What to do with this small burl

[macca2]

I was given this small (about 220mm) burl and don't know what to do with it.

Should I try to and turn a small bowl etc, which seems to be a waste, or should I fit a clock into it and make a wall clock.

Any suggestions please.

Thanks Macca

[ptc]

would make a good B/S box.

[Wayne Blanch]

I had a very similar one a while ago (maybe slightly larger). (It was Red Mallee) All I did was turn a flat base and then hollowed it out to make a bowl. I left the outer rough surface natural.

Because it was Red Mallee the colour was really nice with deep reds to to light tans throughout the turned side, and this contrasted well with the outer unfinished surface.

I managed to spray the walls of the shed with blood whilst making it, those little "horns" on the outside are vicious when spinning at speed.:doh:

If I recall correctly I sold it at a cancer fundraiser for about $100.00 :D so I think I was not the only one pleased with the result.

[TTIT]

....................Any suggestions please.

Tis' the tother side we need to see!!!! A pic of the color and grain and an idea of the thickness would be the main thing needed to get an idea on it's destiny.:;

[tashammer]

you could always make into a hedgehog. Place it flat down and carve or draw a face on the bit sticking out.

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[lubbing5cherubs]

Macca I have the perfect solutions take all the problems right away. Send it to me.:D :2tsup: Or cut it up into pens get lots more out of it..Now I am going to go back to the penturning side. before you biff me. Or go and do some packing:(

Toni

[macca2]

OK, this is the other side. It is approx 75mm thick and 220 across the widest part.

macca

[Frank&Earnest]

My vote is for a bowl about 170 wide and 70 deep.

[ticklingmedusa]

http://www.woodcentral.com/content/vpix_tu/pic146273.jpg


<BIG>this isnt one of mine ( ed Moore, usa ) but i have some burls in my wood stash that are odd shapes and im thinking about doing something similar.</BIG>
<BIG>tm</BIG>

[Frank&Earnest]

I am with Wayne. The double edge is very impressive - but given the size, it would be a very impressive eggcup (pic 1). I still think that a decent size bowl would be a better option (pic2).

[macca2]

I like pic2.
How would it look if turned the inside to the circles in pic2 and left the shape as is. A sort of bowl with wings.
I would leave the outside as is except for a turned base.

[TTIT]

I like pic2.
How would it look if turned the inside to the circles in pic2 and left the shape as is. A sort of bowl with wings.
I would leave the outside as is except for a turned base.Go for it - like this one (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=44879) but smaller (and stronger!):U

[macca2]

I like that. I will give it a shot and hope that it turns out half as good as that did.
Thanks

[woodturner777]

i myself would put through the Bandsaw and cut pen blanks crossed grained and that way you will get some nice pens, too small for me to turn a bowl i like to Turn Large Bowls, regards Robert.

[RufflyRustic]

I've now got two burls very similar to yours, but a fair bit smaller. I was thinking of flattening the bottom, slicing it and drilling/routing/something-ing out the centre of the bottom to make a lidded box.

cheers
Wendy

[macca2]

This is the result of an afternoon in the shed.
Only lost a small amount of skin and a little blood.

Macca

[Frank&Earnest]

I've now got two burls very similar to yours, but a fair bit smaller. I was thinking of flattening the bottom, slicing it and drilling/routing/something-ing out the centre of the bottom to make a lidded box.

cheers
Wendy
Nice idea, it would show the "horns" to their best. "Slicing" through them without destroying them around the lid could be difficult, though. The less destructive way I can think of is cutting the "box" area from top to bottom with a hole saw (or a thin parting tool on the lathe), turning the bottom of the lid, making the box with another piece of timber to match the outside diameter of the hole and gluing it inside the burl, so that from the top the only visible discontinuity in the burl is the width of the thin cut around the lid. Did you have in mind a better solution?

[Frank&Earnest]

Excellent job, Macca! While I bounce ideas around waiting for the #$%^& pieces of the lathe to arrive, you can actually do it!:D Very pleasant results indeed.

