🚀 go-pugleaf

Don't think you want to use oil if your going to finish it later.  Best bet
is beat the split to the punch, cut radially from bark to pith on a straight
line.  When dry fill the split with car body putty or some other filler.
Finish to liking.  Keeping it from splitting is virtually impossible without
going into PEG or one of the replacement materials.

--
Don Staples

For current views on Forestry and the Environment, watch the news groups
bionet.agroforestry and alt.forestry.   In additon, About.com/forestry/
"Ken Baker" <dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3babb67e.140930592@news.cable.ntlworld.com...
> On Thu, 20 Sep 2001 09:52:15 GMT, dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (I) wrote:
>
> >Hi:
> >
> >I'd like to preserve a slice from a large tree which was just cut
> >down, and I wondered what the best way of drying the slice was to
> >prevent cracking?
> >
> >The tree was a Horse Chestnut (conker) tree, if that makes any
> >difference.
> >
> >Any dendrochronologists (or anybody) able to give me advice?
>
> That's all interesting advice, thank you.
>
> The slice in question is about  1m in diameter, and 10cm thick, and I
> only have access to domestic equipment, so drying in a microwave or
> conventional oven isn't on the cards. Soaking something that size
> would be a bit of a pain, and I'm not sure I could afford that much
> sugar, or PEG. 8-)
>
> I think I might go for the slow drying approach, and (regularly)
> painting it with oil would slow down evaporation as well as being
> absorbed. I'd like to varnish it afterwards, but I'll cross that
> bridge when I come to it.
>
> Thanks again, all, for the advice,
>
>
> Ken.