[Dr. Joe]

I'm relatively new to carving but now have a windfall, literally. I live in east Texas and Rita presented me with cedar, ash, pecan, cherry laurel, post oak (a tree famous in Texas history), etc. How do I allow the wood to dry without it cracking beyond useability?

Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Dr. Joe
Nacogdoches, TX

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Hi Doc...have talked to you on stickcarving forum.....I put parafin wax on the ends of the sticks.

[Mitchell]

Look at the section below this thread titled "Similar Threads" (just scroll down). There are many ideas there already.

Be careful with wind-downed trees. The wind may have caused the trees to twist - loosening the fibers. If the trees just blew over, you should be okay.

[Dr. Joe]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll get busy. And a side note, as a result of the storm, a 200+ year old post oak, famous in the history of the Republic of Texas before we became a State, was destroyed. I may be able to acquire some wood from it to carve figures of early Texas heroes such as Austin, Rusk, Houston, and others. Quite a chore, but a great project.

Dr. Joe

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Is that the one in San Jacinto where Santa Ana surrendered?

[wade clark]

Anchorseal, it's an end grain sealer designed for this purpose. Water soluble, paint on, dries to wax. Great product! It's about $15 per gallon and goes a long way, discount for 5 gallon purchase. I buy it from Highland Hardware...just do a search for Highland Hardware and you'll find them.
Congratulations on the find! Huricanes are good for something, but not much!
Wade

[DICK "chipncut" CAIN]

Hi,
I found that a couple of coats of plain old yellow carpenters glue works the best.

Also leave the bark on the piece for the first year.

It prevents it from drying to fast. It takes patience waiting to get dry wood, so stock up on it, & the time will fly by.

Keep on chiseling, Chipncut

[Thor]

Hey! Wade's back.
Hi Wade, how'd the search go?
Ash disappeared while you were gone too, and he seems to have returned quietly today as well.
You both were missed.
Thor

[AlArchie]

Dr. Joe, there are more than a few approaches to drying wood and a lot depends on the size of the tree and what you intend to do with it. Species also has some influence on how you proceed. Small diameter wood (up to 2 or 3 inches, can be dried quite sucessfully by just sealing the ends with, take your pick, shelac, parafin wax, floor paint, house paint, various glues, Anchorseal, etc, as long as the end grain is made impervious to moisture.

If you want full sized logs, use the same process, but expect some splitting no matter what. You pretty well have to figure on incorporating or dealing with the cracks! Some claim that treating the wood with Pentacryl or polyethelene glycol (PEG) can stop any cracking, but it takes a lot of the stuff, and I've never tried it so I really can't comment on it's sucess rate.

If you want carving sized dimentional wood, rip the logs to roughly the size you want. I just use a chain saw for this. Allow about 10% over the size you want on the sides and 25 to 30% in length, to allow for shrikage and checking. Make sure to cut out the heart wood section or expect some more checking from there. Seal the ends with the same stuff you chose for the smaller wood, and set it aside in a dry area with good air circulation. Figure 1 year air drying time for each inch of thickness.

As far as leaving the bark on, this is just my own experience, so take it with a grain of salt......trees with a "porous" or rough bark can be dried with the bark on. Trees with smooth bark, which is more impervious to moisture, (birch in particular, but smooth-barked aspen, and some willows) will tend to rot if the bark is left on due to having warm, moist interior conditions which favor fungal growth.

Sounds like you have a gold mine of found wood available, and the idea of doing historical figure carvings from historically significant trees is awesome! go for it, and good luck with the collection.
Al

[DICK "chipncut" CAIN]

Another thing that can be done for round wood, is drill a hole down through the center or whats called the "pith". It helps to releive the stain & helps speed up the drying process. You'll have to plug it with similar wood when you use it.Chipncut