Hi.
You'll no doubt notice that I'm mostly a lurker here; everyone else seems much better informed. I'm still in the skills-building stage. My latest project (for the wife) involves using crosscut slices of logs of about 15"-18" diameter and 1.5"-2" thick. My questions are as follows:
1. I may have access to some trunks that have been felled for awhile and kept off the ground. Can anyone cite a source that would guide me in determining how long they'll have had to be down to have a chance of being dry? (I may be able to borrow a moisture meter, but is it worth testing logs that are less than, say, 5 years old?)
2. If all I can find is freshly-cut timber (last winter), is there any way to accelerate drying without promoting huge checks in the slices?
3. If I soak the slices in PEG (which I've never used, but have read about here and in other places), how much time does that add to the drying?
4. Wife has expressed her fondest wish as being for birch, if available. Does birch in slices resist checking any better than, say, oak or maple or cherry?
I should add that these slices are destined to remain flat, they're not for turning, so the thickness won't be reduced by much as I work them.
I appreciate any information you can point me to.
You'll no doubt notice that I'm mostly a lurker here; everyone else seems much better informed. I'm still in the skills-building stage. My latest project (for the wife) involves using crosscut slices of logs of about 15"-18" diameter and 1.5"-2" thick. My questions are as follows:
1. I may have access to some trunks that have been felled for awhile and kept off the ground. Can anyone cite a source that would guide me in determining how long they'll have had to be down to have a chance of being dry? (I may be able to borrow a moisture meter, but is it worth testing logs that are less than, say, 5 years old?)
2. If all I can find is freshly-cut timber (last winter), is there any way to accelerate drying without promoting huge checks in the slices?
3. If I soak the slices in PEG (which I've never used, but have read about here and in other places), how much time does that add to the drying?
4. Wife has expressed her fondest wish as being for birch, if available. Does birch in slices resist checking any better than, say, oak or maple or cherry?
I should add that these slices are destined to remain flat, they're not for turning, so the thickness won't be reduced by much as I work them.
I appreciate any information you can point me to.
Comment