Story of a Cherry Burl

Cherry burls are among my favorite burls to turn. A customer commissioned bowls from a 14" diameter cherry burl. The following images show the burl and how it was cut for turning two bowls. The plan was to turn two end-grain bowls. Note that there is a small branch in the side of the burl. Click on an image to enlarge it.

The burl half on the left in the third figure above was turned to give a 14" diameter bowl with a live bark edge. The partly turned bowl on the lathe is shown below along with the dried, oiled, and waxed bowls. This bowl has great birdseye figuring and swirling patterns of colors. The patterns have interesting shapes. This bowl also warped during drying to give a nice rippled bark edge.

The burl half on the right of the cut burl was turned to give a 13.5" diameter bowl with a live bark edge. The images below show the burl half on the lathe and the finished bowl. This bowl has two branches in its side. This gives an unusual effect. The burl parts of the bowl show birdseye figuring and swirling patterns of red and orange colors similar to the first bowl. This bowl also warped during drying. The warp seems to have curled the bark edges away from the branches. This is a very interesting and beautiful effect.