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Thread: How to store downed trees for future veneer/turning?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
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    Central Wisconsin
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    How to store downed trees for future veneer/turning?

    I've got a large carport that is currently housing a bunch of pine/oak rough cut wood I got from a guy.

    A major storm came through our town a year ago and my friend lost many many trees. Lots of them were big maples.

    I may have the opportunity to take probably all that I can store for a nominal fee plus my labor.

    That being said i have a few questions.
    1. if these trees have been laying on the ground for a year are they still good? Might be some nice spalting, =) How long does a downed maple tree generally last before decaying too much, or is this just too subjective to even take a stab at answering?
    2. I don't have the ability to move the logs from his place to mine still in full size log form, 8+ foot lengths. Is it better to leave them in manageable log lengths, like 2-4 foot long logs of various diamaters, or would it be better to cut them up now, some in rough boards, some in large bowl blanks, like 12x12x4 for example? or are these too small if they're not kiln dried and i'd be better off trying to leave some in 12x12x48 and then cut that down whenever I decide to turn them?



    Yep, lots of stuff going on in Steffen Land. Probably getting in over my head a bit as usual. My friend is cutting up logs and stacking them, clearing brush every weekend. He doesn't want big machines on his property, but also knows he'll never clear everything out on his own so he can spare some of the wood.

  2. #2
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    Okay so after watching a couple YouTube videos, it looks like I'm supposed to take a cookie of a log that's a few inches longer than the log is diameter. Then cut the p i t h e out of the log oh, and I'll be left with two Bowl blanks. Then am I supposed to seal just the end grain with a product like anchorseal or the end grain and the face of the log?

  3. #3
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    As I recall pentacryl is expensive compared to anchorseal. Should I just stick to anchorseal?

  4. #4
    You might try posing your question in the Sawmills and Kiln Drying forum, located in the woodworking by hand section of SMC.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lloyd McKinlay View Post
    You might try posing your question in the Sawmills and Kiln Drying forum, located in the woodworking by hand section of SMC.
    Ohh, sorry Lloyd. If a moderator sees this could they move the thread, or do I need to repost it?

  6. #6
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    I try to get to the wood very soon after it's been cut. I cut the log longer than it is in diameter. That way you have some waste in case of cracks. Cut it long enough and you can get two bowls out of each half. Then cut the pith out of the center of the log. Take out several inches. Seal the ends of each of the log halves with anchorseal. I usually try to rough turn them within a week or two but I've waited as long as a month with success

    Maple is a very nice wood to turn green. I have 12 rough turned maple bowls drying in the basement right now. Spalted maple is very pretty but it gets difficult to get rid of the tearout. You can get some punky spots too.

  7. #7
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    Peoria, IL
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    Do you have powder post beetles up there? I had one hell of a bonfire after storing rough cut lumber in a barn on my Mom's farm. The boards were ruined, some as wide as 24". Long storage of untreated wood and logs is like candy to bugs. It's too late for your lumber, but use a preventative pesticide with borax in it next time. If logs were on the ground for a year, you'll have a range of critters from boring beetles to termites and carpenter ants. Nature is always trying to reclaim fallen timber.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert D Evans View Post
    I try to get to the wood very soon after it's been cut. I cut the log longer than it is in diameter. That way you have some waste in case of cracks. Cut it long enough and you can get two bowls out of each half. Then cut the pith out of the center of the log. Take out several inches. Seal the ends of each of the log halves with anchorseal. I usually try to rough turn them within a week or two but I've waited as long as a month with success

    Maple is a very nice wood to turn green. I have 12 rough turned maple bowls drying in the basement right now. Spalted maple is very pretty but it gets difficult to get rid of the tearout. You can get some punky spots too.
    Do you have to rough turn the blanks right away. What happens if you wait too long? They get too dry?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Coers View Post
    Do you have powder post beetles up there? I had one hell of a bonfire after storing rough cut lumber in a barn on my Mom's farm. The boards were ruined, some as wide as 24". Long storage of untreated wood and logs is like candy to bugs. It's too late for your lumber, but use a preventative pesticide with borax in it next time. If logs were on the ground for a year, you'll have a range of critters from boring beetles to termites and carpenter ants. Nature is always trying to reclaim fallen timber.
    I don't think we have powder post beetles. I'll look into the pesticide with borax for the rest of my wood that's already dried. Do you spray just around the stack, or also on the stack?

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