How do you prep a log?

[MDWine]

OK, now you people have me looking along the roadside and jumping into every conversation where I hear the words "tree", "branch", or "log"!

Now I've found a very nice maple, and a friend tells me that they have some walnut they would provide in exchange for a couple of pens. These finds are downed trees, cut into "log" sections ranging from 12 to 36 inches in length. (I'll stick to the shorter ones because of my back!) The walnut has been down for about 2 years [:0], the maple appears to be perhaps 3 to 6 months?

My questions are these:
If the tree is freshly cut, what is the best method to dry it? keep it indoors? outside in a shelter? Should it be quartered to dry, or kept whole? How long does it need to dry? I would guess it needs to be stickered to some degree, right? Is there any end to this madness?

Any advise is greatly appreciated! (except the one to pull my head outta my ...)[)]

I shoulda remembered to ask Tom while I was over there!

 

[rtjw]

first you get a priority box and fill it as full as you can. Next send it to me. Next I will take the proper care to make sure it is dryed, cut and turned into a beautiful pen!

 

[jrc]

Cut 3/4" X 3/4" as long as your wood and stack them to dry for a few weeks. In a few weeks most of the moisture is gone and you can dry them faster. Cut you blanks, let dry for another few weeks. To test one drill your hole for the tube and wait a few days and see if the tube goes in eaisly, if it's tight the wood has srunk and should dry longer. I have dried 1000's of blanks this way.

 

[tipusnr]

Be sure you have a chain saw or hand saw to make an initial flat cut (round surfaces do not work well on most saw tables. If your log is thin enough you can do the initial cut on a band saw.

I use a jig that is pictured in my photo album to hold moderate size logs to cut them down the center.

 

[whatwoodido]

You can get away with just cutting about 1/2 to 1 inch on each side of the pith, and letting it dry either sheltered outside or seal the end grain and bring it indoors. For wood that has been sitting a while or from a tree that was dying be careful about bring them indoors as bugs like to call them home. If you have no plans other than pen blanks for the wood then I suggest you follow Jim's advice though I would go for 1 inch square, leaves more options for the future.

Drew

 

[JimGo]

Mike, I also have a moisture meter I got from Harbor Freight that you can borrow, if you'd like, to test the moisture content.

 

[Rifleman1776]

To avoid cracking and checking you must seal then fresh cut ends of the logs and small branches. The product Anchorseal from UC Coatings is the standard. Check out: https://www.uccoatings.com/prod_anchorseal.php
Drying time depends on whether you slab the sides, conditions where it is stored, temp., etc.

 

[MDWine]

Thanks everybody...

Since I'm not quite sure about the sizes of the walnut, and I don't really know how long any of this has been on the ground, I'll save most of my other questions until "we" know more.

Thanks for the offer, Jim, I'll keep you in mind.
Thanks for the pictures, Bill!! I got a lot of good stuff from your pictures of tools and jigs! I especially liked the clamps... great ideas there!

Mostly, I'm after pen blanks, but if I can save a few pieces of these for desk bases and small projects, I'd like to do that.

I have recognized that I need a large "rough wood" saw like a chainsaw or bowsaw or something like that. Those maple logs looked big, and I'll bet they weigh a ton!

I get the impression that the walnut has been on the ground for almost 2 years. Does it need the ends coated, and do you think that stuff is available locally? (No.Virginia)

Thanks again, everyone! I'll keep you posted.

 

[Doghouse]

Michael,
End grain wood sealer is available at woodcraft just down the road from you. I used it with my walnut and had nearly no checking. There are a few options available to you.

1. Cut and split the logs in the woods. (split with a ripping chain on the chain saw) Then haul them to your truck. At home leave them in log form or resaw into 5/4" thicknesses. The reason for the extra thickness is that as the wood dries, it shrinks.

2. If you have good access, call someone who has a woodmizer. The woodmizer company will give you some of the local sawers in the area. THis way you can get the wood cut to assorted thickness and leave them in board lenghts. You can cut them up later.

3. cut into logs, wax the ends and bring them home to dry. Let them sit until ready. Yes they will heart check along the pith, but you can work around that. That way if you grow into turning other items, you will have a ready supply of larger wood to work with.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I have already harvested about 10 trees and if you search, you can find my shed of wood.

 

[MDWine]

Excellent! I really would like to do other things too. I love a natural edge bowl!!

My "walnut contact" is out for a week... DARN!
I'm going to go by the maple and take a look at it. I'll shoot some pics for you guys, I know how much you love pictures!

I gotta find someone with a chain saw!