Got Burl?
Part of my more than 3,500 lbs of Easter Weekend 2008 Shipments (and my Packer/Shipper)
AustralianBurls.com
You won't find a larger variety and selection or better quality Aussie Burls outside Australia
Chesapeake, Virginia
757.816.5622
Elmo turning photo courtesy of Robert Pastel
Hi! Welcome to Elmo's World . . . Elmo's so happy to see you . . . Guess what Elmo's thinking about today . . . Ya ta ta ta . . .
BURLS!!! Mmm Hmm . . . Australian Burls!!!
Updated Monday, June 29, 2009 . . .
Please See Important Notes Below (after the quotes). . .
FREE SHIPPING*
*On Domestic Website Orders (Continental US) over $350
10% off International and Hawaii/Alaska Orders over $350 (in lieu of free shipping)
"Tough times never last . . . tough people do."
Zelda
"Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE . . ."
Yours Truly
"Time you don't use; You lose it; You grab every moment you can, before it's gone . . ."
Like No Other Night
.38 Special
It's a troublesome world. All the people who are in it
are troubled by troubles almost every minute.
You ought to be thankful a whole heaping lot,
for the places and people you're lucky you're not.
Dr. Seuss
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
5/31 Of note, I'll be getting in a few non-Aussie burls soon . . . a 112 lb Cocobolo Burl (unbelievably rare), a huge Bubinga Burl that is only the second one my supplier says he has seen, about 400 lbs of spectacular Honduras Rosewood Burl and 100 lbs each of some really nice Coffee Burl and Ramon Burl. I've also made the switch from PC to a MAC, so I'm looking to simplify the maintenance process of this website and, of course, make it more user friendly and supportive of customer needs. Hence, the infrequency of my posts the last two months. I'm struggling to learn the MAC way and how to best edit/update my website since I currently edit in Frontpage and simply transferring it is not possible. But it will eventually be an easier to maintain, more functional and informative website (and better).
3/9 I've annotated what has sold and posted new photos to replace the poor Gimlet ones, etc., I posted last night. I can't say that I've ever quite seen the extraordinary level of interest generated by the OEYG. If you did not get one that you had hoped for because someone bought earlier, I am sorry. I was hoping to turn some myself, but looks like that won't happen - "not that there's anything wrong with that" as they said on Seinfeld. May I suggest looking at the large York Gum blocks I posted here CUT BLOCKS PAGE 2 - York Gum Burl. They're spectacular, work beautifully, and are the same species, though not classified as OEYG.Or take a look at some extraordinary new Gimlet and Corrugata or some of the other terrific burls just received or already in stock. I have some of the best Vasticola and Red Morrel you will find, some fantastic mainstays like Red Mallee and Coolibah and more Aussie Burls that you won't find elsewhere.
3/7 I've taken all photos. As of 7 PM EST I'm processing and getting ready to upload after I put Junior to bed. I will post tonight, just not sure how late I'll be finished.
3/6 I've picked up the shipment today (Friday) and updated the site so that all I have to do is upload the pictures. As of 4:15 PM Friday 3/6, I'm headed out to unload, mark and photograph. I'll be ready to photograph Saturday AM and hopefully start posting early afternoon, Saturday 3/7.
Here are the numbers on what's included, and links to where the new listings start:
SPECIES NUMBERS LINK
Grasstree 3 Grasstree Page
Banksia Pods ~ 75 LF (~ 20 Sold)/5 Whoppers (Sold) Banksia Pods Page
Mallee Base Special order for Steve
Very Curly Minneritchie Aussie Hardwoods/Minneritchie Page
Salmon Gum Burl Slabs 2 Small-Medium Burl Slabs Page
Orange-Eye York Gum Burl 6 blocks, 4 caps OEYG Page
Red Morrel Burl 9 Red Morrel Burl Page 15
Vasticola Burl 1 Vasticola Burl Page 10
Corrugata Burl 15 Corrugata Burl Page 25
Salmon Gum Burl 5 Salmon Gum Burl Page 6
Jarrah Burl Burl 3 Jarrah Burl Page 5
Aussie Redwood Burl 3 Miscellaneous Burls
Ribbon Bark Burl 1 Miscellaneous Burls
Concinna Burl 1 Concinna Burl Page 8
Gimlet Burl 16 Gimlet Burl Page 11
Yorrel Burl 3 Yorrel Burl Page 8
1/23 I cut up some large blocks of York Gum Burl yesterday and some very nice Brown Mallee Burl Blocks. View them on the CUT BLOCKS pages or by clicking on the link below.
