LumberJocks
DAILY DEALS 3-Row Ball Bearing Stand  |  Makita Makita Recon LCT203W 10.8 Volt Lithium Ion Impact Driver 2 Pc Kit

How to find and harvest legal burls!

Blog entry by OregonBurls posted 38 days ago 1014 reads 2 times favorited 31 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Hey everyone,
It was suggested that I start a discussion on how to find and harvest burls. Please give your input also.

Photobucket

I don’t deal with straight grain that often. I cut and sell burls for a living so here is what I know.

It is illegal to harvest a burl without permission. of course if it is on your own property you can give yourself permission. What I do is put an ad on Craig’s list saying I want your burls. Most people don’t know what burls are. So you don’t get that many calls. Burls are almost everywhere there are trees. I see them a lot of the times in cities. Where the have been damaged and contiually healed over. If you live close to BLM land you can get a permit to harvest. I dont harvest on BLM. I get my burls from people how are clearing land for building. Note You must get a note from the place of harvest for you to be legel. Sometimes the police will pull you over if they see it and you need documentation.

Photobucket

If you live in maple country, the maple burls like to grow in seasonal creek side or brooks. They like lots of water. So if you are walking thru the woods you need to keep an eye out for them.

They grow at the base of the tree like a big onion or up on the trunk. Don’t mistake a healed over broken branch as a burl. It will also look like a burl. However there is still good figure there.

Photobucket
Normally I have found that if you find one burl there are more. They seem to grow in pocket of the forest. I have found Pine burls, Maple burls, Madrone burls, Black walnut burls; English walnut burls oak burls, Manzanita burls and others I can’t remember. One thing though I live in burl country so I am blessed.
But even if you don’t live in a burl area, when you put an ad in the paper or Craig’s list, people have them in the form of tables or some other form. I bought a red wood burl table at a garage sale that was 6’ long and 24” wide by 3” for $75.00. So you don’t have to always find them in the forests.
I would be happen answer your question if you have any.
Thanks
Greg Dahl
Oregonburls.com
541-450-9499

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com


31 comments so far

View Daren Nelson's profile

Daren Nelson

529 posts in 796 days


posted 38 days ago

I have just networked with local tree services for the last several years…burls grow in town too. They bring me all the ones they have to remove.



-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 38 days ago

Yes Tree services are a great resorce.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View mmh's profile

mmh

1377 posts in 613 days


posted 38 days ago

Nice blog. I look forward to more photos of your finds. Do you know how the spiney maple burl above came out in a project? I spied that earlier when you were selling it, but it looked like it had too many voids for my needs.

I’ve seen some trees locally that have some awesome burls and have a friend who’s on a neighborhood committee to replace the aging cherry trees and may be able to acquire some when they cut them down.

So Hey, do you find burls at a Burlesque? I like them burled, burley guys. }:)~

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

View a1Jim's profile

a1Jim

16514 posts in 468 days


posted 38 days ago

Hey Greg
Interesting Blog .Looks like we are both in the southern Oregon area.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

View Mike Gager's profile

Mike Gager

214 posts in 158 days


posted 38 days ago

i dont think the police would pull someone over for having a burl in their truck around here lol

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 38 days ago

It is a federal offence for the illegel harvest of burl. I have know 2 burlers who have been pulled over and arrested. Poaching is a big deal here in Oregon. I would imagine because we have so meny of them. They are easy to steal.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View Kent Shepherd's profile

Kent Shepherd

805 posts in 177 days


posted 38 days ago

Gee, I wish we had trees in West Texas. I am envious of the access you have to all that wonderfull burl.
Do you ship to Texas?
Great to have you on Lumberjocks.

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

View nmkidd's profile (online now)

nmkidd

379 posts in 64 days


posted 38 days ago

Interesting….....I’ve seen these but didn’t realize they were useful. Good post.

I’m going to go and put on some water to burl to make burled eggs.

-- Doug, New Mexico.......the only stupid question is one that is never asked!........don't fix it, if it ain't broke!

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20518 posts in 713 days


posted 38 days ago

Thanks for the post, Greg. This has been an informative blog.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View cabinetmaster's profile

cabinetmaster

8411 posts in 449 days


posted 38 days ago

Man I wish I could find some of that burl around here. Guess I need to contact a tree service and see if they can get me some. I’m with Kent. Can you ship to NC?

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 38 days ago

You bet. I ship to the East Coast all the time. It is pretty economical also.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View cstrang's profile

cstrang

1200 posts in 59 days


posted 38 days ago

Thanks for posting, im gettideas rushing through my head now haha, no sleep for me tonight.

-- A hammer dangling from a wall will bang and sound like work when the wind blows the right way.

View tinnman65's profile

tinnman65

242 posts in 305 days


posted 38 days ago

Great post, how do you pay for the burls you buy, I would think that “board feet” doesn’t always cut it when sizing small burls. Is there a going rate for them in your area?

