Hakea Burl

[Seventh Wood]

Hi,

I dug up two Hakea root burls while clearing a fenceline inthe Adelaide Hills and after about 15 years of seasoning, I finally cleaned up all the rocks and grit and cut one in half. The faces have not been sanded and have been finished in end grain sealer. The burl diameter is about 250 mm. The figure is great but different to eucalypt burls - with the texture more like silky oak. I do not yet feel confident enough to try turning a bowl from one and I will probably take a slice to make a box lid before I do.

Cheers

7th wood

[thefixer]

What else can I say but "you lucky bugger"

Cheers
shorty

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Took the words straight outta me mouth! :D

[Ad de Crom]

Lucky guy, maybe nice for a natural edge bowl?
Ad (full of envy) :D

[robutacion]

Hi,

I dug up two Hakea root burls while clearing a fenceline inthe Adelaide Hills and after about 15 years of seasoning, I finally cleaned up all the rocks and grit and cut one in half. The faces have not been sanded and have been finished in end grain sealer. The burl diameter is about 250 mm. The figure is great but different to eucalypt burls - with the texture more like silky oak. I do not yet feel confident enough to try turning a bowl from one and I will probably take a slice to make a box lid before I do.

Cheers

7th wood

Hi Seventh Wood,
Quite honestly, I don't think that I've never seen or heard of it. How does the tree look like? I'm curious because you seem to be in my "general" area, even tough Adelaide Hills are huge indeed!
Anyway, that's my kind of wood (old treasures), and I don't mind a bit of digging (sort of speak:wink:) or more, of what you get off the ground, of what was once a tree...!
Maybe you are not too far from me, and decide to come for a visit and bring the "samples", I reckon we could do something out of it...!:;:D

PS: You can bring some with the "all the rocks and grit", I don't mind...!:U:q

I've just checked where Sevenhill SA is, bugger, is a long way from me, unless you have a airplane! (160 km + as the crow fly), shame...:(

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[artme]

:)(:)(:)(:)(.

Hakea is a tree related to the Grevillias. Often sold as Woody Pear.

I love 'em but garden smartypants Don Burke once described it as th worst possibl tree to have! Shows what he doesn't know.

[Rum Pig]

Good score :2tsup::2tsup:

How on earth can you wait 15 years before you even have look at somthing like that:no::no::no:

[Seventh Wood]

It is good to see the interest - I only wish that I had more of the burls.

The hakea is Beaked Hakea (hakea rostrata), which is a woody shrub that grows to about 2 m high. The main trunk would only be about 75 mm thick, but below the ground they have this big burl. They are very common in the Adelaide Hills. Have a look at http://www.communitywebs.org/BandicootValley/species/hak_ros.html for more.

To the other replies:

I reckon a natural edge bowl would be great, but the way the trunk and roots branch out from the burl make it hard to get a continuos natural edge. I give it a try.

How come it has taken me 15 years - you gotta let them ripen havn't you? I have been accumulating bits of interesting wood for years with a view to turning and other woodwork - it is my recent retirement that has let me get on with the intersting stuff!

Wish I had more to share around

Cheers,

7th Wood

[NeilS]

Nice burl. I have Hakea rostrata on my place but none are anywhere as big as that one!

Have fun.

Neil

[rsser]

Nice haul.

The only bits of H. that I've turned had the same strong rays as the Casuarina and Grevillia I know. They had spekky dusty red bark and cream heartwood.

Got some H. Salicifolia shrubs growing in the yard. A weed apparently, but the only things that thrive in the crap soil.

[ptc]

Drooling !