The Burl Shack

Not knot holes

2012-02-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

Here's some interesting places where the bark went right through.

Angles

2012-01-05T21:01:00.001-08:00

Finishing the inside, a section at a time

2011-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

I took a week off work to see if I could finish the toughest part of the inside and it worked out nicely.

The section I'm referring to is the big round burl on the right hand side

It turned out pretty nice, a lot of character and spectacular colour.

2011 photos by Warren Lange

2011-08-20T10:48:00.001-07:00

Warren Lange came around a few weeks ago with his cameras and took over 100 photos. He gave me a couple dvds and some beautiful blown up photos that we now have framed and hanging on the wall. Thanks again Warren, you're a good guy.

Lifting the burl

2011-08-19T20:47:00.001-07:00

I have almost completed the outside of the burl except around the hard places to work, down around the bottom. My Buddy Allan freely offered his help to raise it, so I took him up on it. On July 6th he came over with 4 heavy duty barrel jacks and we lifted it to about three feet. This has made it so much nicer to work on the bottom as well as the inside. I'want to thank Allan for his unconditional help. Awesome!

Giving back to nature

2011-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

The little maple tree in front of my shovel is a seedling from the original. On August 10th/2010 I planted it in the exact location where its parent (the burl) grew. I found it struggling to grow under a thick juniper. As a result of its struggles, the bottom of the stem is twisted and swollen making me think it may develop the same type of character as its parent.

The inside is coming along nicely now, the color and character is amazing.

It's time to get back at er.

2009-10-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Since the spring when the weather changed I really haven't done much to the burl other than clean it up occasionally. Most of my spare time has been spent in the yard, which is another thing I love to do. An American Kestrel family kept me entertained all summer. They are a very aggressive falcon (pigeon hawk) that will attack anything that could become a threat to their young.
I witnessed one intercepting a raven that was flying into the area, the kestrel was kli kli kli ing violently as it flew above it. Then it would tuck its wings in and dive at a very high speed and repeat several times. At one point it appeared to actually have contact because the raven flipped right upside down. It looked shaken, and did not take long to get out of the area.
The squirrels weren't nearly as cocky as they usually are, and there didn't even seem to be as many small song birds around as usual.
We put a bird feeder up and a hummingbird feeder as well that helped attract the little fellas. I moved plants around in my yard all summer and added several new perenials, most of which attract hummingbirds. It will be interesting to see how it works out starting next spring.

But, for now it's time to change my focus back to the burl and that's what will be done. This picture is the area where I'm starting this season, working counter clockwise until the outside is finished, Then, the inside.

A few summer visitors

2009-09-19T11:07:00.007-07:00

Closeups

2008-10-05T08:38:00.004-07:00

Click on photos

Character shot

2008-09-08T20:07:00.003-07:00

Now is that character? or what. Barry and Ken never walk past the burl shack without bringing our little Jack Russel terrier a treat.

Quadra Island

2008-09-01T08:00:00.003-07:00

We found this beautiful maple tree at Quadra Island. It's much younger and still very healthy. But wow, what a beauty.

Visitor, canvassing for the blind

2008-08-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

George was walking past my place when he spotted the burl, and called out to have a look. He's 91 years old and says he's never seen anything like it.

Around the burl shack

2008-08-24T17:26:00.003-07:00

Love bowl

2008-08-24T12:10:00.002-07:00

I made this bowl for my daughter, Becky

photos

2008-08-23T22:42:00.003-07:00

2008-08-22T22:49:00.001-07:00

Pocket piece

2008-08-19T12:53:00.003-07:00

Aug. 08

2008-08-18T16:50:00.004-07:00

The burl is in very nice shape and is coming along just fine. I'll lift it up about 3 feet soon and work the inside this winter. Hopefully in a year it will be ready to display......somewhere.

More of Warrens photos

2006-08-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Where will it go from here?

2006-07-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've now spent several hundred hours removing bark and rot from both the inside and outside of the burl. As you can see in the photos, most of the outside has been sanded and a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine applied for protection.

I expect it will take me at least another year, more likely two years to finish this project. When it's finished there will be no rot left in it, the green wood will be exposed and oiled inside and out. At that time it will be just a large shell no deeper than 4 inches in the thickest place, although it won't look much different than it does now. At that time it will be preserved well enough to be placed indoors if that is the destination.

Where this piece of wood will end up is still unknown, one idea is to display it at the 2010 winter olympics in Whistler. People from around the world would see what BC is made up of. Since the Canadian flag displays a Maple leaf, it seems to me like a suitable destination.

Judging from the response of the hundreds of people that have come to visit the beast, I know for a fact that this burl is a major people draw.

I picture it with lots of large plants aound it, with a waterfall inside it and funky lighting highlighting certain areas.

Another idea is to have it close to the parliament buildings in Victoria, or down at Granville Island.

The answer will be revealed to me one day, and it's very possible it'll be something totally different than what I'm thinking. For now at least, I'll just keep working on it when I get a chance, and pray it will be ready when the time comes.

My wife Paula and I have met a lot of new good friends because of this burl. When it comes right down to it maybe it's meant to stay right here in the yard where it sprouted many years ago.

