Cedar

[Kaledrub]

Hi,

Yesterday a friend of mine cut down a big White Cedar (southern Europe) and gave me two thick logs. The wood is still wet and heavy.
How do I store it? Do I keep it on the shadow or sun? bark or no bark? I really really love this wood and would be a crime if it splitter.

I usually get my wood dry and cut, and I know nothing about "green" wood so please I really need your help...

[mobjack68]

You want it to dry evenly...it has already started drying on the ends where the grain gives up it's moisture quicker. If you don't have access to a commercial dryer or soaking solution??? Plan on waiting or losing some it to splitting/checking.
I have wrapped wet/green chunks in plastic bags to slow the moisture loss. The bag environment will be 100% humidity and that will allow the moisture in the middle to "move" to the cells closer to the ends/edges.

I dried some walnut crotch pieces several years ago using the bag method. Not scientific at all, but it worked. The pieces were bagged/sealed and after a couple of days, I opened the bags to allow some of the moisture to escape. Early on, I was able to pour water out of the bottom of the bag. I continued this process for a couple of weeks...every other day or so. After some time, the moisture loss diminishes, decreasing the need to open the bag as often to allow moisture to escape. I think it took me about 6 months to get the pieces to moisture content that they didn't split/crack when removed completely from the bag.

Be careful....I "lost" one of the bags....got shuffled into a larger pile of logs/pieces and when I found it, almost 2 years later?? It was dry rotted....completely rotted...you could stick your thumb almost to the middle of the piece....

I used black trash bags because I set them out in the sun to speed the process (heat)....the next time I intend to use clear bags so I can see the moisture...

Good luck!!

[Robson Valley]

It might make a difference depending on how large you need pieces for carving.
a) carve it wet, keep it wrapped up and wet, hope you remove enough wood soon enough to ease the drying stresses.
b) take off all the bark, paint the ends, even house paint will do, and keep them in the coolest, shady out door place you have.
c) do as in b. Pick the ugliest face of the logs and run a chainsaw cut right to the core and all the way down the length.
d) do as in b & c. Run a second chainsaw cut down the "ugly side" to take out a big wedge of wood, maybe as much as 1/4 of the log. . . . . totem pole-style.