Bagging the Big Burl

Nothing is more exciting for a burl bowl turner than to “Bag the big burl.” It’s not easy, because eyed burls are rare. It’s complicated too. People who see my bowls ask if I walk through lots of woods to find my burls. I don’t, because I’d have to walk through many thousands of acres to find them and even then, I wouldn’t own them or have the right to harvest them. It works better for me to get the word out any way that I can that I pay a fair price and will use these burls well. Sometimes, instead of money, people prefer to trade with me, that I give them a bowl or several in exchange for me getting the rest of the burl. But in most cases, I will offer a payment, depending on the size, species and quality of the burl. When people ask how much, I tend to say, for a 12” diameter Black ash burl, in good condition, I would pay about $50. Bigger burl, more. Smaller, I usually would not even be interested. If the burl is harvested and delivered to my door, I pay a bit more. Other markets probably pay more, and some charge per pound, which I prefer not to. For one reason, I would like people to leave 6-8 inches of the trunk above and below the burl to prevent any cracking into the burl. But I don’t want to pay for that extra length and weight when I pay for the burl.

Here are some photos of some recent cherry burls that I bought. All have a little extra wood above and below. The one on the left is more valuable because it is more sound and uniform, which is more valuable. That means that there are good strong circular shapes that I can use well for my bowls. The one on the right is good and usuable, but less valuable because it has cracks and rotten wood that limit the size of bowl I can turn from it. I like both, but I will pay more for the more sound one on the left.

See my blog on “Harvesting and Selling Your Burl” for more information on what to do with a burl that you have. If you are within 150 miles of the Twin Cities, call me at 701-261-6044 and let’s talk. It’s very helpful if you can text a photo of your burl and include a ruler or yardstick to help me judge its size. Good Hunting.

Black cherry burls, each about 14” diameter, from 8 inch trunk. Note extra trunk wood above and below.

This is a cherry burl, about 12” diameter) that was cut in half before I received it. That can be a helpful way to deal with a burl too large to handle or if the other half is not valuable. It should be cut through the center/pith. If it’s just cut off the outside of the tree (I call that a cow-pie), it loses much of its value.