300 Burls

Every so often luck comes your way and in this case, it was in the form of a phone call from a man who works in a lumber mill.  Burls are cut off when preparing trees to be sawed into boards at a mill.  Often burls are discarded or burned but fortunately they were set aside until the pile became unmanageable.

Burls are the irregular growths that occur spontaneously on the sides of trees when exposed to trauma, insects or stress.  Most people would think of them as ugly and unwanted parts of the tree but to Brian, they hold the mystery of the forest, just waiting to be discovered on the lathe.  Brian bought the whole load of 300 seasoned burls and has started to turn a few of them.

The burls came in all shapes and sizes and were primarily yellow birch and maple from the Muskoka area.  Brian sorted through the pile, found a dry spot to store them and chose a few to begin to turn on the lathe.  The Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour is two weeks away so he wanted to have a few ready for sale.

Yellow Birch and Maple Burl Bowls

 

The unique characteristics of each burl determine the shape, colour and grain of each bowl.  Brian loves the challenge of finding the extraordinary within the discarded piece of wood, allowing the inner beauty of each bowl to be revealed.

 

Limberlost Woodturning is open for the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour on September 22, 23 and 29, 30 from 10:00 am  to 6:00 pm and we would love to see you. For more information, go to:

 

www.muskokaautumnstudiotour.com



 

Maple Burl Bowl with a Live Edge

 



The Perfect Wedding Gift

Brian had a visit this week from a couple who have recently purchased a cottage in the Limberlost area.  Already they have developed a love for Muskoka forests, lakes and the restorative effects of cottage living.  Markus and Ann were about to attend the wedding of his brother who lives in British Columbia and they wanted to give a gift that was distinctive, organic and artistic.

 



They were immediately drawn to the maple burl bowls and fascinated by the irregular shapes, raw, bark edges and the food-safe smooth finish.  This unique creation from Muskoka, with the warmth and beauty of the forest, is the perfect wedding gift.

Summit Centre Exhibit: Maple Burl Bowl

The art of woodturning begins with a special piece of wood, with the most rare and prized being a burl. A burl is an irregular growth on the side of a tree, characterized by unique and intricate patterns and grain.

Brian was given this maple burl from his sister who has a farm in Wingham. The discarded knob from a dead tree has a new life as a bowl, with unexpected beauty, colour variations and a live bark edge.

Maple Burl Bowl

For more information about the Artists of the Limberlost Exhibit at the Huntsville Summit Centre until April 15:

http://www.artistsofthelimberlost.ca/press.html?todo=viewnews&newsid=93



Maple Burl Bowl

The creation of a special bowl begins with careful examination of a burl, the discovery of the character within, and results in the satisfaction of creating a work of art from nature.



A burl is a rounded outgrowth on the trunk of a tree that forms when the tree ungoes stress such as an injury or fungus.  Burls are prized for the beauty of their rare and highly figured grain.  This sugar maple burl was discarded by loggers in a nearby Bella Lake property as part of a forest management program.  

Brian mounted the burl on the lathe and shaped the bottom of the bowl.  A wide base and a curved lip developed as the burl rotated and Brian carved the profile with his gouge.  The wide wings were maintained and they give a graceful, elegant shape.

The orientation of the burl was then reversed and the chuck was attached to the bottom to form the inner contour of the bowl.  The inside of a burl is always a mystery until the cuts are made. This burl has outstanding colour and figuring.

Brian worked for over a week on the final finishing details of sanding, buffing, and many coats of oil, with exceptional results.  The bowl has a live edge, bark inclusions and rich variations in colour.

The Muskoka sugar maple burl from the forest lives on as a beautiful, natural work of art.