CUT BLOCKS PAGE 2 - York Gum Burl
CUT BLOCKS PAGE 4 - Brown Mallee Burl
Cutting York Gum Burl Blocks
1/13 See below. I've finally finished (with the exception of a few odds and ends) processing the DEC 2008 shipment of 7,000 lbs of Coolibah, Red Mallee, Bimblebox, Iron Bark, Brown Mallee, Yellow Box and Red Box burls. I also have another smaller shipment leaving WA on 1/4 with some really fabulous burls, really special orange-eye York Gum Burl and Large Fat Banksia nuts. See the pics posted now on the COMING SOON Page. I expect this shipment in mid-late February.
THE SHIPMENT I JUST RECEIVED
I still have a few to odds and ends to post, but the vast majority is finally posted.
Click on the links below to go to the pages where the new burls start:
COOLIBAH BURL PAGE 4 115 plus new CB
BIMBLEBOX BURL PAGE 1 49 new BB
YELLOW BOX BURL PAGE 2 10 new YB
RED BOX BURL PAGE 2 1o new RB
IRON BARK BURL PAGE 1 9 new IB
RED MALLEE BURL PAGE 15 250 plus new RE
BROWN MALLEE BURL PAGE 10 6 new BM
"I DON'T WORK FOR FREE"
11/15 Several new tabs on the homepage. See the links below to go straight to the pages where new burl postings start. Please note that not all tabs on the home pages are on all other web pages of my website.
10/28 Shipment details (with links in white to take you right there) are as follows:
55 Whopper Banksia Pods (Special Ordered for 2 customers - SOLD)
4 spectacular Aussie Snakewood table bases on the Aussie Snakewood or Slabs and Table Bases Pages
45 vasticola Burls starting on Vasticola Burl Page 6
2 Fluted Gimlet hardwood logs under the Aussie Hardwoods Page or the Fluted Gimlet link
2 large blocks (100 kg total) of terrific York Gum Burl (until I cut them into smaller blocks) on York Gum Burl Page 8
1 spectacular Mallee Root Burl (Special Ordered for a customer - SOLD) on the Mallee Root Burls Page
45 Corrugata Burls starting on Corrugata Burl Page 21
6 spectacular Salmon Gum Burls starting on Salmon Gum Burl Page 6
3 Red River Gum Burls starting on Red River Gum Burl Page 7
2 Giant Mallee Burls starting on Giant Mallee Burl Page 3
9 Aussie Redwood Burls starting on the Miscellaneous Burls Page
14 Concinna Burls starting on Concinna Burl Page 8
39 Red Morrel Burls starting on Red Morrel Burl Page 11
11 Gimlet Burls starting on Gimlet Burl Page 10
9 Horistes Burls starting on Horistes Burl Page 16
12 York Gum Burls starting on York Gum Burl Page 8
2 Gummy Yorrel Burls starting on Yorrel Burl Page 8
CURRENT INVENTORY PAGES . . . If you prefer not to go through every page and see a lot of SOLD indications, please click on the CURRENT INVENTORY link (listed on Page 1 for most burl species) and you'll see a page with teal green background and pictures with notes below (if there's more than 1 burl in the picture) stating what I currently have in stock for that species. As a general rule, I also try to list at the top of most individual pages which burls are still available or if all burls on that page have been sold.
FREE SHIPPING OFFER . . . I've discontinued the 10% discount to first-time website buyers, choosing instead to offer an opportunity for all customers to benefit from a discount . . . I will ship orders for more than $350 for FREE within the Continental US. For AK/HI and International customers, I will offer 10% off your order for orders over $350 (in lieu of free shipping). NOTE - For very large orders please provide a business address with loading dock or be willing to (a) pickup yourself at the local Roadway freight terminal or (b) pay the lift gate fee.
DISCOUNTS . . . As offered above, I am happy to offer FREE SHIPPING (or 10% discount for AK/HI and International buyers) for orders over $350. I think it is a generous discount, available to everyone, and a mutually beneficial offer . . . hopefully eliminating your concern about the cost of shipping and helping me move more stock. Unfortunately, the shipping is not free for me, so I do not offer additional discounts (other than the discounted shipping rates I get for orders less than $350), though I will periodically list specials on the SPECIALS page.
A note about how to best use this site . . . the font I use is Bradley Hand ITC . . . if it appears like Times New Roman on your computer, you likely don't have the font installed (try installing). . . my laptop is a widescreen, so my page size is 1280 x 800 . . . the front and reverse sides of burl caps should appear side by side . . . if not, I recommend changing your screen resolution to best view this site.
HOW TO ORDER . . . Contact me by email jsyvertsen@cox.net or by phone at 757.816.5622 to purchase (or setup a time to visit). VISA/Mastercard and Discover gladly accepted. You may also pay via bank transfer or by PayPal (you do NOT need to be a PayPal member). Of course, I'll also accept cash, or (if I know you) a check.
