# Need help with burl!



## Outdoormarsh (Mar 23, 2013)

Okay, so I got lucky and found some maple burls up in the woods above my house. I cut the smaller of the two, and then cut it to size on the tablesaw. I then sealed the ends, one with paint, and one with glue, and one I sealed in a bag with a paper towel. Then the last I tried drying in the microwave but burnt myself and realized checks formed on the wood.....

I turned one little piece and it looks exactly like normal maple.... What the heck?! Did I strike out and get a burl with perfect maple figure grain figure?? Is there a special way to cut them?

Also, the larger of the two burls is still on the tree.. I'm thinking of cutting that above and below the burl, then letting it dry and let the ends of the trunk crack as it won't be the burl. Or should I cut the burl into call sized spindles and seal the ends?

If Anyone helps me, this maple could be up for sale soon at a really discounted price!


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## Outdoormarsh (Mar 23, 2013)

I don't have any pictures of the "chunk" I cut off today but I can tell you it had normal bark the same as the rest of the tree.. And cutting it open didn't produce any crazy or cool grain. It hepas a tiny bit of figure.. A tiny bit.. But that's it. How do you know clasify a burl or a Gaul? I've never even heard of that!


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## Kevin (Mar 23, 2013)

David, Joe may have made a typo. Non burl "burls" (bumps on trees that do not produce actual burl wood with eyes) are called nurls, bunyons, and maybe has other names that I am not familiar with but gual is a new one on me.


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## Outdoormarsh (Mar 23, 2013)

Ohh. Hmm, still foreign to me but that helps a lot. Thanks. I think that that is what I got today then.. The tree itself was huge, but this was a really small burl. Or nurl. How can I tell next time?.


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## Kevin (Mar 23, 2013)

Could also be just a branch callous - a place where a branch broke off at one time but it healed over without leaving a rotten hole like often happens. You hardly ever get any interesting wood out of a callous unless it's a huge one.


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## manbuckwal (Mar 23, 2013)

Sometimes burly figure gets more noticeable during the normal drying "aging" process at least I have found that to be the case in some oaks. I don't have any experience with maple tho. IMO if you cut the bigger one, maybe do what you mentioned and leave intact and let it "cure". There's plenty of maple folks here tho that probably know way more !!!


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## ssgmeader (Mar 23, 2013)

Kevin said:


> Could also be just a branch callous - a place where a branch broke off at one time but it healed over without leaving a rotten hole like often happens. You hardly ever get any interesting wood out of a callous unless it's a huge one.



I've heard burls called Galls before and although very similar there is a scientific difference. Here's a good site that sort of explains the differences in Galls, Burls, Cankers ETC

http://forest.mtu.edu/research/hwbuck/hardwood_defects/index.html


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## Outdoormarsh (Mar 23, 2013)

Thanks guys. I have regained my faith in burls!!

You know that exciting feeling when opening up wood to see whTs inside?? Then you get there and it's Sokol disappointing..


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