Maple Logs

[Dansmith]

I also cut a couple of boards with my bandsaw. The boards are drying now. Will see in a few months what they do.

Did ya seal the end grain?

Not yet. Thanks for the reminder. What do you suggest for an easy to obtain sealer?

[swampgator]

Dan, as Brenda clearly suggested, remove the pith of each trunk and branch. If not, it will cause the wood to split with no control. If you cut that out, you have more control. Another thing that I have learned is to remove the bark or put the wood in a tight container to keep out the borers. A little fly likes to bury eggs under the bark and then borers start using up your wood.
I have heard and tried to use latex paint to seal the ends. I can testify that I have not had it to work. I had to throw away several small trunks of pear last year. If you can find something like Anchorseal, that will be an excellent seal and it is a bit expensive. Wishing you luck.

Steve, the old Florida gator

[Hobbyman2]

A few tips

Keep in mind this time of year the logs should be full of moisture , drying may take a while ,

my target moisture content is around 6-8% , Lately I have stood the shorter logs on end and let gravity help draw out some of the moisture before I cut them.

Any thing with a moisture of over 20% I usually let set around for few months ,

What i cut this year is fro next years projects , the wood above was cut 2 years ago , it has settled down around 6% moisture content and been that way for some time ust laying around the garage.

I use the SS when possible to make boards , then run them through the table saw to get a fairly straight edge and then a planer.
I did these to show the son in law how things used to be done ,we made a few small boxes and these were left over ,,

According to the Amish fella,,,, the best time to cut is mid summer and let dry ,cut into boards in the fall ,,,

it takes around a year per 1" of thickness to get to 6% if kept in dry place ,,,,
over 2' double it in years .

When i can,,,, I put the lumber in the attic to dry , seems to do well.
Also debarking it will help,,also gets rid of bugs.. .

I have used boiled lyn seed oil with good results ,,, 4 or 5 coats on each end .

my father in law used to put small pieces in his microwave and dry it if he was in a hurry .



I have saw'n off slices around 2 inches thick from maple tree and sealed the back side with lyn seed oil with no splitting .

The biggest issue with splitting the logs by hand is knots and wood grain where a branch or limb was .

The SS is much better for making lumber from the small stuff.

Good luck

[Hobbyman2]

Dan, as Brenda clearly suggested, remove the pith of each trunk and branch. If not, it will cause the wood to split with no control. If you cut that out, you have more control. Another thing that I have learned is to remove the bark or put the wood in a tight container to keep out the borers. A little fly likes to bury eggs under the bark and then borers start using up your wood.
I have heard and tried to use latex paint to seal the ends. I can testify that I have not had it to work. I had to throw away several small trunks of pear last year. If you can find something like Anchorseal, that will be an excellent seal and it is a bit expensive. Wishing you luck.

Steve, the old Florida gator

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Good post

Good information!!

[beeg]

I also cut a couple of boards with my bandsaw. The boards are drying now. Will see in a few months what they do.

Did ya seal the end grain?

Not yet. Thanks for the reminder. What do you suggest for an easy to obtain sealer?

What Swampgator suggested. But since ya haven't yet, it might be to late.

[Dansmith]

Depending on size, it may be possible to split the logs then cut them to size. Or even turn them into lumber. It is possible to cut with a saw but it takes a while. I used to wedge the log with smaller branches to prevent rolling when cutting even with a chainsaw. I have also seen places that will rent tools that carry chainsaws and splitters as an other option. If I remember correctly the center pith is removed when cutting for bowl blanks so splitting the logs will be required at some point.

Thanks, Brenda.

[Dansmith]

Dan, as Brenda clearly suggested, remove the pith of each trunk and branch. If not, it will cause the wood to split with no control. If you cut that out, you have more control. Another thing that I have learned is to remove the bark or put the wood in a tight container to keep out the borers. A little fly likes to bury eggs under the bark and then borers start using up your wood.
I have heard and tried to use latex paint to seal the ends. I can testify that I have not had it to work. I had to throw away several small trunks of pear last year. If you can find something like Anchorseal, that will be an excellent seal and it is a bit expensive. Wishing you luck.

Steve, the old Florida gator

Thanks Steve. I intend to get on that today, if its not too late. By the way, is there an easy way to remove the bark on wet wood?

[swampgator]

Well, I am kind of new to this process and so far I have used only a hatchet or hand ax. Removing while wet can be tuff. But careful chipping with one of these tools is just time consuming. I would be happy to find an easier way. Looking forward to your projects. I have a piece of dogwood in process now. Hope to get to it this weekend. Will be sharing pictures soon.

Steve, the old Florida gator

[thunderbirdbat]

I have used draw knives for this. I believe this is the way it was done in the past.

[Dansmith]

Thanks Steve and Brenda. I learned alot from this thread. It is much more complicated to make my own lumber than I anticipated.