Big Honkin Maple Burl
For years, passing by the big maples on the corner near my house, I've been coveting the burls that grew on them. I even fantasized slipping over in the night with a bow saw.
This summer is the power utility's time to cut back on everything that is near the power lines. They asked my neighbor if he wanted the trees cut back severely (which would have likely killed them) or would he like to have them cut them down entirely at the power company's expense. Well these monsters were a hundred feet high if they were an inch, and being Norway Maples, they were greatly at risk anyway. So he jumped at the opportunity to get them taken down free. The job could have cost him ten thousand dollars or more because they had to be taken down by means of a great crane. Any other way would have been dangerous because of the nearness of high voltage power lines.
ANYWAY!
I had a little talk with the neighbor and he had no problem with me harvesting the burls. Yes, burls, plural. I've never seen such a proliferation of burls on trees standing next to one another. Three big maples, all with fine burls.
Today, we went over there and hacked and haggled until we were worn out, and I got about eight nice burls, but the prize was the one in this picture:
Yes, that's a metal yard stick on top!
This thing weighs about a hundred pounds.
I have no idea, at this moment, what to do with the thing, but I couldn't let him burn it in his stove!
d
For years, passing by the big maples on the corner near my house, I've been coveting the burls that grew on them. I even fantasized slipping over in the night with a bow saw.
This summer is the power utility's time to cut back on everything that is near the power lines. They asked my neighbor if he wanted the trees cut back severely (which would have likely killed them) or would he like to have them cut them down entirely at the power company's expense. Well these monsters were a hundred feet high if they were an inch, and being Norway Maples, they were greatly at risk anyway. So he jumped at the opportunity to get them taken down free. The job could have cost him ten thousand dollars or more because they had to be taken down by means of a great crane. Any other way would have been dangerous because of the nearness of high voltage power lines.
ANYWAY!
I had a little talk with the neighbor and he had no problem with me harvesting the burls. Yes, burls, plural. I've never seen such a proliferation of burls on trees standing next to one another. Three big maples, all with fine burls.
Today, we went over there and hacked and haggled until we were worn out, and I got about eight nice burls, but the prize was the one in this picture:
Yes, that's a metal yard stick on top!
This thing weighs about a hundred pounds.
I have no idea, at this moment, what to do with the thing, but I couldn't let him burn it in his stove!
d