I recently cut some basswood into 2' lenghts. The logs were approx. 6" in
dia. It still has bark on it and I want to eventually use it for caving.
The logs had been drying outside for 2 years. How can I avoid the pieces
cut from cracking? They are now stored in garage. Should you recommend
sealing the ends what should I use and how much longer does it need to dry?

Thks for any responses.

"Dan Jefferson" wrote in message
...
I recently cut some basswood into 2' lenghts. The logs were approx. 6" in
dia. It still has bark on it and I want to eventually use it for caving.
The logs had been drying outside for 2 years. How can I avoid the pieces
cut from cracking? They are now stored in garage. Should you recommend
sealing the ends what should I use and how much longer does it need to dry?

Thks for any responses.


Yes, seal the ends of the pieces and let dry about 1 year for each inch of
thickness. The splitting is caused by the ends drying out much faster than
the inner parts of the wood.

"Leon" wrote in message
t...

"Dan Jefferson" wrote in message
...
I recently cut some basswood into 2' lenghts. The logs were approx. 6" in
dia. It still has bark on it and I want to eventually use it for caving.
The logs had been drying outside for 2 years. How can I avoid the pieces
cut from cracking? They are now stored in garage. Should you recommend
sealing the ends what should I use and how much longer does it need to
dry?

Thks for any responses.


Yes, seal the ends of the pieces and let dry about 1 year for each inch of
thickness. The splitting is caused by the ends drying out much faster
than the inner parts of the wood.

OR -- longitudal splitting in logs is from the outside drying faster than
the inside. It is almost impossible to dry a log without some splitting. You
need to cut them into quarters at the pith line to reduce the splitting.

On Jun 2, 9:31 am, "Dan Jefferson" wrote:
I recently cut some basswood into 2' lenghts. The logs were approx. 6" in
dia. It still has bark on it and I want to eventually use it for caving.
The logs had been drying outside for 2 years. How can I avoid the pieces
cut from cracking? They are now stored in garage. Should you recommend
sealing the ends what should I use and how much longer does it need to dry?

Thks for any responses.

I have harvested quite a bit of basswood for carving. I would say
that if you have had it around for 2 years, it would either be fairly
dry or has started rotting because the bark was left on it. I suspect
that if you look closely at your logs, they have already checked
already, and are liable to have longitudinal cracks. That doesn't
mean its a lost cause. You just might not have as much usable wood as
you thought you did. (a six inch log is pretty small to make much out
of).

I agree that you should split the log down the pith as that will just
give you trouble in your carvings anyway. my favored procedure is to
take a log, split it with wedges down the pith, peel them, and let
them dry for at least a year before further work. I like longer
lengths (6-8') because I can just discard the ends that have checked.
I have tried coating the ends, but found the the wood near the coating
tended to rot and was ruined anyway. Basswood will rot more easily
than any wood I know of! You need to be careful when bringing it
into a heated house because I have gotten some checks even in very
small blocks. Figure out a way to bring it into the house in stages--
I bring mine into the basement first.