct taped them. After a year some had 1/4" open cracks where the clusters separated. Other were better. If you can turn thin, they might hold together. Twice turn minimizes warpage. Beautiful wood. Well worth the wait.
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