I have a section of maple tree trunk thats about 4" thick. The
diameter is roughly 3 feet.

Tree was cut down about 2 months ago. It's been sitting in a storage
room (70f, 40-50% humidity).

How should it be stored or cured or dried (or what-ever) prior to
being prepared for some sort of use - maybe as a decoration or a
table-top ?

Should it be stored? Or should it be sanded, planed, stained or
sealed ASAP?

Are there any web sites that might have some good info on this?

On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:25:45 -0400, Wood Guy wrote:

I have a section of maple tree trunk thats about 4" thick. The
diameter is roughly 3 feet.

Tree was cut down about 2 months ago. It's been sitting in a storage
room (70f, 40-50% humidity).

How should it be stored or cured or dried (or what-ever) prior to
being prepared for some sort of use - maybe as a decoration or a
table-top ?

Should it be stored? Or should it be sanded, planed, stained or
sealed ASAP?

Are there any web sites that might have some good info on this?

If you haven't already put that waxy green wood sealer on both ends,
it's probably already too late. The wood want's to begin drying
immediately and start checking and cracking. Such a sealer is
available from Rockler among other places.

I believe there's a chemical called Pentacryl that's used to keep
green wood from checking and cracking. You soak the piece in it, and
the chemical displaces the water in the wood cells. I might be wrong
on that name, but I'm sure such a chemical is available.

FWIW, I've got a couple of log sections around 2 feet in dia x 2 feet
long in my garage sealed with green wood sealer from Rockler for
around a year with no visible checking or cracking. Yet.