how to preserve my cedar from cracking- freshly milled

[summit583guy]

just got some red cedar logs milled that had a diameter of almost 7feet and were in lenthgs of 12 and 24 feet from a job we just did. Anyways I had one plank milled that is 3'' thick, 28''wide & 12ft long I want to cut it in half and make a table top that is 56'' by 6ft. The plank is currently in our aboveground basement where there isn't much sunlight. Ive put it on 2x4 stickers that are space about 12 inch's apart and a blanket over top. Is there anything else I can do to prevent it from cracking? The logs have been sitting for about 45days and they were just milled today. Should I paint the end of the plank?

 

[landroverbill]

Put some weight on it, keep it out of the sun, and not too much wind. Yes, paint.

 

[dustytools]

A few coats of latex paint or Anchorseal on the ends. In my experience Red Cedar had been one of the more forviving species when it comes to air-drying. It tends to stay very flat with minimal checking.

 

[Coalsmoke]

I was under the understanding that you only needed to seal the ends of logs until they were milled because with the bark on they wouldn't dry out evenly?