[DJ’s Timber]

Nice Macca :2tsup:, it turned out really well

[TTIT]

Well ya gotta be happy with that Macca! :2tsup: Top result - looks very organic - "Crustaceanistic". Worth a green even.:;

[Sebastiaan56]

That looks really nice Macca, mine would have the blood stains on it,

Sebastiaan

[Ozartisan]

Great job Macca!
Was going to post these, but didn't get to take them till this morning.

Similar burl - different approach.

Can you show a pic of the foot of your burl please?

[Wayne Blanch]

Excellent work Macca!:2tsup:

[Wayne Blanch]

Hey Oz, thats a really nice bit of work.:2tsup: Next time I get a suitable burl I might have to give that a go.

[Ozartisan]

Hey Oz, thats a really nice bit of work.:2tsup: Next time I get a suitable burl I might have to give that a go.

Thanks Wayne
That one might even make it into the Gallery when we open!

[rsser]

Good you kept your knuckles. Fearsome things those beasties at speed.

I looked at trying to keep the rough outside on a jarrah burl ... maybe by turning and fixing several finial type feet but decided it would make a stylistic mish mash.

Burls are a design challenge I reckon, if you want to keep some of the natural form.

The pic is red mallee burl that I worked on with Andrew Potocnik. His design choices and most of the turning.

(Gotta laugh, his then modest lathe was just about bouncing around his workshop.).

[macca2]

Here you go OZ.

Just a simple recess for the chuck. I left it unpolished to match the rest of the outside of the bowl.

macca

[macca2]

Here you go OZ.

Just a simple recess for the chuck. I left it unpolished to match the rest of the outside of the bowl.

Nice bowl of yours too..I believe my burl is Yorrel.

As mentioned by rssr, the lathe does tend to want to wander, all though mine is bolted to the bench which is dyno bolted to the floor.

macca

[macca2]

Looks like I have developed a stutter

[Ozartisan]

th-th-th-th-thanks macca!

[ticklingmedusa]

All of those pieces are exceptional. Thanks for showing the results and
the chucking method. My burls are some type of maple from the state of
Oregon and very irregular in shape.
I hope can do it without the spilling of blood.
tm

[Frank&Earnest]

Good you kept your knuckles. Fearsome things those beasties at speed.

I looked at trying to keep the rough outside on a jarrah burl ... maybe by turning and fixing several finial type feet but decided it would make a stylistic mish mash.

Burls are a design challenge I reckon, if you want to keep some of the natural form.

The pic is red mallee burl that I worked on with Andrew Potocnik. His design choices and most of the turning.

(Gotta laugh, his then modest lathe was just about bouncing around his workshop.).

Hi Ern. This beautiful bowl is an excellent example of the stylistic choices we were talking about recently. It is mostly linear but has a little natural edge. In this case my choice would have been to maintain the irregular edge but to turn it to a consistent thickness and shape a "designed" flowing rim line without any "organic" remnants. To use your own words (if I understood correctly): the more well designed and finished the piece, the more the irregularities detract instead of enhancing the piece. Any comments?

[rsser]

LOL. Fair call.

I would usually sit with a piece like this for months. Andrew and I had two sessions to do it. I'm not saying I would have done any better mind you; far from it. But without the natural edge to provide a reason for the irregular outside rim it may have made no sense. We could possibly have bandsawed it off leaving a border of sapwood but this would have been irregular in width. I imagine if Andrew had his head it would have ended up as an assemblage of some sort but his student wanted a bowl ;-}

Attached are pics of an effort of mine where I did try to make rough go with smooth and from that point of view only I think it works better. With other aspects I'm less happy. It wasn't quite centred so the two raw sides differ in size. (ps. the inner rim is too low, and I would have liked to hollow it further but a major crack gave me caution despite being epoxied).

This was the piece about which I mentioned an interest in keeping the entire natural underside in tact. I ended up turning it but leaving two sides raw as the blank was oval.

[Frank&Earnest]

Yep, works for me too. The rough/smooth looks really well balanced. To hazard a guess, I would say that maybe the reason it works so well is that the rough looks more "textured" than "organic". (Like a natural knurling?) Words fail me a bit, hope it makes sense.
Cheers
Frank

[rsser]

Fine textured rather than lumpy? ;-}