The Burl

April 2025

Every year about this time Spring fever would hit and I’d start the Spring burl hunt while most are searching for morels. 

I tackled this chore by air, land and sea.

About 13 years ago in March I was about to hop in the plane to fly out to get the lodge opened up for Spring Bear and get some firewood drug in for the next year. I always primarily used birch, so it had to be brought in early split and stacked to be seasoned all spring and summer. Just before leaving, a gal friend of mine whispered in my ear that no one had ever made anything for her and asked if I’d make her something.

Not really considering myself particularly creative, the pressure was on.

I had no idea what I was going to make her. When bucking up a downed birch I rolled it over and there was a burl. The light bulb went on and I thought I’d try making a bowl. It being the first one, I used every tool I had to try and gouge it out. Needless to say it was a pretty rough first draft. It ended up looking like an upside down ball cap. Pretty ugly and bulky. But I saw potential for other ones and started experimenting with them.

I’d try double and triple bowls, shallow tray type. I even had one shaped like a peanut that I carved into a nut bowl.

Friends would see them and said that they’d really liked to have one and the next thing you know I ended up giving them away to whoever would like one, not really seeing the value. I was just having a great time digging into these things and refining them as I went along. I’ve ended up shipping these silly things all over the world.

I’d carve bowls, crib boards, cutting boards, etc.

I always really enjoyed breaking into them and exposing the beauty hidden inside.

The burl that started it all. Bowl #1:

I’ll be spending May break up at the ole homestead this year and doing the first search I’ve done in quite a few years to put some Burls from tree to table.