My yellow cedar logs have split as they dried. Some splits are two
inches deep and .5 inch wide and extend for 7 ft. What is an
economical way to seal them. I could fill with sand/sawdust and than
seal over with something? They split on the side that faces the sun. I
plan on rotating them so the good side faces out , hoping the good
side does not also split when exposed to direct sun

In article ,
(robertmaasjr) wrote:

My yellow cedar logs have split as they dried. Some splits are two
inches deep and .5 inch wide and extend for 7 ft. What is an
economical way to seal them. I could fill with sand/sawdust and than
seal over with something? They split on the side that faces the sun. I
plan on rotating them so the good side faces out , hoping the good
side does not also split when exposed to direct sun

There's not a whole lot you can do about the splits at this point.
(Actually there may not have been a whole lot you could have done to
prevent them no matter when you took action. As the logs dried and lost
internal moisture, the outter ring areas contracted in circumference
much more than the inner rings - the stresses had to be relieved and the
wood split toward the pith.) Filling them in with anything ridgid will
fail because the wood is constantly swelling or shrinking to some degree
with seasonal humidity and temperature swings. You might get away with a
flexible sealer, but it sounds rather if-y at best and ugly at worst.

Turning them over is probably the best solution. They shouldn't crack on
the clean side since the wood has already relieved the tensions of
drying by splitting initially. Turning the splits downward will probably
do a great deal for their longevity too - it'll keep moisture from
collecting deep within the crack and promoting rot and bugs.

If you are hell-bent on putting something on them, then I suppose a deck
preservative/protectant would be best. Flood it into the cracks as well
as fully coat the outsides.

That's my 2¢.

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Offering a shim for the Porter-Cable 557 type 2 fence design.
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In article ,
(robertmaasjr) wrote:

My yellow cedar logs have split as they dried. Some splits are two
inches deep and .5 inch wide and extend for 7 ft. What is an
economical way to seal them. I could fill with sand/sawdust and than
seal over with something? They split on the side that faces the sun. I
plan on rotating them so the good side faces out , hoping the good
side does not also split when exposed to direct sun

There's not a whole lot you can do about the splits at this point.
(Actually there may not have been a whole lot you could have done to
prevent them no matter when you took action. As the logs dried and lost
internal moisture, the outter ring areas contracted in circumference
much more than the inner rings - the stresses had to be relieved and the
wood split toward the pith.) Filling them in with anything ridgid will
fail because the wood is constantly swelling or shrinking to some degree
with seasonal humidity and temperature swings. You might get away with a
flexible sealer, but it sounds rather if-y at best and ugly at worst.

Turning them over is probably the best solution. They shouldn't crack on
the clean side since the wood has already relieved the tensions of
drying by splitting initially. Turning the splits downward will probably
do a great deal for their longevity too - it'll keep moisture from
collecting deep within the crack and promoting rot and bugs.

If you are hell-bent on putting something on them, then I suppose a deck
preservative/protectant would be best. Flood it into the cracks as well
as fully coat the outsides.

That's my 2¢.


thanks for the comprehensive answer? I'll turn them to see how it looks.