What are Burl's worth?
- Thread starter borkon
- Start date
badtothebone
New member
Tough question. They could be worth a lot or very little, depending on how dense and figured they are. Also how solid they are, Some burls are full of cracks and flaws and are not suited for turning. If you have a solid burl you could be into some good money.
Yeah, that as a vague question
Ok,I'm in the woods alot and have seen alot off Burl's but have not paid much attention to them other than they look cool.
Oak,maple,boxelder,ash is what comes to mind.
How do you suggest these are harvested and marketed?
Best to take a pic first before cutting or cut and than take pics?
Ok,I'm in the woods alot and have seen alot off Burl's but have not paid much attention to them other than they look cool.
Oak,maple,boxelder,ash is what comes to mind.
How do you suggest these are harvested and marketed?
Best to take a pic first before cutting or cut and than take pics?
badtothebone
New member
Hi, I would recommend posting some pictures of your burl and we're all here to help you. In general, cutting them off at the base is the way to go, and a long slow drying process is mandatory. If you try to rush the drying process there's a tendency for them to twist and crack later on.
Regards,
Rudy
Regards,
Rudy
It would really depend on the size.
For a rough estimate you can look up what Pen turning blanks are getting for an approximation.
larger would be great for bowls, and even large can be great for tables, night stands, and inlays.
The best case would be a walnut burl that is solid. That could be thousands.
A bowl burl can be 100s but usually under $50.
If you have a good hardwood burl that is large it would be best to check with lumber places for fine woodworking. a really nice burl that could be sliced thin for inlays would be the most lucrative way.
Good luck.
For a rough estimate you can look up what Pen turning blanks are getting for an approximation.
larger would be great for bowls, and even large can be great for tables, night stands, and inlays.
The best case would be a walnut burl that is solid. That could be thousands.
A bowl burl can be 100s but usually under $50.
If you have a good hardwood burl that is large it would be best to check with lumber places for fine woodworking. a really nice burl that could be sliced thin for inlays would be the most lucrative way.
Good luck.
Rocky1
New member
Before you go whacking burls off trees, pick up a can of Anchorseal and a cheap brush or two, anything you expose sawing it off should be sealed to slow the drying process and prevent it cracking. You may want to peel the bark back and seal the outside as well. Some folks may, and probably will, suggest that latex paint works to seal them; in my experience it truly sucks! Anchorseal on the other hand, I have had zero problems with.
Oak burl can be iffy, according to those in the know; occasionally however, they are killer. Box Elder, Maple, and Ash are usually winners. There's no guarantee that any burl is going to be exceptional, UNLESS... It has lots of little limbs shooting out all over it. The little limbs everywhere are indicative of eyes in the burl. The more little limbs, the more eyes; the more eyes, the more character the burl has.
Burls are often sold by the pound, since most are round and lumpy, making it kinda difficult to calculate board feet. Some serious buyers will want to know weight and moisture content, so they can calculate losses on weight as it dries. You can pick up a cheap moisture meter on Amazon, I saw one in Lowes awhile back too. Somewhere around $20 will get one that will give you a reasonable surface reading to offer to a buyer. It doesn't have to be real expensive.
Records help too... date cut, weight at time it was cut, moisture content. Check moisture and weigh it periodically, write your findings down. Most folks won't care; many buying to resaw and resell probably will.
Oak burl can be iffy, according to those in the know; occasionally however, they are killer. Box Elder, Maple, and Ash are usually winners. There's no guarantee that any burl is going to be exceptional, UNLESS... It has lots of little limbs shooting out all over it. The little limbs everywhere are indicative of eyes in the burl. The more little limbs, the more eyes; the more eyes, the more character the burl has.
Burls are often sold by the pound, since most are round and lumpy, making it kinda difficult to calculate board feet. Some serious buyers will want to know weight and moisture content, so they can calculate losses on weight as it dries. You can pick up a cheap moisture meter on Amazon, I saw one in Lowes awhile back too. Somewhere around $20 will get one that will give you a reasonable surface reading to offer to a buyer. It doesn't have to be real expensive.
Records help too... date cut, weight at time it was cut, moisture content. Check moisture and weigh it periodically, write your findings down. Most folks won't care; many buying to resaw and resell probably will.
Rocky1
New member
Didn't think to mention... If you go shopping for Anchorseal, stick with the original formula. While you will occasionally find a favorable comment on the Anchorseal 2, you'll find at least 5 unfavorable comments for every 1 favorable. I haven't tried 2,have only used the original formula, but from what I understand the 2 doesn't seal as well on green logs.
If you're going to go whack a bunch of burls off trees, and need a bunch of Anchorseal, you might want to go direct to their website. It's available in 5 gallon buckets and 55 gallon drums, and greatly reduced prices from what I understand.
If you're going to go whack a bunch of burls off trees, and need a bunch of Anchorseal, you might want to go direct to their website. It's available in 5 gallon buckets and 55 gallon drums, and greatly reduced prices from what I understand.