# going rate for walnut burl



## jimmyjames

I received a call this morning from a tree services that I've gotten some logs from in the past and he said he has a walnut burl that measures 51" diameter and 59" tall, the trunk diameter under the burl is 26" and above is 22", so a pretty large burl, he says the bark is bumpy, I'm going to go look at it on Saturday to take some pictures of it and see what it looks like. What's the going rate for something like this? I know buying burls is a gamble and I could open it up and its just plain old walnut wood with a weird growth pattern... but it could be spectacular? Hmmm I'm guessing the burl weighs in the neighborhood of 1000 pounds. The guy sells logs and is a logger as well so what would be a good offer for it?


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## Kevin

If he's requesting that you make the offer it may be that he has no idea what a burl like that is worth. I don't really either, but eyes or no eyes I would be foaming at the mouth to get it. I would def gamble because even without eyes it's got to be pretty. Something that big isn't going to be plain Jane. Have you bought logs from this guy yet? Tree services generally sell them very low eh. If you've dealt with him before and he's easy going tell him it's a big risk but you'll pay a couple hundred for it. I don't see how you can lose there unless the thing is hollow inside and you'd know that if it was (wouldn't weigh much).


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## jimmyjames

Kevin said:


> If he's requesting that you make the offer it may be that he has no idea what a burl like that is worth. I don't really either, but eyes or no eyes I would be foaming at the mouth to get it. I would def gamble because even without eyes it's got to be pretty. Something that big isn't going to be plain Jane. Have you bought logs from this guy yet? Tree services generally sell them very low eh. If you've dealt with him before and he's easy going tell him it's a big risk but you'll pay a couple hundred for it. I don't see how you can lose there unless the thing is hollow inside and you'd know that if it was (wouldn't weigh much).



Yes ive dealt with him in the past, hes given me yard tree logs for free, ones that he would haave to pay to take to the dump, in the summer he runs a tree service and in the winter he has logging equipment and harvests walnut, hickory , oak and pecan trees. He got the burl from a yard tree. The guy is pretty smart and knows the going rate for saw logs and knows about figured lumber, im scared hes going to want a boatload, he does alot of dealing with walnut veneer log harvesting as well.


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## Treecycle Hardwoods

jimmyjames said:


> Kevin said:
> 
> 
> 
> If he's requesting that you make the offer it may be that he has no idea what a burl like that is worth. I don't really either, but eyes or no eyes I would be foaming at the mouth to get it. I would def gamble because even without eyes it's got to be pretty. Something that big isn't going to be plain Jane. Have you bought logs from this guy yet? Tree services generally sell them very low eh. If you've dealt with him before and he's easy going tell him it's a big risk but you'll pay a couple hundred for it. I don't see how you can lose there unless the thing is hollow inside and you'd know that if it was (wouldn't weigh much).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes ive dealt with him in the past, hes given me yard tree logs for free, ones that he would haave to pay to take to the dump, in the summer he runs a tree service and in the winter he has logging equipment and harvests walnut, hickory , oak and pecan trees. He got the burl from a yard tree. The guy is pretty smart and knows the going rate for saw logs and knows about figured lumber, im scared hes going to want a boatload, he does alot of dealing with walnut veneer log harvesting as well.
Click to expand...


I buy logs from a guy who does something similar to what you describe. Only difference is he is also a wood worker and has a sawmill right on his property as well. I bought a large oak burl off him last year (42" diameter) and paid $300. I would say if the guy is easy to deal with on other transactions he will be on this also. I would venture to guess he will let you look the burl over before forking over any cash? Cory (aka burlguy72) did a cool thread in the classroom section. Part of what he went over was looking for defects, frost cracks, etc. Read thru that thread if you havent already then go take a look at the burl and make a deal on it that works for you and the tree guy. The worst that can happen is you pass on the burl because he wants to much and look forward to future deals with the guy.


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## manbuckwal

jimmyjames said:


> I received a call this morning from a tree services that I've gotten some logs from in the past and he said he has a walnut burl that measures 51" diameter and 59" tall, the trunk diameter under the burl is 26" and above is 22", so a pretty large burl, he says the bark is bumpy, I'm going to go look at it on Saturday to take some pictures of it and see what it looks like. What's the going rate for something like this? I know buying burls is a gamble and I could open it up and its just plain old walnut wood with a weird growth pattern... but it could be spectacular? Hmmm I'm guessing the burl weighs in the neighborhood of 1000 pounds. The guy sells logs and is a logger as well so what would be a good offer for it?



Is this an English Walnut tree with Black Walnut graft and if so, is the burl located in the graft portion of the trunk ? if it is, it could prove to be quite spectacular, especially if it has pins all over it and quite pricey. Certainly worth looking at firsthand  .


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## DKMD

Sounds interesting. I'd check with Greg at Oregon Burls about pricing for something like that. To me, it's worth less whole than it would be split in two... After the first cut, you'd have a much better idea about possible rot and/or insect activity as well as the figure.

I saw $1/lb listed on a forestry forum thread... I googled 'walnut burl by the pound'.


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