[bghebert]

A lady that lives near me had a huge 3' diameter Basswood tree (American Linden) cut down, I think the guy who cut it down wanted it for firewood so he cut it into 14" to 16" chunks. He took all the branches, but she said no to the bigger pieces. She's is offering it to anyone who carves. The tree itself is solid, she cut it down because it put resin or sap on her house and she got tired of it. I was thinking of getting some and chunking it up into decoy size blocks and other things. My question is what's the best way to dry these out? should I just leave them out side under a tarp or inside, just out of the sun.

Any help would be appreciated, is this type of Basswood even suitable carving wood?

Thanks for any help you can give

[susieq]

Coat the ends of each piece (end grain) with something....I used melted wax and a paint brush. If you don't coat the ends with something, the wood will split terrible. I also recomend stacking the wood with small pieces of wood inbetween for spacers to keep airflow around the wood and in an enclosed area, you might even want to run a fan on it but it outside that probably wouldn't be needed. I would recomend not leaving it in the direct sun though. A pole barn or carport maybe. You can buy sealers to coat the ends with but if you have old wax candles around, just grab an old (not a good one) pot and heat up the wax, use an old paint brush that you can toss after you're through. You are probably looking at two years drying time, give or take depending on how thick the pieces are....
Lucky you. I hope it works out for you.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

You can always quarter the logs, coat the cut ends and side with "anchorseal" and they dry faster......geez...some people are lucky...when is there going to be a basswood tree farm in Arizona?

[AlArchie]

Those short pieces will in all probability crack pretty badly no matter what you do to them, but by following Dave's advice, you might salvage a few pieces. If you quarter that 30" diameter log chunk, you have eliminated the major stress point when drying wood; the difference in shrikage while drying between the outer layers and the core. No matter what you use to seal the ends, keep a close watch on the pieces and re-coat as soon as shrinkage cracks start to appear. Even with the pieces quartered, the outer areas will dry faster than the inner areas, and shrink accordingly......faster near the outer surfaces and slower near the inner areas. By constantly monitoring the ends for cracks, you can mittigate this shrinkage differential.

Basswood is one of the woods that is prone to early fungal deterioration, too, so strip the remaining bark off as soon as you can. The bark harbors the fungal spores and provides a damp area for it to germinate.

Al

[bghebert]

thanks so much for the help, I beginning to think it's more bother than it's worth, but I'll do what yo have said. The same person has (2) more big tree she'll be taking down sometime soon, I'll get longer pieces next time now that I know the difference.

thanks again

[spanky2]

From My experiance, Have the Logs quater sawn. Dont throw anything away all products of the basswood are good. The slab you end up with can be used by those who like to do wood burning.

For sure end seal your logs, I use anchorseal. As the guys have mentioned basswood will split badly if you dont.
I air dried mine for 12months starting with them outside (protected ) for the spring and summer and bring some inside later in the season, The main thing is to keep them dry and good airflow.
It may apear to be a work and more than its worth, I feel the rewards are worth it.
Good luck

[squbrigg]

Basswood trouble! Perish the thought. Wish I was closer, or I'd show you how to take care of that tree, and the others! Slab them up into rough billits, then wax or seal the ends and stack them to dry with lots of room for air and flat so they don't wharp too much. In a little time, that wood will be gorgeous for carving.

Take you time, the time spent will be worth it.

Bob

[cats pa]

Al is absolutely right about quartering the logs. What that does is puts the big cracks right where you want them. I've had good luck coating the ends with whatever old rattle-can paint you happen to have. Only thing is, it isn't as thick as wax or anchor-seal, so check it more often and reapply if needed.

Now, if the chunks are 14" long, you're endchecks are probly gonna be about 2 or 3 inches deep. That'll leave you 9 or 10 of good wood inside, so you're right about getting longer pcs next time. But me, I'm betting you wanna carve some of it sooner than next year, right? You can, maybe. Since you've got a lot of it, try this.

Split out a chunk 3" square and as long as the chunk is from the bark side of a log. Split it, don't cut it. Peel the bark off, and cut it in half so you have 2 pcs 3x3x7 or so, with the grain running in the 7" direction. Take one of the pcs and put it in your microwave oven on a folded towel for 15 seconds on low power. Does it feel hot? If not hit it another 15 sec. When it feels hot, let it cool down for 5 minutes, examine the ends for checking, and do it again.

I've never done this with basswood, but it works great on cherry burl. I've had carveable wood a week after cutting. Essentially, you're steaming the moisture out of the wood fibers. If you do it too vigorously, the steam will tear the wood apart. Go just until it checks, then use a little less heat on the next pc. Also, a moisture meter helps to monitor the process. Mine cost 35 bucks.

One more thing I'd do if I were you. Make some little carving and give it to the lady with your sincere thanks. Next time, she won't even let the cutter pick his nose without your permission.

Parker

[bghebert]

Some great advise here and your right Parker, I did give her something already, she said I would be contacted before the other two a cut down. I think we're making a deal, I carve her something on one of the remaining trees for the rest of the wood. I think we'll be both happy. thanks so much for the advise