Drying Green QS Wood for Pen Blanks

[donstephan]

After cutting out bowl blanks from several pieces of green honey locust, which has very colorful heartwood, I have some pith-containing cemter slabs 2-3" thick, quartersawn of course, about 16" long. I would like to create some 5 to 6" long pen blanks. Should I leave full thickness and length, seal the ends with Anchorseal, and sticker? Better to rip to 1" thickness first? Better to cut to shorter lengths first? Thanks in advance.

 

[Drewby108]

The most important thing to me would be to cut the pith out +1/4" to each side. That way you avoid the biggest cause of cracks and splits.

 

[Mortalis]

I would think that if you cut it into blanks and then dry, the blanks will cup and curl and not much you can do with them. I would dry the entire slab, then cut the blanks as they should be straight because you cut them straight from a piece of wood that shouldn't move much more than it has during the drying period.

 

[low_48]

I've cut thousands of wood blanks, all from green timber. I cut them 1" square by 6" long. I do not seal the ends. Start the drying slowly. I stack them like a hollow column of Jenga blocks. After a couple months, they either go into my house attic (summer) or on my furnace trunk line in the house. (winter) The only ones I lost to movement were from lightning strike trees.

 

[PenPal]

I stack cut blanks in my roof space with abox fan running 24/7 ,using a separate smasll stack after a while I weigh each week ,when there is no change they are ready,I have done thousands over many year mostly sensitive Aussie burls.