A Word About Burls

Although their cause seems to be unknown, burls can appear on any kind of tree.  It is said that they are trying to be a branch but mutate and "flow", creating wood without a grain.  Hence they are desirable  because they will not crack or check.  (Checks will occur outside of the burl itself on the trunk part of the wood.)  Native Americans used burls as containers because of their solid and stable nature.

Finding burls has become increasingly more difficult as builders and architects seek to incorporate them in their interior designs.  (Burls as newel posts on stairway railings and as decorative posts.)  I have found the best way to obtain burls is to let it be known to lumber jacks that I will pay for them saving and bringing me the burl.  Pulp mills do not want them.

Carving is easiest when the wood is "green".  It is difficult to know if the burl is solid or rotted until the bark is taken off, and even then surprises can and often do appear.  Carving is an editing process and although the finished art work may appear to be a polished natural form, many imposing decisions have been made to create the final product.  At the same time, it is my desire to keep the organic nature of the original burl.  Nature leads the way.