Birch Burl Bowl Rough Out

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687
Location
Harvey, Michigan
Had a neighbor, Pete, stop in yesterday with a yellow birch burl and wanted to know if I would like it. Ah….. and that would be a YES! Pete, also a turner, prefers to turn segmented bowls and had no need for the burl. Said a friend had just dropped it off at his house and he thought maybe I could turn something out of it. I’ll give it a try.

The burl was a little over 16” diameter to start but as you can see in the photos it was cut by someone who is not a turner. The burl was very green, no cracks and was actually a little challenging to turn as the direction of the grain was all over the place! Did find a lot of really nice quilting inside and should prove to be a beautiful bowl once completed. The rough out ended up being 13” in diameter and 1 1/8” thick.

I plan to soak it in DNA, wrap and hopefully have it dry enough to finish turn before Christmas. If it turns out as hoped, I plan on presenting it to Pete as thanks for all the wood he has given over the past year!

Birch Burl Rough V1.JPG Birch Burl Rough V2.JPG Birch Burl Rough V3.JPG Birch Burl Rough V4.JPG Birch Burl Rough V5.JPG

Not much to see but all I have been turning for the last month are rough outs. Got to stock up before the snow flies – which is supposed to be tonight!!!

As always – your comments & opinions are welcome!

Thanks for looking! :wave:
 
burls???

how should they be cut properly? i have seen few and left them, but if i knew the right way to cut them maybe family member might end up with one??? Dr Lantry comes to mind i already mentioned a large cherry burl that i have spoken for, its 30"long and approx imatly 20" out from side of tree.. but he hasnt shown much interst since i desribed it:) must they arent desirable:dunno:
 
Larry - if you look at the photo of the 'bottom' section of the burl, second from left - you will see that the burl was cut with 3 different angles. Basically, by the time you turn away all the different cuts you are left with a much smaller turning. It would have better to leave the burl with a little bit of the log still attached, made a straight cut - then let the turner cut to final turning size. No big deal. Just one of those things.
 
I really like the shape it has now. Kind of reminds me of a UFO.

Will it have the same basic shape once it's dried and finished?
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! I appreciate it!

Brent - it is my plan to keep the same basic shape. Initially thought it would make a nice fruit bowl for a table and that vision dictated the form. Should look really nice once finish is applied and all the curl pops! So, it goes on the shelf tomorrow and I'll get back to hollow forms and hope I don't forget to finish the bowl before Christmas!
 
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