English White Oak Burl

Bill Grumbine

Member
Messages
252
Location
Kutztown PA
Greetings all

It has been a while since I posted a picture. A couple of months ago, my tree guy called me to ask if English white oak was any good for turning. I had never turned any, and told him so, but I went on to say that I was sure that if it was not suited for turning, it would certainly burn well! So, a few hours later I and my trailer were on the way to pick up this tree. It was immense, and strained the resources of everyone involved, including a hefty Kubota tractor, getting it on my trailer. As the crew as making their last cuts in the trunk, I noticed a slight bulge at the very base of the tree.

"See that?" I said? "That's a burl."

So they went a little bit above and beyond, or is that below and beyond? They buried a chain in the dirt to get that burl for me. To make a long story a little shorter, here is the result of the first and the largest piece. I've got two smaller ones left, one for the tree guy as a thanks for his dedication to preserving beautiful wood. Without his willingness to cut it out for me, it would have been chewed up in the stump grinder.

englishwhiteoakburl.jpg


I turned this piece from soaking wet to finished thickness all in one shot. The wood was so corrosive I had to stop halfway through and steel wool all the exposed steel surfaces of the lathe and tool rest with WD-40. I had to plow through a prodigious amount of sandpaper too, since I sanded it to finish right away. I suspected it would wrinkle, and it did - like a raisin! However, it was a very nice effect, with the exception of having to re-level the base.

After letting it dry for about a week, I finished it with one coat of Bush Oil and buffed it. Overall size is 9" deep and about 8" in diameter. Thanks for taking a look.

Oh yeah, about the rest of the tree. The wood is very pretty, and is afflicted with ring shake through and through. But it burns well!

Bill
 
That's some pretty stuff, Bill. Nicely done. :clap: I like the story, too...sorry to see the rest of the wood didn't pan out as well as you'd hoped.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone!

Jeff, I turned this on the Vega, which handled it very well. The Robust is coming in about a month. I love my Vega, but I cannot turn spindles on it. I just got some Thompson gouges in, and I have to go over to a friend of mine and use his lathe, since the Vega will only do 17" spindles. That is about how long the handles will be, but I need to drill them too, and I cannot wait for the Robust to show up.

Billy and Vaughn - stories - I have been known to tell them every now and then, and I have found that just about any story will help with selling a piece. Actually, I am not too disappointed with the wood. We heat the house with wood in the winter, and white oak has lots of BTUs lurking inside. :D

Mark and Pete, it is not often that I come across oak burl, and it is almost always a treat, if not the easiest stuff to turn.

Travis, I hear you with swearing off oak. Red oak on my own is never done anymore, and if someone specifies it in a job, I actually increase the price to account for the hassle. White oak is a maybe if it is good looking, and I turned the first piece of black oak ever this past summer, which cut like butter and needed no sanding. But burls are always a different story. I have another white oak piece that I am fairly dreading. It has been drying for about two or three years now, and I am sure it is of the consistency of iron! :eek:

Bill
 
Is there some way I can post a standing "WOW!" for all your turnings? :thumb:
Beautiful and nice save.
BTW, as far as turning oak is concerned, oak is oak and I don't like turning any of it. But, as you say, great firewood.
 
Thanks guys, and Frank, I only post the ones that make it - well, most of the time anyway. I have been working on a goblet for a couple of days now, and cracked wood has been frustrating me to no end. Tomorrow is the start of Number 3. But I appreciate your kind words!

Bill
 
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