[bill#1]

Barnswallow,

I want to first welcome you to the forum and glad you are in the woods of PA, I find no better place to be...Walnut will test your constitution.but if you prevail you have some fine pieces..Read all you can about carving, I started with E. J. Tangerman, Whittling and Woodcarving, 19yrs ago and with library loans you can get most books for free..Also check around the State College area there should be a carving club that you could at least contact and assist you
if not there is classes at the Cooks Forest Sawmill Center for the Arts west of you..
Respectfully
Bill #1

[susieq]

Greetings Barnswallospirit,
Welcome to the forum. The first thing you must do for the wood is preserve it. It need to be cut in to usable sized pieces and stacked off the ground & under cover out of the weather somewhere, with spacers inbetween the chunks to allow air circulation through and around the pieces. The end grain ends need to be coated with wax to force the wood to dry evenly and prevent cracking and splitting.

The grain runs lengthwise with the trunk of the tree. Cutting across the grain produces pieces with end grain at each end. When you cut the log up, make sure that the pieces are longways with the grain. Then coat the ends of the pieces. This wood will need to cure for two to three years.....maybe longer depending on how thick you cut the chunks. You have plenty of time to learn to carve while the wood is curing out. So, get busy and stack, space and coat that wood...then go off and learn to carve. Should work out beautifully for you. Best wishes