Suggestions for drying logs for furniture

[tboarder2602]

Hey guys,

First time posting in the milling forum, I'm normally checking out the firewood area. Got a few questions hoping someone can help me out with.

I got 2 real nice red oak logs given to me for firewood, but they are too nice to burn. The bigger log (main trunk) is about 10' long and 40" diameter at the base and tapers to about 36" on the small end. It's perfectly clear with no branches, crotches, or visible knots. The second log is nice, but has a few crotches from branches that came off the main stem at 90 degrees its a little longer, with probably 6 feet before any imperfections. They have been cut for approximately 6 months and are still whole with most the bark intact and some minor checking on each end.

I've always been interested in log furniture and such, and I'd like to save these logs to try some projects with. I have a good friend with a woodmizer so I plan on having him cut me some nice slabs to make table tops with. Also I'm going to take the larger diameter butt and cut a few discs off of. My plan with these is to turn them into round table tops, for a poker table, coffee table, etc.

Now here's the questions:

1. Whats the best way to dry these logs without a lot of checking/cracking?

2. Should I cut the discs now or wait til the whole log is dry?

3. And if I cut the discs now, I've heard you need to coat the exposed wood ends with wax or some sealer to let the wood dry through the bark. Any ideas/thoughts/tips on this or what to use?

As always any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[BobL]

It's perfectly clear with no branches, crotches, or visible knots. The second log is nice, but has a few crotches from branches that came off the main stem at 90 degrees its a little longer, with probably 6 feet before any imperfections.

I don't know anyone who has had success with large rounds. They generally split a few days or weeks after they are cut. I have heard of people trying to stop them from splitting by drying them in wet sawdust underground for a couple of years, or putting them underwater for a year and then drying them out. They then may last 3 days, months or a year or so after you put your heart and soul into construction - and then they split. Lets as forum members to post pictures of intact rounds and see how many we get.

BTW some people call "imperfections", "features".

 

[mtngun]

First off, you should seal the ends of the logs ASAP. There are special sealers you can buy, but latex paint or aluminum roof paint are better than nothing.

In general, it is better to saw the logs sooner rather than later.

Once the boards are sawn, stack them neatly with stickers between layers. Maybe weight down the top boards to discourage warping. Keep the boards out of rain and sun. A shed is ideal, a tarp is better than nothing. Boards will probably take 2 years to dry, so if you don't have a place to stack the boards for 2 years, that's a problem. Most of the hobby millers on this forum have a drying shed or wish they did.

As BobL said, lotsa luck keeping the rounds from spltting into several pieces. Some people have done it -- severe checks are unavoidable, but if you are lucky it may at least remain in one piece. You might try keeping a snug ratchet strap around the circumference as it dries. Haven't tried it myself but hear it is better to cut the rounds diagonal to the grain instead of perpendicular. A diagonal cut will also give you a longer table top.

 

[mtngun]

BTW some people call "imperfections", "features".

Some people will pay extra for those "features."

 

[Sawyer Rob]

You need to saw those logs ASAP, and then properly dry the lumber... I agree with "end coating" them, but if the logs are that good, do it right and use Anchorseal!

I'd get that woodmizer over there ASAP.

DM

 

[Hddnis]

I was wondering if anyone has tried slitting the middle of a round, like you would cut a pizza, to relieve stress. My thinking here is that if done right you could end up with a round intack on the circumference and a pattern in the middle.


Thoughts?


Mr. HE

 

[Q-Saw]

HDDNS - Interesting idea. You might be able to fill the saw kerfs later with strips of contrasting wood or a mix of epoxy and pigment (the pigment is solely for contrast and aesthetics).

TBOARDER2602- Red oak will tend to dry fairly quickly. In fact, if it dries too quickly, defects (aka "features ) such as checking can severely degrade the wood. Try to keep your lumber stack (i.e. stickered 1x & 2x) out of the wind and sun, but don't wrap it so tight with a tarp that you create a sauna and create a mold situation. Slabs will be a different story.

Anchor seal on the log ends is the best move, and do it as soon as possible after the logs are cut. As for the rounds, soaking in a polyethylene glycol solution (PEG - similar to the compound in anti-freeze) while the wood is green will stabilize it and reduce or eliminate checking. The problem is you need to submerge the disc in the PEG solution for quite a while, and it works better if the solution is heated. Bowl turners use this regularly for working green wood, but I question the practicality of using it for a table-sized round slab.

One last note: you may want to consider kiln drying, as the temperature in the kiln will kill of any critters present in the log.

Good luck.

- Marty

 

[tboarder2602]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I will try to saw them up soon. As for the rounds, I guess I'm going to try the PEG solution and let you know how I make out.

 

[wavefreak]

Is the problem with rounds splitting because of shrink rates are uneven or shrink amounts are uneven. If the rim shrinks more in the end then it will always crack. Since I'm thinking the direction of the shrinkage is along the ring and it is proportional to the length, then the outer edges will alway shrink more and end up cracking.

 

[Q-Saw]

WaveFreak - Yes, you are right; the majority of the shrinkage is tangential as opposed to radial, and this is what causes the radial cracks you see in the end of a log. Shrinkage along the grain is virtually non-existent.

I'll try to be brief - wood can be somewhat forgiving of the forces created as it dries and shrinks. However, if it dries too fast, it can't adapt to the internal stresses without cracking. Also, the larger the piece, the more forces and stresses that will develop.

The PEG, on the other hand, replaces the moisture within the wood cells. That's why it works best with green wood (it needs to have moisture to replace). Think of it like taking out the moisture in a wood cell and replacing it with wax. There is then no "drying" of the "wax", and so then there is no shrinkage of the wood cells. No shrinkage = no cracking.

I hope this helps and is not too confusing.

- Marty

 

[BobL]

. . . . As for the rounds, soaking in a polyethylene glycol solution (PEG - similar to the compound in anti-freeze) while the wood is green will stabilize it and reduce or eliminate checking. The problem is you need to submerge the disc in the PEG solution for quite a while, and it works better if the solution is heated. Bowl turners use this regularly for working green wood, but I question the practicality of using it for a table-sized round slab.

The british maritime museum in Portsmouth are misting a mix of water and PEG onto about a third of an old (Henry VIII's Mary Rose) warship that has been submerged in mud for 500 years. The ship is bolted to a large wall and enclosed by a huge transparent plastic screen. Maybe you can set up a similar minaturized version using a couple of small shade house misters?