I'm planning to carve a rather large buffalo statue out of freshly cut yellow pine tree.I'm concerned about the statue cracking after it is carved.I'm planning on the dimensions being approximately 3 feet by 1 1/2 feet wide with a base carved also from the tree.My question is to whether I should let the chunk cure or to carve the statue green.If it should be cured then what would be the best method:bark on or off?,indoors or outdoors?Chunk roughly squared to size?Any suggestions that you folks could give would be appreciated.

there are a few suggestions I have. If you are going to carve it green then make sure when your carving day is done to cover it with a garbage bag to stop it from dying out. Having said that you can be sure it will crack anyway. Just the dimensions that thick it is sure to crack somewhat. You could have the piece milled cut into 1inch pieces and then lamintate it together that would prevent it from cracking. Even if you air dry it it will crack somewhat, kiln drying the same. Even if you air dry it for some years and there are only slight cracks in it, once you start to carve it and release the pressure it will crack further. You could carve it let it crack and then fill it with wood pieces from the same piece of wood or last but not least you could leave the cracks. It is a tough call but laminating is probably the only way to stop it from cracking compleatly and then there are no garantee's.
Hope this has been of some help but I have had tried just about every thing but nothing stops those cracks in large carvings.
Colin

[Hugh]

This is only one cents worth, can't come up with the whole two cents. Bark off, and seal the ends of the wood, wax, enamel paint , but seal it. This makes the moisture go out through the sides of the tree and not the end. Less Cracking Put a piece of plastic on the ground, then a plank or whatever on the plastic, stand your tree length upright, on the plank, leaned against something, and let it cure. It will crack less and dry quicker and straighter that way. A piece of lumber drys from the outside, leaving the middle wet and twisting, cracking the heart wood. If your going to put a serious effort into this carving, my suggestion is to cure it, the way I described first. Hope this helps