🚀 go-pugleaf

dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker) wrote in message news:<3ba9bb76.11111010@news.cable.ntlworld.com>...
> 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?
> 
> 
> Many thanks in advance..
> 
You might want to post to woodworking ng as well Ken.

Dry the slice slowly. Most cracks occur from too rapid dehydration.
I'd put it on the north side of a building and cover it with plastic
for the first 2-3 months. Even that won't guarantee no cracking. You
may even want to put a damp (not wet) cloth over both cut surfaces to
slow dehydration.

Sorry this isn't more specific. But the problem gets much worse the
larger the slice.

Daniel B. Wheeler
www.oregonwhitetruffles.com

Ken Baker <dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk> skrev i
diskussionsgruppsmeddelandet:3ba9bb76.11111010@news.cable.ntlworld.com...
> 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?
>

If you have the possibility to take another slice, not more than one half
inch in
thickness, and like to experiment, you could try to put it in a microwave
owen.
Time would depend on some factors, but 20 minutes and the owen set to
maximum power would do the job. That is if you can get the slice into the
owen.

The method has been used for producing faces for clocks by a friend of mine,
and works fine in most cases.

    JT

Paint it with oil, even motor oil. the oil will
displace the water, which will evaporate out of
the wood faster than the oil will, which will
be absorbed as the water evaporates.

Ken- 
The following is folklore. I do not know how good the information is.

The splitting is caused by differential drying and water absorbation
as the humidty changes. Sap is water soluable until the first time it
dries, and then is no longer soluable. The cells close to the surface
dry and shrink first causing splitting. The inner cells are prevented
from breathing beacuse of the dried sap. I have been told that the
trees used for the mast on early sailing ships were submerged in a
river for a year before using. The idea was to wash all the sap out of
the wood before it dried, to prevent splitting. By keeping them
submerged and away from air, the year in the water did not rot the
wood.

Good Luck
doug


On Thu, 20 Sep 2001 09:52:15 GMT, dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker)
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?
>
>
>Many thanks in advance..
>
>
>Ken.

On Thu, 20 Sep 2001 09:52:15 GMT, dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker)
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.

Yes it does, but I don't know in which way. Part of your problem is
that all wood shrinks on drying and heart wood wood and sap wood
shring by different amounts. This can lead to longitudinal splitting
of the timber. Such splitting can occur anyway if the outside layers
are dried and shrink before the inside has dried and shrunk. There are
other problems such as cell collapse which can also cause distortions
of the dried timber. The variation in the rate of permeation of water
vapor from with different types of wood mena that while some woods dry
fast easily, others have to be dried very carefully over a long period
of time with all kinds of clamps and weights to stop them from
warping. Unfortunately I know nothing about drying chestnut.

Your situation is unusual in that your slice is in effect a very short
log with ends but no middle section. To get an idea of the general
problems see

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:pGfw9Fvy53E:www.exnet.iastate.edu/Publications/PM329.pdf+drying+wood+chestnut&hl=en
>
>Any dendrochronologists (or anybody) able to give me advice?
>
>
>Many thanks in advance..
>
>
>Ken.



Eric Stevens


There are two classes of people. Those who divide people into 
two classes, and those who don't. I belong to the second class.

Hi Ken,

try soaking the wood thoroughly in a solution of household sugar and water,
weeks, months, depending on size and thickness. After the water inside the
cells is replaced by the sugar-water solution the sugar will stabilise the
cell walls while drying.

I have not done it myself, but know this method is used professionally. It
is faster and cheaper than soaking with PG, sugar isn't poisonous or
harmfull and will give protection against bacteria and fungi, remember
candied fruit?

Have fun

Uwe Mueller

"Ken Baker" <dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:3ba9bb76.11111010@news.cable.ntlworld.com...
> 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?
>
> snip >

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.

On Fri, 21 Sep 2001 22:01:06 GMT, dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker)
wrote:

>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,
>

Wrap it in plastic (but not tightly sealed) to inhibit the loss of
water vapor from its surface and then place it on a flat surface in a
cool shady place, such as under a house.


Eric Stevens


There are two classes of people. Those who divide people into 
two classes, and those who don't. I belong to the second class.

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.

In article <3babb67e.140930592@news.cable.ntlworld.com>, 
dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker) wrote:

> 
> 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.

Ken, a leather store here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas used to sell 
cutting boards made from birch tree rounds and belt buckles cut from 
tree limbs  both with the bark still intact.  It mystified me that they 
could be made without severe cracking.  So I did some experimentation.  
I noticed that if I took a green tree branch and cut thin slices off the 
end, the slices would dry without cracking.  The same tree branch, left 
in tact would crack severely.  Evidently the cracking is at least in 
part from a differential in shrinkage from the end of the wood toward 
the middle in the process of drying.  There are other factors involved 
as well, particularly the difference between radial and tangential 
shrinkage factors.  I think you are right in going for the slow drying 
process.

Doug

Hi, Ken.

There's been a lot of discussion over at rec.crafts.woodturning lately,
regarding the use of dishwasher detergent solution for preventing cracking
when turning green bowls.  You might like to have a look at Google.

Regards

Frank

Frank McVey wrote:
> 
> Hi, Ken.
> 
> There's been a lot of discussion over at rec.crafts.woodturning lately,
> regarding the use of dishwasher detergent solution for preventing cracking
> when turning green bowls.  You might like to have a look at Google.

I agree that a woodcrafts NG is probably the best place to ask.  One
thing about keeping it wrapped in plastic and kept outside on the north
side of the house - bring it in before any severe frosts.  The basement
or crawlspace of your house is probably the next-best place; just not
near the furnace or another heat source.  

"Seasoning" wood, esp. hardwood such as chestnut, is part of a
furniture-craftsman's expertise.  We had some maple burls here
(distortions of the ring structure caused by fungus) that my great-uncle
had set aside to make coffee-tables from (once very fashionable); he'd
let them sit for a couple of years before working on them.....

MC

dr_smug@yahoo.co.uk (Ken Baker) wrote in message news:<3babb67e.140930592@news.cable.ntlworld.com>...
<snip>
> 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.

  You might get a number of hose clamps, open them up, and join them 
end to end to form a larger hoop that fits around the circumference
of your slice.
  Tighten them up until they bite into the wood (bark?).
  Tighten it more, at intervals to maintain pressure in case the 
slice is shrinking along the radius.
  It might not stop radial cracking ("checking"), but it will keep 
your slice in one piece.

Works for me, 
Daryl Krupa

P.S.: consider WD-40 (fish-oil based pentrating oil) as a 
water-displacing agent. Also consider a urethane coating 
(e.g. Varathane) to seal in moisture before cracking occurs.

If you want to minimize bark slipping off.  Be sure to cut sections in fall
or winter

sam