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Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:47 am
by ohiococonut
Pen turning is another one of my hobbies that I was doing before getting my Shark so I had to learn about drying wood as well.
Painting the ends of fresh cut wood will lessen and most times avoid cracking in logs but it must be done as soon as possible after the log is cut. You may still get cracking on the very ends which is why you cut the log longer than you'll think you'll need. I've used Anchorseal, wax and latex paint. The log doesn't dry faster, it actually takes longer but it stops the moisture from escaping the pith of the wood too quickly which is why it cracks in the first place. As far as how long it takes? Sometimes months or even years depending on the species and the area where you live. I use a moisture meter to tell me then it's ready to cut into pen blanks and then I reseal the blanks again after cutting. That's the basic jist of it but it can be more involved depending on what you're going to do with the log.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 9:20 am
by KarenW
Del is right -- painting the ends doesn't make it dry quicker. It inhibits drying too fast which is what produces the cracks. Lumbered material should also have the ends sealed as soon as possible. The moisture loss is quicker through the ends than throughout the entire board so that's why you seal the ends. You'll still get some cracks but not as bad as you would if the ends weren't sealed. Another tip is when stickering a stack of lumber, place the end stickers as close to the ends as possible. Cracks will run up to the sticker but rarely beyond the sticker.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:30 am
by Keith Hodges
Karen, that's interesting. What does the stickers have to do with stopping the cracks?

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:06 pm
by KarenW
Keith, I'm sure at one time I knew the reason for it but I don't anymore. It's just one of those things I do because I've always done it that way.
I was told by the sawyer many years ago when I bought my first truckload of air-dried lumber to do it that way and it's just stuck.
But the old man was right... I've rarely had cracks run past that first sticker.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:08 pm
by ohiococonut
Moisture loss through the ends of fresh cut boards or logs is due to the fact that it's open end grain and most boards contain a portion of the pith which is the center of the log. It contains the most moisture and when it rapidly escapes it causes the boards or logs to split. When you seal the ends it allows the wood to contract more evenly. The stickers have a tendency to hold moisture because the board is sandwiched between them rather than exposed to open air.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 3:39 pm
by rbuckner
Kevink18 wrote:I cut them and stacked with strips between for about 2 weeks. They will crack some. I also had a guy tell me to cut the logs about 3 ft long and pain ends with latex paint and it will dry quicker with no cracking have not tried this yet so if anyone does let us know if it really works.


Yes it does up until a month ago we had our own saw mill powered by a detroit diesel . It originally was up north in michigan at an amish woodmill. Dad got cancer and he sold it to the neighbor . anyhow i used to paint the ends after i read about it and it did work.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:29 am
by mcsteve
When I first started into cutting my own pieces from small logs and end cuts I experienced severe cracking as the wood dried. My neighbor, a carpenter/carver from way back who works with whole logs, told me to paint the ends for the same reason mentioned already. He said the pith has more moisture and the rapid loss of this moisture is what was giving me the trouble. Also, he advised me to not store my lumber on the shelves in my shop but to stack them in a more open area so air can circulate. When he said this it made so much sense but I had not thought about it. These few simple changes helped me to reduce scrape due to cracking a great deal.

Re: cedar slab carving

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:02 pm
by Jacduck
Nice stuff! Looks like red cedar. If that is the case be aware that the saw dust is toxic/cancer causing. Google wood toxicities and get the chart to stay safe with wood.