PICTURES . . . I have to keep picture size and resolution on this site small so page load speed is not annoyingly (any more so) slow . . . if you see something that you think might interest you but you'd like a better picture before deciding, just email or call me and I'll email you a higher resolution picture. I realize the inability to "touch" is an impediment to some people when buying off the internet (Algore didn't think about that when he invented the internet) . . . I take pictures of the burls in RAW format (unless I mistakenly change the setting) so while the pictures are small on the site, I keep high resolution/large pictures (in most cases) in my electronic files (so don't hesitate to ask for a larger picture).
PRICES . . . prices are based on harvest weight (that's how I buy burl from the Australians) and are in line with my competition (or lower than larger wood retailers selling a limited selection of Aussie Burls). Those offering at a lower price are likely buying 2nd or lower grade burls. I buy either SELECT or 1st GRADE burls. Unfortunately, like everything else these days, burl prices and importation costs are being driven up by the outrageous price of oil. That being said, the Aussie burls are still a bargain compared to other burls like Amboyna (70 to 80% cheaper) or Rosewood.
SALES TAX . . . no sales tax for out of state buyers and Virginia residents who provide me with a copy of their state tax ID (ST-10) number or business license. Sorry, but I have to charge VA residents without a valid ST-10 the normal 5% sales tax. Though I'm not required to charge tax for out of state buyers since internet sales are not taxable, be aware that the dirty rotten scoundrel politicians (that's a non-partisan statement) in many states, in their continual efforts to stick their hands deeper into taxpayer pockets and circumvent the laws enacted, MAY charge you a USE TAX when you file your state taxes (as they do in Virginia) each year.
SHIPPING . . . I normally ship by FedEx Home Delivery or FedEx Ground for shipments up to 150 lbs . . . If you're buying less than $350 worth, I get excellent discounted rates. For very large shipments I use Roadway Express. Even if you do not choose to take advantage of my free shipping offer, I get exceptionally good shipping rates (though small packages are billed at a higher $/lb rate).
CANADA SHIPPING . . . While I normally ship by FedEx, I'd be happy to ship by USPS to my growing Canadian customer base if it is more cost effective for you. It may be less expensive to ship by Flat Rate International (if I can fit what you want in one of the 3 different boxes available at USPS - though the flat rate weight limit is 20 lbs for $23.95 for the small FRB and $29.95 for the large FRB). Boxes I recently shipped with 30 lbs of pen blanks in the large FRB were about $62. I'm told by my customers that there are no additional charges with USPS beyond what I charge you. FedEx WAS charging customs/duties upon delivery in addition to what I charged. That has changed since OCT 2008. My FedEx account rep called 10/14 to inform me that all customs/duties will now be included in the rate quote I get. So FedEx my be the way to go , especially for larger shipments. So no more hassles on your end and I'll be able to tell you up front which shipping service is more advantageous for you.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES . . . All wood I buy is fumigated before it leaves Australia. Canadian buyers, if you'd like to purchase, but need a copy of the fumigation certificate (for the Australian Burls), I'll happily supply one with your commercial invoice so you don't have a problem at the border.
There are lots of large and/or irregular shaped burls on this site. Personally, I've found that some of the most interesting turnings develop from the ugliest of burls, so don't be turned off by caps that are not perfectly round . . . just makes for more of an artistic challenge . . . That's not a sales pitch. While the Australian Burls are known for the fantastic color and figure of their heartwood, turnings are far more interesting with contrasting sapwood incorporated. Some species of burl commonly have faults - Red Morrel, Vasticola and Horistes come to mind - this frequently makes for better figure and artistic character (and if you're making a bowl anyway, just makes your job easier).
I want you to be happy with your purchase. Unlike some others who come to mind, I don't buy 2nd grade burls (I buy 1st grade or a limited amount of select grade), unless I specifically OK a particular burl with significant termite damage that I know will not affect what's underneath. Burls are not inexpensive and I would like like to earn your loyal business. To that end, I will provide you a top quality product, at a reasonable price, with, what I hope you'll agree is, exceptional customer service. I'm honest and not looking to have a dissatisfied customer. If for some reason you're not happy with your purchase, please contact me, and between us we'll work out a reasonable solution. If you're happy with your order and my service, please tell a friend!
Lastly, I am the owner of all pictures on this site (and the parent site www.jimsyvertsen.com), or have permission from the owners (Kim Blatt, Cindy Drozda, Harvey Fein, Matthew Hatala, JoHannes Michelsen, Skip Bellock, my Australian suppliers, etc.) to use their images. For those who might feel inclined to "borrow" pictures without my expressed permission, that would be a violation of copyright law. PLEASE DO NOT DO SO.