Milling knob cherry question

[buildmyown]

This would be my first time trying to make something from wood i cut myself. We took down a cherry tree today for a women and its going to be used for firewood (dont shoot me there wasnt much for good wood in this tree) but I would like to keep two of the pieces from the trunk to make an end table for my porch. i dont have any milling equipment but to make the top of the table which is what caught my eye was the end grain of one of the logs. What would be the best way to cut a pretty thick slab and dry it with as little cracking as possable for the table top. What about cutting some square blanks for legs and best way to dry them as well. Remeber I have basic tools chain saw and the like but have a pretty good selection of wood working tools.
Thanks

 

[excess650]

What diameter is this log?

Your best bet for stable wood is to quarter saw it. With an Alaskan you would remove the top and bottom thirds, leaving the middle third to cut into slabs. Now take the top and bottom thirds and make perpendicular cuts to the flat surface to remove the end thirds. Again, slab th remaining center portion.

With true quarter sawn wood, the annular rings will be close to perpendicular to the flat faces of the wood(looking at the end grain).

To dry, seal the end grain with Anchorseal or paint to slow escape of moisture and limit checking. Place the wood somewhere with ventilation, but off the ground, out of direct sunlight, etc. You want the wood to dry quickly enough to not mold or mildew, but slowly enough to not crack excessively.

Your signature indicates smaller saws. Your best bet might be the Granberg Mini Mill if you're not planning on doing a lot of milling. It will allow you to make decent cuts without a lot of investment, and seems to require less power than an Alaskan. http://onlinestore.forestindustry.com/scripts/granbergint/G555B.html

I had some cherry slabs for coffee table tops and needed some legs. I discovered a smallish cherry when clearing for a power line last fall, so ended up with some 8-10" diameter near 16' long. I decided to mill them square, hoping that they would be adequate for the legs. I put them in my shed without sealing the ends, and left them for a couple of months. Later, I ripped and planed some of the wood 2" thick, and it seemed already dry, and with minimal checking.