Good burl wood is so fucking expensive. This guy probably paid a small fortune for that piece.
My dad finds them at his hunt club. He helps maintain the property and no one else cares if he takes them.
A large enough piece to turn a bowl is worth hundreds. Burl wood is inherently weak. It usually gets sliced into veneer for maximum shekel extraction.
If he has a good supply he could support himself sourcing it. The slants deliberately infect shitty native trees to produce it but it's garbage quality. Real burl wood of any decent quality is worth a lot of money.
He's retiring and is doing this to fill his time as a hobby, so I don't think he'll sell them. But you're right, he could make a lot off of them. Right now he's enjoying the process of creation and gifting.
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