I don't know much about burls, but I found an ash tree today that looks like it has a pretty large burl on it.
I am not sure it is a burl, but that is what it looks like....some type of irregular growth on the side.
Are ash burls common? Are they a desired type burl wood? I might harvest it since the tree is growing crooked at a 45 ° angle, and it will never make a valuable log.
You are looking for "pin knots" not "onion peel". Pin knots are the best /tightest grain. Onion peel is dense in weight but lacks the fine knots and is just wavy grained layers (like and onion!). Hopefully it is pin knot. I have not seen any ash burl but good luck.
Ironwood
I would say it's not very common to find one on an ash. A lot of ash around here and I have never seen any burl. Sounds like a good find. Most burl seekers here look for maple and yellow birch. But, it could have some really funky grain pattern if you open it up on the mill. I'd say it's a worth while find. I'm not into the burl scene myself, but it could be valuable stuff. :) Any figure buyers around your area?
SD,
I don't know about any figure buyers around here. If it is any good, and since it is growing on my property, I would hope to have a nice large bowl made out of it
Reid,
Say some more about pin knots in a burl. Do you have any pics that illustrate what is desirable in a burl? I can envision what you are saying about onion peel, but is "pin knots" a different type of grain pattern or is it the bird eye's from the knot grain?
I need to go out to the woods tomorrow and take a photo. It might not be a true burl. I will post a pic in situ ( ;D) so y'all can give it a good lookin' at.........
I also have a few funky looking cherries that have growths on them that I assumed were damaged areas that were gum accumulations. They may not be burls, either.
Its fairly common to find burls on the Black ash in our area, all of the ones that I have gotten have been the Bud Burl type (pin knots) not the onion peel type and they make purdy bowls.
I'll try to find some pics, usually so disgusted when I found onion peel burl in the past that I just didn't photograph it.
Ironwood
I jsut finished (today actually) sawing out a barn pattern for a local guy. He had several ash logs. Two of them were Swell butted. Not really what I would call a burl but the grain in these butts went every direction. VERY, VERY, VERY,hard to cut with band mill. blade wanted to follow the grain. One of the hardest things I've ever cut. very pretty lumber but it was only on the bottom foot or so.
Here is the purported ash burl. May be more of a bump than a burl. It is definitely an abnormal growth of some type.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1903.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1904.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1902.JPG)
Is this bump/burl likely to have anything inside that will excite the bowl turners? Reid, it looks like it might be the onion peel thing that you were talking about ???.
Here are a couple of funky looking growths on a cherry tree, both on the same tree.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1900.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1901.JPG)
That last pic shows a lot of gum exudate. Does anyone have any experience with this type of growth on cherry? Not sure that either of these are a true burl, but I have never sawn into one of these growths. Are they worth fooling with from a bowl turning standpoint or should I just leave this tree to produce bird food?
Woodhick,
Root swells at the ground almost always have a short zone of VERY interesting wood. In the words (last words on his death bed actually) of Mr. Weyerhouser (sic)"cuttem low boys, cuttem low" .
Ironwood
The one burl on the BEND will actually be just dense reaction curl, the other is more canker, like will have interesting grain and most likely some rot internally. Not super examples, but none the less interesting in a tree that would most likely never end up a great saw log, a good snag perhaps but not a great saw log.
Ironwood
Your cherry deformity is probably black knot. And I'm sure it forms a burl, but I think the gum all through it might make it tough to use. We have that on about every black cherry up here.
The ash doesn't look like burl. Looks like the tree got broken when it was young, but being ash it's tough to break off like an aspen would do. Might have been run over by a skidder, or a bigger tree rolled over it in a wind fall event. The middle will probably be bad or with black heart. It not a traditional burl.
Since the ash is no good as a timber tree, I will harvest it and look inside that reaction bump/growth to see what it looks like.
SD, black knot it surely is.
Here's a local big old burl off a yellow birch. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery1/albums/userpics/10002/SD_Hayward-YB-Burl.jpg)
Crash Archive Link on Burls (https://forestryforum.com/board2/index.php?topic=426.msg7616#msg7616) ;D
ok, this is the best I can do. Red oak.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11262/Obigoak4.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11262/Obigoak3.jpg)
I recieved a very large red oak burl a few years back. It was of the onion burl variety. It was still very pretty in its own right. Just different from what one would think of a burl (pin knot).
Here is a bowl made from the Red Oak onion burl...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12750/oakburl2.jpg)
A good shot of what was inside...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12750/oakburlopt3.jpg)
Wow, MS,
If that is an onion burl, then I want one ;D. Beautiful bowl! What did you do with the rest of it?
My first though on the Ash was that it had broken and healed over.
But I'm going out on a limb here and saying that when you cut it open, you'll find where there was anonther branch or main stem broken off and healed over.
Really hard to say if it is solid or not, I've seen both.
I would be looking at trying to find something to make using the shape of the log.
It'll be harder to mill, but it can be done.
Then depending on what you find inside, you can change plans as needed.
Danny, I am beginning to worry about you.
I can't believe that in all the years you've been cruisin' the woods you have never come accross a tree derriere before :o
That gives butt a whole new meaning for a tree :D. I am sure that you have heard the term "jump butt". That is where in the logging woods you cut a defective portion, many times a fusiform rust canker in pine, from the butt end of the sawlog to get rid of the defect. Well, that butt will be hard to jump ;D.
I know that just begs for commentary, but I ain't gonna say a thing boys. ;)
A little modification and clarification was in order. Thanks for your sensitivity, Swamp Donkey :).
I am still not seeing what is meant by pin knot looking stuff and onion looking stuff.