# Red Maple 'burl tree'??



## Karl_TN (Oct 19, 2016)

Recent find on family property. How unusual is this kind of burl tree because it's the only one that I can recall seeing in this area. This red maple tree appears to be burled all the way around and all the way up. It's around a 30" diameter trunk. Any suggestion on the best way to expose any figure (slabs, turning blanks)?





Close up of the trunk, but flash made bark too light in color. Also, the leafless twigs on the trunk makes it appear to be burl, but I'm not seeing pins. Is it possible for the whole trunk be one big burl like this?





Another close up of trunk. Disfigured bark is like this all over.




Sorry, no free samples nor geo-coordinates. Although, I hope to take this down next winter so I should have plenty for bartering when the time comes.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Schroedc (Oct 19, 2016)

@Karl_TN this forum isn't open to replies to prevent pre selling of wood and gauging interest in wood a person doesn't own yet or hasn't processed. From your statement above it didn't look like that's what you're trying to do so I'll move it to the processing area for folks to comment.


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## Karl_TN (Oct 19, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> @Karl_TN this forum isn't open to replies to prevent pre selling of wood and gauging interest in wood a person doesn't own yet or hasn't processed. From your statement above it didn't look like that's what you're trying to do so I'll move it to the processing area for folks to comment.



Thanks..


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## deltatango (Oct 19, 2016)

Burl trees are unusual but certainly not rare. At this point the tree is experiencing accelerated growth and adding new layers each year, hence the term "annual layered burl". This tree will exhibit all manner of burl grain/figure - eyes, swirl, curl, stripe, possibly even some quilt, etc. 

It may be an unusual find for your area. You asked how to cut for best for slabs, grain/figure, etc. Your best method wood be sawmilling. I would recommend NOT felling the tree, because felling can inflict considerable damage to the tree. If you can afford it, the best way to harvest the tree would be to get a tree removal service in and take the tree in workable lengths from the top down. You can take photos, print them out and draw cut lines where you want the tree cut, estimating lengths. Tell them you want no damage to the tree. From there, have them either deliver the logs to a sawmill you can work with, or alternatively, have them brought to level ground where a portable mill can come in.

Check Craig's List in your area - often there are Woodmizer owners who will come to you. Since your tree is burl, just about any way you saw it will yield great results. I recommend sawing first a top cut that will give you caps for turning at least 8" to 12" thick. That way you get the best of both worlds. ?You will be able to see whats inside, then either cut the burls from there, or put it back on the mill and take a slab from the bottom of the cut.
From that point on, you can begin to make slabs, all the way to and past the center, Eventually, you will reach a point where again you leave the rest as a long thick piece that you can begin cutting into turning blocks,

This would be an approach that would get you great wood with the least amount of hassle. Otherwise, you can buck up the log into sections by hand with a long bar chainsaw, then take burls off individually via end grain and side grain cuts with the chainsaw. 

I've had about 15-20 burls trees over 45 years of working with burls that I have harvested. There are many ways to cut and process. Every year you delay cutting means more growth for the tree and burls. It also could mean more rot or infestation if that's currently going on. Left alone, that tree will probably grow even bigger yielding more prominent burls.

The thing to think about, is if you are able to handle it yourself or if you need expert help. First, do no harm to the tree felling it. Second, study the tree well. Third, be sure to have top notch equipment, then begging cutting for your intended uses. Determine what your priorities are - mostly slab based, or mostly burl turning blocks, or the combination of both. Whatever you do, you have something very special, perhaps only once in your lifetime.
Treat it that way.

Reactions: Great Post 3 | Informative 1


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 19, 2016)

deltatango said:


> . Whatever you do, you have something very special, perhaps only once in your lifetime.
> Treat it that way


I so agree with this statement.


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## barry richardson (Oct 19, 2016)

I would take a nice segment and turn it so it is hollow down the pith, and the exterior ( where the best burl figure usually is) is displayed all around. ...... that is, if I were king of that tree lol


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## DKMD (Oct 19, 2016)

Looks like you've got a lot to play around with which is nice. Table slabs would be great if you've got access to any kind of milling equipment.

