I need help identify a piece of burl that I had setting in my garage for several years. It was nearly 2 feet by 1.5 feet in size and I finally decided to do something with it. After cutting the burl in half it turns out half the burl was pulpy and I could not use it. The rest of the wood has wide grain, is soft, seems wet and is very aromatic. Just walking by the room and the smell hits you. It reminds me of pine but my wife says sandalwood. Below are some pictures to help you identify it. I have two moisture meters, one says 4% and the other says 22%. Based on the feel of the wood there is moisture in it.
This the exterior of the turned bowl after cutting with the pulpy material cut away. No real shavings but lots of flying small material. I sanded with 60, 120 180, 240, and finally 320. All the sand paper plugged up quickly. Soap and water and a tooth brush cleaned it off the paper and rubbing the spinning bowl will remove the sanding buildup there. You can still see a few soft spots going into the wood. Even after sanding there are tears in the wood. What is this wood and can the project be saved? - Archie Patterson
This close up shows some moisture coming out of the wood after years setting in the garage.
This it is the interior of the bowl after sanding with 60 grit. Note the rough bottom of the bowl. The sand paper clogged up quickly.
These are the shavings. Very soft and feel damp but not wet.
A squeeze of the the shavings and they clump. Which explains why the sandpaper plugged up.