Photos by Warren Lange

2006-07-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Warren Lange was kind enough to give me three cds full of photos as well as several prints of various sizes. The camera is Warrens labour of love. I'm pleased to have met another good friend at the side of the burlshack.

Thoughts I've never really expressed

2006-07-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking about how beautiful that tree was when it was living in our front yard. The children loved to play around the awesome mystical monster, most of our family photos were always taken around it. The birds loved it, we often would see a family of racoons climbing around it at night. It must of had thousands of spiders and bugs living in it. Sometimes I start to feel guilty that I removed Gods beautiful creation.

The tree was dying a rapid death, ten years ago it was still a healthy looking tree. You'd never guess it was completely hollow right to the top. It wasn't until the leaves started falling before they were to full size that I realized something had to be done. So I had it topped for the second time, I thought I might give it another chance to survive for a few more years.

Where the big old tree was topped the thickness of the wood in some areas of the ring was less than an inch. The thought that there was at one time ten inch branches coming off that thickness of wood is what really scared me. The splalted wood inside the green wood certainly wasn't offering any mechanical support. It got to a point where you could see the house across the street right through the base of the tree. It would only ever get worse.

So, there was two options to chose from. 1. Leave it there, let it rot the rest of the way through. or 2. Remove it.

The first option would feed birds and bugs for many years to come. If it wasn't for the fact that I have another Maple tree in my back yard that is twice the size of this one, I may have made this choice. Not to mention the two Dogwood trees that were being choked out by the big maple in the middle. Combined with the fact that I would be fighting the mess for the rest of my life, it was evident that the other choice was the best.

If a tree like that has to be removed, there are options on how to go about that.
It never occured to me to do anything else, I was saving this beautful creation.

Where it will end up is beyond me at this point. Any ideas?

photos

2006-05-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

A tribute to Peter Donald Murfitt

2006-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's with great saddness that I say that Pete passed away on May14, 2006.

Pete will be missed by anybody that ever was fortunate enough to have known him.

If it wasn't for Pete, the burlshack would never have been constructed. A part of his life is in that burlshack, and it always will be. The quality and workmanship that he put into it is amazing.

I knew Pete for a short period of time, but my time spent with him was like an old friend that I'd known for years. It was humorous, relaxing, educational, and just plain pleasant.

The burl is drying out beautifully now in the burlshack because of Pete. He understood wood like nobody I've ever known, and he knew the importance of protecting it. He offered his help in such a giving way, and stuck with me until the burl was in a safe place.

I'll never forget you Pete, I want to thank you up there with all of my heart. You came into my life and did me one of the biggest favours ever done for me. You're a great friend and will be missed forever. It's an honour to have known you my friend. May the peace of the Lord be with you.

Glen

Shack frame is up!

2006-04-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pete the burl shack is now standing over the burl. I just need to figure out what to roof it with. If anybody knows where I can find some good cedar shake blocks, I'd be happy to find out about it. It seems like a shame to cover Petes workmanship up, but it can't remain just a frame, I'll take care to enhance it with what I do from here on. Here's a few pictures of the building process.

All the local sidewalk superintendents were out for a final inspection so I captured them in the first photo. [smile]

A few of the latest photos

2006-03-08T10:27:00.001-08:00

photots above by Lynn Cowan of Quesnell BC

Shack Plans

2006-03-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I've been fighting to keep the UV rays and rain off the burl with tarps and straps, boards, a ladder, a stool, and anything else I can find. I've looked into those portable temporary carports, just tried to find any possible affordable way to get it protected.

Finally, I realized that the burl would have to be protected with a shack that suits it. A log structure, not plastic or vinyl.

That's when I remembered one of my visitors, Pete Murfitt. He told me he builds portable bandsaw mills, and would be setting up and sawing logs with his latest model. So, I gave him a call.

Pete thought a burl shack was a great idea and immediately offered to help me out. He said he has some joinery skills with logs and invited me to his mill site. I left his shop today excited that the burl shack is going to be built. Pete is not only skilled with joinery, he's a welder, a builder, a logger, a mill operator and a nice guy. He drafted up exactly what I had in mind, figured out how everything would be connected, and worked out a materials list in minutes.

The frame will be 14 feet X 14 feet, with a four sided hip roof. It's designed to dismantle and stay with the burl if I ever move it. The panels will be built with time, but for now at least the burl will have a roof, thanks to Pete.

Giant Birdseye Maple Burl

2006-03-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

This is the photo that I sent in to the newspaper. I would like to thank the Cowichan Valley Citizen for the article called "6000-pound burl unearthed". I was actually just trying to find out how much it would cost to put this ad in the newspaper. The lady I talked to (Shirley) said "It sounds like a story"

Since their story I've had the pleasure of meeting more than a couple hundred very nice people. All them very encouraging and supportive. I've had several offers for help. The Cowichan Valley is full of good people, I'm honoured to live amongst them.

The Victoria Times Colonist published a story of their own called "Giant burl object of Duncan mans love", and the A-channel in Victoria had it on the 5:00 pm news.