I seem to be getting several commissioned projects turning mesquite burls. This is the first year I have turned mesquite burl so it is great to gain the experience with this wood. This wood is very hard and was difficult to cut with a chain saw, but not so difficult to turn. This burl is green with a moisture content of 25%. I trimmed the burl as shown in the first two photos below. The profile or outer shape of the bowl was dictated significantly by the large bark inclusion

I just got a large birch burl shown in the first two images below. The burl measured 20" at the widest and about 8" deep after it was cut from the tree and trimmed for turning. The burl came from the UP of Michigan and was purchased from a logger. I decided to aim for a non-round bark edge. This required placing the base of the bowl on the rounded top of the burl. The first two images show the burl secured to the lathe with a face plate and the live center of the tail stock a