drying a burl

[Gil Mitchell]

I just got back from the saw mill. :D I had a large spalted red oak burl cut up. 3'x2'x18" thick. cut it into 1 1/16"slabs except one piece I left 3 1/2" thick for turning blanks. My thoughts were to cutthe blanks anchor seal and set aside till i'm ready to turn them. {kind of obvious} The slabs sticker them and add weight on top. {Anchor seal them?} Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks sure would hate to have them check or split I'll try pics tomorow if I can figure out how to reduce the size :confused:

[lou sansone]

I have used anchorseal ... it seems to work pretty good

lou

[Garry Smith]

I've got the same type of situation coming up. Where do I purchase Anchor seal and is the best sealer to use for sealing burls.

Garry

[Jim Becker]

AnchorSeal is available directly from UC Coatings (https://www.uccoatings.com/uccoat.php).

Be sure those slabs are stickered and have weight on them. You can't tell how they will move (or not) because there is no grain direction. Coating with AnchorSeal will help even out moisture loss. You really will want a moisture meter to determine when they are 'ready'...do not assume than any so-called rule of thumb, like the ever-popular '1 year per inch' applies to this or any lumber you may be drying.

For turning, I suggest you leave your thick slab as-is...just coat it and consider using it on top of your pile for additional weight. You don't want that so dry anyway for turning. Pre-cutting turning blanks also doesn't let you work with the wood to find the best orientation, etc. Once you cut them, you're committed, even if that isn't the best use for the material.

[Garry Smith]

Thanks Jim.
Garry