"Toller" wrote in message
...
I bought 3 cherry burls at an auction.

I roughed one out and it is "interesting". There are voids and places
where the wood is rock hard next to places where it is punky. Needless to
say, it is tough going. The results might be pretty, or they might be
trash; too soon to say, I an not even sure if I can finish it without it
breaking apart.

Is this typical for a burl? Anything to be done to make it easier?


Cherry burls frequently involve folding of more "normal" grain sections
between the rapidly-growing sections. Traps bark, moisture and grit in
there, which leads to the white rot you noticed.

It's like the box of chocolates, turning burls. Just keep repairing as soon
as you detect a fault or be prepared to eat some wood.