Keeping walking sticks from cracking

[Hugh]

This might be old hat to some of you, but I thought it worth posting. I am carving a walking stick for a customer. I am out, of dried walking sticks, so went and cut a green stick, peeled it, and scraped it quite clean. Afer drying for a few days,behind the wood stove, the proverbial end cracks started appearing , I carved a spirit face, and oiled it, hoping the oil would stop the end cracks, and it would go no further. Well it didn't. I drilled a 1/4" hole in both ends of the stick,(deep) and filled the holes full of tung oil, several times now, and it has never cracked anymore. The holes can be easily plugged and I'm hoping this will be a method of using green wood. Any opinions, has anyone tried this????

[Colin-Partridge]

Hugh it makes sense to me because wood dries from the inside out thats why it cracks. The natives used to hollow out the inside of their carvings to stop them from cracking as well. I never dry my wood by the wood stove dries out too fast I just carve mine green and then seal it with with varnish and leave it to dry outside I have never had any problems with them cracking. The ones I brought into the house I find did crack.
Colin

[Hugh]

Now thats useful information, thanks

[KettleKarver]

Wood cracks, in part, because the sapwood has a higher moisture content than the heartwood causing them to dry at different rates. This creates stresses within the wood.
Wood looses moisture through the ends of the fibers faster than from the sides. That's why sealing the ends provides some relief from cracking. Some checking on the ends of a log should be expected.
Removing the pith and some heartwood, as Colin indicates, reduces some of the internal stress, reducing cracking.
Regardless of how crack-free a log is after drying, it might still crack when carved. Carving can remove material that was providing an equilibrium to the internal stresses. Once the material is removed the stresses exceed the strength of the remaining stock and it cracks.
This might be more than you wanted to know but I hope it helps.

Jim

[Mitchell]

I have used Pyntacryl (sorry - not really sure how it's spelled) with success. It can be purchased at Woodcraft. I don't think they can ship it however.

Anyway, I have also covered the carved area with saran wrap for a few days after carving. This seems to help.

Mitch