Treating fresh cut logs

[Keith E Byrd]

Ok I am a rookie - but trying. I had planned to do some green turning this winter (turning and especially green turning is new for me). So I cut several logs from a tree that blew down in my back yard (box elder with lots of burls, limb sockets etc). The logs were about 4-5 feet long and 8-10 inches in diameter. I went to cut a piece out last night to turn and they were cracked pretty bad - been laying in my shop for 3-4 months.
I suppose my mistake was that I did nothing to treat these logs. I thought that 3-4 months would not be a problem. So I should have treated the open grain with anchor seal when I cut them? How long do the logs last without drying/cracking after treating? When I cut a piece off to turn, do I anchor seal the new cut?
What percent moisture is the wood considered too dry to not seal after rough turning?
If you do not do the DNA soak, I read about, how do you prepare the pieces to dry and how long?
What percent moisture is consider dry for turning?

I apologise for all the questions but I am trying to make my learning curve shorter.
Thanks for any insight.

[GLENN THOMAS]

I never tried DNA, I just seal the end grain with anchor seal and forget about them. Some still crack and some don't, but I lose more if I don't seal them. There are variables in the length of time it takes wood to dry, type of wood, temp, humidity. I think I remember an inch per year but not entirely sure about that. As for the pieces that crack, I just make smaller turnings with them. As you start to stock pile wood you will most likely have a variety of wood in all stages of dryness so it shouldn't be a problem finding something to turn. At least that's how things have worked out for me.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Keith I always seal my log blanks with 2 coats of anchorseal. I also always cut them about 3 to 4 inches longer than the diameter in case they do crack I can cut them back to good wood (2" off each end is usually good). If you don't have anchorseal when I first started I used old latex paint I had left over from painting the house. I gave each end two coats. It worked well but not as good as anchorseal. I used to use the DNA method but now have went to using anchorseal to seal the whole bowl, vase, etc. I put them in a cool dry place on the floor and it will take 6 months to a year to dry. I am working on stocking my supply so as I turn some green there will be some dry and ready to turn. I bought a postal scale that weighs to 55 lbs at the big auction place. At about 6 to 8 months I start weighing them. When they no longer lose weight for at least a couple of weeks they are ready to finish. Out here the wood is generally dry at 5 to 8 percent. Also dry wood can move after finish turning. Not much but for a lidded box or lidded bowl a little is a lot for a tight lid fit.

[Scott Hackler]

plain ole roofing tar will work in a pinch, but really messy to deal with. I use Anchorseal and , yeah it does cost a bit, but its water cleanup and IT WORKS WELL! I usually wait until I am either at Woodcraft or they have free shipping. A gallon last more than you would think.

[Gary Max]

I bring the Anchorseal with me and seal the logs as they are cut.

[Michael Mills]

Hopefully someone with more experience can offer better advice but this is what I have found.
So I should have treated the open grain with anchor seal when I cut them? Yes
How long do the logs last without drying/cracking after treating? Depends on the type of wood and the time of year cut. A log cut in spring/summer will have higher water content than the same log cut in fall/winter after the sap has fallen.
When I cut a piece off to turn, do I anchor seal the new cut? Yes, I leave my logs 4-6’ long for storage and reseal when I cut a section off. If you aren’t turning both sides of the section that day, seal the ends of the half you put back for later.
What percent moisture is the wood considered too dry to not seal after rough turning?
I don’t know if there is an answer to that. I dry to 9 –12% for final turning. If it were down to 12% rough turning I would just go ahead and finish it off. That has never happened to me.
What percent moisture is consider dry for turning? I think it depends on where you are. For me, again, 12% or less. The wood trim in my home (30+ years) is 8-9%. My brother from El Paso took a bowl back with him that had been turned for about a year and just finished with oil.
It cracked in less than a month with their humidity (avg. low 30’s) compared to Charlotte’s of an average of 65-70.

[Keith E Byrd]

Thank you all for your comments - swinging by Woodcraft today on my way home to pick up some anchor seal. From another thread I learned about DNA - think I will try that too and see what happens. I appreciate your insights. Mayby one day I will have a bowl worthy of posting on the site!:)

[Frank Drew]

Keith,

In addition to the excellent advice to seal the end grain ASAP with a green wood sealer such as Anchorseal, something else that helps prevent some cracking is to cut or split the log lengthwise through it's center; that can relieve a lot of the stress that causes cracking.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+1 on cutting the logs in half. Get rid of the pith. I've heard that 99% of the cracks originate from the pith, so getting rid of it helps a lot. Some of our local trees are already cracked from the pith when they are cut, so I just section it through that crack. Sometimes there are 2 cracks....

[Bill Barou]

Keith,
Lots of great advice so far; a couple other things to consider. If you store sealed logs outdoors be sure to protect them from the elements - keep them off the ground, out of sunlight and, if possible, sheltered from wind. Cover them with a tarp to limit exposure to rain. Some wood species if harvested when most saturated, can mold and rot before you get to turn them. Box Elder and Birch are two examples I have had trouble with. Of course some of that deterioration might be desirable; called spalting. Good luck.