-- Paul Sayre Creativity is a drug I cannot live without. Cecil B. DeMille (1881 - 1959)

View Gary's profile

Gary

572 posts in 324 days


posted 38 days ago

What’s the process for drying burls?

-- Gary, DeKalb Texas

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 38 days ago

It is different with each speice. Madrone is a pretty intense process. Maple fairly easy. If you are turning a bowl with maple you just need to rough turn it and let is sit in a cool place for a few months.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View scrappy's profile

scrappy

1576 posts in 321 days


posted 38 days ago

I live in Pheonix, AZ and down one road for an entire mile, 3 out of 4 tres along the road have burls on them.

TOO bad they are not on private land. At least then I might be able to get purmission.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!

View Indiana_Parrothead's profile

Indiana_Parrothead

88 posts in 46 days


posted 37 days ago

Greg, very cool blog. I didn’t realize that burls are that common, they are not around here in southern IN.

-- We are the people our parents warned us about.

View Mike Gager's profile

Mike Gager

214 posts in 158 days


posted 37 days ago

what other uses do burls serve besides making turnings and other woodworking related items?

i mean WHY is it a federal offence? surely a handful of woodworkers out there cutting trees down to get the burls cant be enough reason for a federal law

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 37 days ago

My Understanding of the reason is back in the 80 and 90 and even up into 1 year ago there was a hay day for veneer burls. A lot of the burls were being shipped over seas to veneer plants that were cutting for the European car market. Sometime a burl could be worth $12,000-$15,000. Now that was a large one but never the less. Lots of money. So that encouraged the dishonest people to go onto public lands and harvest them illegally.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View Chris Cunanan's profile

Chris Cunanan

218 posts in 371 days


posted 37 days ago

like everything else, very few mess it up for the rest of us =/....anyways, kinda hard to find big burls down here (although i have not looked that hard i admit, but in general not many big trees come down in mission viejo that aren’t eucalyptus)...i’m not looking for more wood at the moment, as my side and backyards are nearly full lol…just wondering though, what are the shipping rates usually like? u sell per pound wet i assume? i’d be interested in the future for some select gifts/projects…

View stefang's profile

stefang

1635 posts in 225 days


posted 37 days ago

Very Interesting blog. We have a lot of burls here in Norway, but I haven’t gotten any.

-- Mike, American in Norway

View Ken Waller's profile

Ken Waller

40 posts in 61 days


posted 37 days ago

Nice pix of nice burls, Greg. Here in Ontario there a lot of burls, especially maple. Other species include spruce, birch and oak. My favourites include big-leaf maple from the west coast (especially Oregon). I really like turning caps (the first or second slices cut from a large burl) that allow me to leave a natural edge on my turnings. There are a couple on my project page. Sources of big-leaf maple burls seem to be deminishing in Canada especially for caps. Do you ship across the border? Fumigation required?
I have very little luck finding burls, personally, but I do have a lot of people that know I turn them. Spread the word and you’ll be surprised. Give back a turned piece once in a while and you’ll have a dedicated searcher for life.

-- Ken in Sharbot Lake, Ontario

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 37 days ago

I am sure that you have tree service companies. You should call them as see if you can get some from them or offer to pay for them.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View Bothus's profile

Bothus

221 posts in 67 days


posted 37 days ago

Thanks for posting this. I’m gonna start paying attention when I see trees getting cut down around town.

Bothus

-- Professional kitchen designer, amature woodworker.

View cabinetmaster's profile

cabinetmaster

8411 posts in 449 days


posted 37 days ago

What are some of the going rates for burls?

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 37 days ago

It depends on your area. Weather you are purchasing retail or off your neigbor. Where there are lots of burls and poeple know about them you have to pay more.

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View HalDougherty's profile

HalDougherty

81 posts in 128 days


posted 37 days ago

Great post! Thanks for the information. I’m 20 miles from the Cherokee National Forest and there are 640,000 acres of public land. Permits are available to remove firewood. I wonder if any of that firewood is damaged enough to form burls… I might have to check it out soon. Permits are usually available after an area is logged and the loggers always leave crotches, stumps and gnarly wood behind.

-- Hal, Tennessee http://www.first285.com

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 37 days ago

That is a great time to get burls…

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

25787 posts in 1291 days


posted 36 days ago

Some beautiful looking wood.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 36 days ago

I thought that I would put more pics on. Burls are fun!!!~ This is where I use to work. Glad I dont do that any more.
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobuckethtt

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

View OregonBurls's profile

OregonBurls

155 posts in 39 days


posted 36 days ago

Another Great place to look for burls or good figured wood is on the Beach!
PhotobucketBurl Hunting on the BeachBurl Hunting on the Beach

-- Greg, Southern Oregon, www.oregonburls.com

You must be signed in to post the comments.

  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

DISCLAIMER: Any posts on LJ are posted by individuals acting in their own right and do not necessarily reflect the views of LJ. LJ will not be held liable for the actions of any user.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase