Disappointed in results

[Ken Glass]

Again,
All great ideas to try. I am going to try the coffee crystal method with epoxy this time, and see what the result looks like. If presentable, I will post it for all to learn from. If not, well, Ive got several more Birch logs to try . Thanks again to all who responded.

[Scott Conners]

Your description isn't completely clear, but it sounds to me like you taped paper to the outside of the form but didn't cover the opening. If that's true, then the inside of the piece dried much more quickly than the outside, which could have caused the cracks. I was taught to wrap the entire piece in paper, so that the air can't carry away moisture from any one place, and it has time to work it's way out from inside the wood.