My experience with burls... Radial cuts(radiating out from the pith) will show rays along the cut surface. Cuts tangential to the rings will show the eyes. In other words, you're a winner either way!


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 19, 2016)

Thanks for the delete Colin, for some reason when I have been posting with my phone lately it has been double posting?


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## Mr. Peet (Oct 19, 2016)

I'd graft a few scions onto some close trees, likely close in genetics and could take, replacing that which you took indirectly. As for felling, I've taken a wagon load of hay bales and nested a tree before felling. Worked well. Returned the bales and paid for the ones I broke. Might want to cash in on part to a wood dealer too, in exchange for other material. We would love to see it stay here and shared amongst the crew...

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Karl_TN (Oct 20, 2016)

deltatango said:


> Burl trees are unusual but certainly not rare. At this point the tree is experiencing accelerated growth and adding new layers each year, hence the term "annual layered burl". This tree will exhibit all manner of burl grain/figure - eyes, swirl, curl, stripe, possibly even some quilt, etc.
> 
> ...
> I've had about 15-20 burls trees over 45 years of working with burls that I have harvested. There are many ways to cut and process. Every year you delay cutting means more growth for the tree and burls. It also could mean more rot or infestation if that's currently going on. Left alone, that tree will probably grow even bigger yielding more prominent burls.
> ...



deltatango,

Thanks for taking the time to write this reply. You've given me several things to think over.

This tree is in a ravine so it might be difficult to bring in any large equipment. Maybe enough room for a 4-wheeler or tractor down, but nothing big like a cherry picker. My plan is to rope/cable the maple tree to some nearby trees in order to control the fall. Then use a 4-wheeler with a trailer to get the logs sections out. Just a little worried about how heavy those logs might be if cut longer than 4 or 5 feet for the mill. Also, I think there's a portable mill in the area so I may pay them to cut the bigger logs up while I tackle the smaller limbs with my chainsaw.

By the way, what part of the country did you find those 15-20 burl trees because I thought burls weren't that prevalent in Florida? I'd like to think a tree like this isn't once in a lifetime find.


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## deltatango (Oct 20, 2016)

Sounds like you have a good plan. Those trees can be awfully heavy , especially with that kind of weight way up top.



Karl_TN said:


> deltatango,
> By the way, what part of the country did you find those 15-20 burl trees because I thought burls weren't that prevalent in Florida? I'd like to think a tree like this isn't once in a lifetime find.



Well, first of all, we're talking being at it for 45+ years, and before that, tagging around with my father in the upstate New York Adirondacks.

We had several burl trees in the Adirondacks - maple and cherry. That was beginning in the late fifties through the late 60's.

Starting around 1972, I found a great maple burl tree in Royalston Massachussets, then a neighbor came and told us about another one.

I have found and harvested 5 Elm burl trees in the state of PA, mostly during the mid 70's.

Found a couple in Vermont, and have had some from Oregon and the state of Washington.

Recently I worked on a big project in Georgia on a pecan burl tree.

So I've had my share of burl trees - I know a little about them. As shown, the trees were in areas throughout the US from east to west.
None in Florida. I forgot to mention a spruce burl tree in Alaska, but I wasn't crazy about it.

So in your area, you might find more, but it takes some powerful lot of looking and "dowsing" and they frequently come by word of mouth.

It all depends on whether you're in the business. I did logging for a bit in New Hampshire and cut a lot of firewood back in the day. Being out in the woods is how they get found, but then comes the getting permission and dealing with all that stuff.

Ultimately, the aerial burl trees are no match for the west coast subterranean burls. They are a better quality and consistency.

Black Ash burls are great but they get the frost cracks. Burl trees have a tendency to be hit or miss. I can tell from the pictures of yours that there are a lot of inclusions that you will encounter. But it looks pretty good. It's not just fully peppered like some are - for example a big leaf maple from Oregon. But it will be great, nevertheless.

BTW, if you're going to fell it with ropes, and it's down in a ravine, I would suggest you cut the tree into hunks/chucks that leave as much of the burl in tact as possible.

