Burl log--which direction should I cut it?

[Rich Person]

I was recently given a chunk of burl. I had to cut it in half to get it onto my bandsaw, that that is all I have done. I don't have any special project for it yet, but would like to use it for thin blanks or veneers. Which direction should I cut this to get the most value from the burl pattern?

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm gonna say "oops" on this one. I would have split the log the other way. What you have is a log with a burl "wart" on either side. Splitting it as shown in the pics has cut the two "burley" areas in half. If you can picture laying the halves flat on the cut face and making cuts perpendicular to the flat face, that's what is going to yield the most burl figure. The middle area of the log will not have much burl figure but it will increase as you get closer to the outside of the piece. Of course, this means that the slices with good burl figure will get smaller with each cut. You might want to think about just cutting the burls off and using them for small turnings.

[Rich Person]

It's hard to see from the pictures, but the burl runs completely around the outside in a circle. Unfortunately, my wife wouldn't let me get a 40" bandsaw to cut it properly.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Unfortunately, my wife wouldn't let me get a 40" bandsaw..."

Well to begin with, I would get a different wife. But, in the meantime, your "best yield" is still going to be as I suggested. However, since the burl runs around the log (yes... difficult to see from the pics) you will want to rotate the log once you get past the burl and are starting to slice into the "unfigured" area. Most burls offer the best figure when they are "plain sliced".