Wood Sealer

remind me....

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I don't remember this project. What are you going to do with this log? You mentioned cutting it in half.....lengthwise? If so get on with it before it splits uncontrollably. You might be able to dry a half of a pine log successfully without splitting.

Re: remind me....

Lee Ohmart

Yes, it is going to me cut in half lengthwise on a diagonal to make a sit on cribbage table. My father had one and both of my children want me to make them one. The last log I got I did not take off the bark and it ended up getting eaten full of holes by beetle larvae but it did dry nicely without splitting. My sealer that time was latex paint. This time I got ahold of a bark spud and stripped off the bark. Lacking any Latex paint, I cooked up a different sealer.

Re: remind me....

Yonak

I agree that cutting it in half before drying would help to mitigate splitting and help it to dry faster.

Re: Wood Sealer

John K Jordan

I haven't tried beeswax but it should work ok. The commercial sealer leaves a fairly thick layer of wax. If not much scratches off with a fingernail a thicker coat might be good.

Re: remind me....

Lee Ohmart

My reason to not cut the log in half until it had dried significantly was to avoid splitting of the wood along the table top surface. The log at present is about a foot or more longer than necessary so any end checking could be cut off. I am not concerned should there be any splits on the outside surface of the log as this is not the "working" surface and would only add character to the rustic nature of the table. My understanding is that as wood dries, it shrinks causing stresses that can result in wood movement based on the internal structure of the wood fiber matrix. Since the log is drying from the outside in, the interior part of the log will be supported by the wood closer to the surface thus protected somewhat from wood movement stress. The previous log, while it was damaged by bark beetle larvae, was fairly free of any checking or splitting.

drying mechanics

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Because of the way tree cells are assembled the circumference of the log will shrink about twice as much as the radius as it dries and the cells collapse. As a result "pie shaped" splits will develop around the circumference to relieve the stress of the circumference wanting to be smaller than the radius will allow.

If you split the log before drying the half log may just curl to relieve stress and not split at all.

The rate of moisture loss out the ends is about 10 times the rate through the circumference. This difference is why ends split unless drying out the ends is slowed.

Re: remind me....

john lucas

If I understand you correctly your cutting the whole long diagonally which will include the pith. If you leave it fairly thin, 1/2" or so you could dry it successfully by putting it in a plastic bag and turning the bag inside out every day. It will slow down the drying dramatically but will keep it from cracking. It will dry faster this way than the whole long. The whole log will most likes split and probably not where you want it to. If I didn't read you correctly then Neever mind.