Advice needed on cutting/stickering downed tree

[John TenEyck]

Sealing the ends is effective only on fresh wood, cut no more than 3 days prior. The only way for that to help now would be to cut back the "logs" the OP has by at least 6" on each end, more if the cracks go beyond that, after which he would be left with 6", at best. Like Richard, I saw and dry my own lumber, for over 20 years.

John

[Bernie Kopfer]

Sealing the ends is effective only on fresh wood, cut no more than 3 days prior. The only way for that to help now would be to cut back the "logs" the OP has by at least 6" on each end, more if the cracks go beyond that, after which he would be left with 6", at best. Like Richard, I saw and dry my own lumber, for over 20 years.

John, I am curious about your statement that sealing end grain is only effective on freshly cut wood. Not trying to be argumentative but what is the reasoning behind that statement, since it seems counterintuitive. Why would sealing end grain after 3days not slow down moisture loss? In turning we often cannot get to the wood as soon as three days ,but after rough turning it still gets sealed to minimize cracking. (Admittedly a green turned bowl would result in fresh cut wood)

[John TenEyck]

John, I am curious about your statement that sealing end grain is only effective on freshly cut wood. Not trying to be argumentative but what is the reasoning behind that statement, since it seems counterintuitive. Why would sealing end grain after 3days not slow down moisture loss? In turning we often cannot get to the wood as soon as three days ,but after rough turning it still gets sealed to minimize cracking. (Admittedly a green turned bowl would result in fresh cut wood)

If it isn't sealed within about 3 days cracks will form. You may not see the cracks until much later, but they are there, so sealing afterwards won't get rid of them. Yes, sealing later still slows down water loss through the ends of the logs, and may help prevent more cracks from forming, but the ones that already formed will remain and result in lower yield after drying.

Sealing rough turned pieces is exactly the same scenario. If you wait three days, I suspect you'll see cracks and sealing at that point won't make them go away.

So seal the logs right away or throw them in a pond, or seal them after cutting back to fresh wood .

John

[Bill Howatt]

If it isn't sealed within about 3 days cracks will form. You may not see the cracks until much later, but they are there, so sealing afterwards won't get rid of them. Yes, sealing later still slows down water loss through the ends of the logs, and may help prevent more cracks from forming, but the ones that already formed will remain and result in lower yield after drying.

Sealing rough turned pieces is exactly the same scenario. If you wait three days, I suspect you'll see cracks and sealing at that point won't make them go away.

So seal the logs right away or throw them in a pond, or seal them after cutting back to fresh wood .

John

Agree with John. Cracking is always an issue when turning starting with green wood. IMO, it is too bad the OP didn't leave the lengths longer - I always do with my green turning wood tree-trunk halves so I can trim away a few inches on each end before the first turning should I see or even not-see any checking. A problem is that the cracks can be very difficult to see and while you think the wood is crack-free it isn't.

[Rick Potter]

Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I better get to work immediately. No way I can handle any longer pieces, I will need help just to get these on a sled, that isn't made yet. I will be sealing the ends right away, and hope for the best, nothing else I can do now.

I remember seeing a chart showing how to cut a log for the best pieces, but cannot find it. Anybody have one?

Also, do you thing spraying the BS blade with WD40 would keep the blade from getting crudded up? Seems like any silicone from the blade would be removed later when dressing out the boards?? Sounds like I should not use the DC when slicing the logs, right?

Thanks again.

[Bill Howatt]

...
I remember seeing a chart showing how to cut a log for the best pieces, but cannot find it. Anybody have one?

Also, do you thing spraying the BS blade with WD40 would keep the blade from getting crudded up? Seems like any silicone from the blade would be removed later when dressing out the boards?? Sounds like I should not use the DC when slicing the logs, right?

Thanks again.

You are probably thinking of cutting the logs into quarter-sawn pieces. Just Google it, there is a lot of info on how to do it if it meets your needs.
Regular WD-40 doesn't have silicone but their silicone lubricant does. You are probably right about later dressing removing it but probably best to avoid it in the first place.
What is the DC concern about?

[Rick Potter]

Bill...Seems to me wet wood might stick to the inside of pipes or impellers, like it does to the bandsaw and blade.

John...Since you have worked with this wood, what can I expect? Is is nice enough for Jewelry boxes and such, I have never seen it cut to lumber? Hope so, because this is the only one that I have. If it is plain, but not ugly I can deal with that with inlays etc.

Back to restacking and painting ends.

[Jim Becker]

Cutting wet wood on the bandsaw benefits from a band that's designed for wet wood...I recall some specifications around that were on the Suffolk website...the folks who make/sell Timberwolf, but I haven't visited the site in quite a while.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Info on Sweetgum from the wood database https://www.wood-database.com/sweetgum/

[John C Cox]

Aaahhhhh. Sweet gum! Very rowey, interlocked grain wood. Not crack prone at all. In fact, it's often impossible to split the stuff for firewood.

Very bug prone.

First thing, get the bark off and break it down with a chain saw.
You can then resaw the chunks on your band saw.

I would watch for evidence of borers and scrap sections aggressively. You may end up cutting off the sap wood, depending on how it goes.

Get some anchor seal and one of the bug killers listed. Saw it up, douse the wood in bug killer and then coat the ends with anchor seal. From there, you can stack and sticker and let it dry in the shade some place outdoors, away from the house, with good air circulation. I would also lay some tin roof on top of the stacks to keep the rain out.

Sweet gum was traditionally used for produce crates and dunnage. The wood isn't crack prone, but it likes to warp. Grain wise, it's beige, sort of porous, and interlocking.

If it was me... I'd let it season outdoors through a couple summer/winter cycles to stress relieve the wood. Hopefully, that will get the movement worked out.

Best of luck with your project.

[Bill Dufour]

I bet you are glad not to have the little fruits to trip over. My niece calls them covid balls.
Bill D