Cut the rounds and flip them on end and cut the burls off. With that tree, there's no telling if the center will be figured or not. For sure the outside burls will be.
That's the value. If you can't get a logger in there to pull the tree up and out of the ravine, then you'll just have to do it the hard way. I've done it many times, and it takes a lot of work, I know. By the time you're done, you may ned up leaving a fair amount of the center wood there. If it's not just spectacular, I would leave it if it's really tough to get out. As far as pulling slab length pieces up from a ravine with a 4x4, maybe not so much. But you will know what you can and can't do when you cut it.

One thing you can do, is see who has a Granberg Alaskan chainsaw mill. I used to slab burl trees on site when I couldn't get the logs up and out.
You could haul that thing down there and cut the slabs and haul them out onesy twosey.

My days of doing that kind of thing are over but back in the day, I did a lot of it.

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 1 | Great Post 3 | Way Cool 2


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## deltatango (Oct 20, 2016)

...

Reactions: Way Cool 2


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## deltatango (Oct 20, 2016)

.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 5


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## Jim Beam (Oct 20, 2016)

Great Pics Mark! Thanks for sharing!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## barry richardson (Oct 20, 2016)

Those are some amazing burls! You qualify for the claim "I was hunting burls before burl hunting was cool"

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Karl_TN (Oct 20, 2016)

I have a 30 inch Alaskan saw mill, but my chainsaw (Husqvarna 455) isn't big enough for this tree. I need the money from this tree to buy a bigger chainsaw, but then I need the bigger chainsaw to get this tree processed. Seems I need to buy more tools to work with wood that I need to sell in order to buy more tools. Seems I'm caught in a never ending cycle.

I hoping to roll 4 to 5 foot logs sections up the ramp on my trailer', but I may need to bring them up one at a time if the 4x4 can't get enough traction. I also like Peet's idea of using hay to help protect the logs. Maybe I should use that hay on the way home or to a mill to protect the logs.

By the way, I've seen that last pic before. Is that you in that pic with the burl trees in New England mid to late seventies?


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## deltatango (Oct 20, 2016)

Yep, that's me there in the foreground. 
Why don't you make a sled out of heavy gauge tin roofing? Just roll the log onto the sled and slide it up hill by pulling with 4x4. Surprising how well that works.
Alternatively, you could rig up a trailer that straddles the logs and can be pulled by your 4x4.

Better have a winch!

Hay is going to blow around. Try cardboard boxes for padding when transporting. They fold over on themselves and you can get them cheap or for free.


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## rocky1 (Oct 20, 2016)

Old car hoods work well as sleds also. May have to reinforce them on the back side somehow, so your chain doesn't pull through dragging large logs up the side of a mountain, but I think it's likely doable. Think early to mid 40s vintage with the hoods that were 6-7 feet long. The tapered nose helps guide them, the roll of the hood helps them ease over and around obstacles. Have seen more than one or two car hoods used over the years pulling hay bales through the snow up in ND, actually works pretty good.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## deltatango (Oct 20, 2016)

Now your talking. Great idea Rocky! Is good, is very good.

You could cut the tree in the fall and store the logs under a tarp, preferably off the ground unless you want spalted burls. Then come winter and a good snowfall, rig a big block and tackle or a snatch block to a good stout tree with a couple hundred feet of mountain climbing rope to the car hood with the log(s) tied on. Then from the top, take your 4x4 and hitch onto the rope and just drive down hill and watch the hood and logs come up the hill as you pass it going down. Have someone at top tie it off, then just run the 4 x 4 back up and do it over again until they're all up where you want them.


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## rocky1 (Oct 20, 2016)

Most of them up there, they simply burned holes on each side and ran the chain through. Not much resistance pulling it in snow; they pulled pretty easy unless you found a big rock. Back before scrap iron got so high, there was a few junk cars/trucks on every farm, so it wasn't a big deal if you ripped it in two. 

In an application of this nature, considering what you're trying to do, I'd maybe run a couple pieces of heavy angle the length of the hood and bolt/weld it up fairly solid. Burn the holes in front, run a chain through to that frame, and bolt it up. Try and keep your chains a little low to get some lift on the front of your hood. I'd also consider a few hooks welded along the angle that you could attach a 2 inch ratchet strap to, to tie your logs on, if you go that route. You could bed it heavily with cardboard to prevent damage to the burl, and tie it solid.

Reactions: Agree 1


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