what to do with a burr

[dennydrewcook]

I've got this to play with and presuming it Is a burr then what should I do with it, or does anyone want to do something for me with it?

quite large and goes round most of the tree

thanks


Denny 😊

 

[crosslandkelly]

Looks like a Birch burl. Nice for Kuksas, bowls and knife scales. Good find.

 

[petrochemicals]

Make something big or sell that one and buy some burls that are smaller. The bigger they are the more they're worth. A nice couple of knife boxes or something.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

From my recent experience with a burl, it is horrible to work with by hand tools, its almost like a whole piece of knots. If you are using powertools I am sure you will be fine. Also another thing I was told, if you do something large like a bowl you will waste a lot (up to 90%) of the burl to achieve your goal where as spoons and knife scales and other items will not waste as much.

HTH

 

[dennydrewcook]

was thinking about a kuksa but if it's worth something I'll sell it, anyone know any prices people pay ?


Denny 😊

 

[petrochemicals]

I know nothing at all about carving etc, but when I looked large quality slabs where worth good money, especially birch, I suppose because the tree doesn't achieve much in the way of girth in comparison to other trees. Big pieces being good for big things, I suppose they would want it dried without cracks or faults with good patterning. On the one hand you could try selling it, but I suppose thinking a bit more you could just use it yourself now whilst green.

 

[Robson Valley]

Humdrum is right = a bowl is no more than 15% of the block. This burl is Primo stuff.
Might be a plan to ration the thing, cut into smaller pieces BUT at the direction of the spoon/pen/knife scale people.
Cut it badly and nobody wants any of it. Talk it up with all of them first.

 

[Stew]

Do you actually have it down off the tree yet?

 

[dennydrewcook]

no thought I'd save it until I know what to do with it


Denny 😊

 

[Stew]

Presumably it's your tree then.

 

[dennydrewcook]

yes because stealing is wrong, very wrong 😊


Denny 😊

 

[Stew]

It's also worth thinking about what you will do with the rest of the tree that you'll have to cut off from above the burr. Don't want it to go to waste.

 

[dennydrewcook]

I was thinking I'd just make spoons , harvest the bark. I've got more uses for the wood but wouldn't want a huge burr like that to go to waste and I know I wouldn't make a very good job of it. hmm decisions decisions.


denny 😊

 

[Stew]

Also, the bur maybe smaller than you think - looks like quite thick bark

 

[dennydrewcook]

ah never thought of that, maybe just leave it to grow, do they grow with the tree or just stay the same size?


denny 😊

 

[Fraxinus]

I think you can say they outgrow the tree..........

The trunk is top middle of pic, the rest is burr.
Whatever you decide I hope the wood gets used in a manner befitting its beauty.

Rob.

 

[petrochemicals]

I think you can say they outgrow the tree..........

The trunk is top middle of pic, the rest is burr.
Whatever you decide I hope the wood gets used in a manner befitting its beauty.

Rob.

Just to give me an idea. Is that prime burr or patternless stuff Rob, and if so how much of it is patterned? It looks like there is the tree and the burr has two distinct areas, inner and outer, and the whole thing is debarked. The stain is very very dark on the photo.

 

[Fraxinus]

It is eucalyptus so the colour is as it is, though it may have gained deeper colouration over the 20 something years I have owned it. It is a horizontal slice thru' the whole tree and came from Australia.

Rob.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

One thing to consider if selling is the cost of royal mail postage. the burl is very dense. I cut a few pieces off a burl I had and anything over 1 1/2" thick was over 2 kilos and the postage 2nd class went from £4.89 to £13.75!!!

 

[Stew]

One thing to consider if selling is the cost of royal mail postage. the burl is very dense. I cut a few pieces off a burl I had and anything over 1 1/2" thick was over 2 kilos and the postage 2nd class went from £4.89 to £13.75!!!

You need to look into couriers. Much more cost effective for heavier bits.

www.interparcel.com