Mike Cogswell
02-10-2012, 7:45 PM
A large tulip poplar tree on my property was damaged this fall when the remnants of a hurricane split it. The tree had matured into a Y shape with two substantial trunks above the Y, which is where it split. I had the tree cut down and cut into 3 1/2 to 4 foot lengths, which were about the longest I could realistically hope to handle by myself. The main trunk below the split tapered from almost 4' diameter at the ground to almost 3' at the split, after it was cut I wound up with a dozen large segments from below the split and about two dozen from above the split that are from 5" to about 10" in diameter.
So, now what?
I hope to be able to recover the wood and use it in future projects. The big pieces were too much for me to get out of the woods alone, so I split them in half. By using multiple wedges in both the sides and the ends, I was able to do a pretty good job of getting clean splits. All the pieces from above the split are still intact.
At the moment they are standing on end on lengths of 4x4 on a concrete pad. They are out of direct sunlight, and under an overhang so they won't get rained on. I sealed the ends with a couple of thick coats of some exterior latex paint so they wouldn't dry out too fast while I figured out my next move.
So, I could use some advice on the next move. And the ones after that!
Should I get a froe and split them into slabs or let them dry a bit first?
When should I remove the bark?
Should I split all the smaller ones now?
Any and all advice is welcome.
Mike
So, now what?
I hope to be able to recover the wood and use it in future projects. The big pieces were too much for me to get out of the woods alone, so I split them in half. By using multiple wedges in both the sides and the ends, I was able to do a pretty good job of getting clean splits. All the pieces from above the split are still intact.
At the moment they are standing on end on lengths of 4x4 on a concrete pad. They are out of direct sunlight, and under an overhang so they won't get rained on. I sealed the ends with a couple of thick coats of some exterior latex paint so they wouldn't dry out too fast while I figured out my next move.
So, I could use some advice on the next move. And the ones after that!
Should I get a froe and split them into slabs or let them dry a bit first?
When should I remove the bark?
Should I split all the smaller ones now?
Any and all advice is welcome.
Mike