I cut a deep ring around a healthy hardwood tree last year. It
leafed out, then suddenly started dropping its leaves last July. I
cut the tree down last weekend and cut it into logs. The bark easily
peeled off. The logs seemed to be partially dry (we had every-day
upper 90-degree temperatures without rain for over a month). Two
days later most of the logs are splitting and I have been cutting
these into boards. The splitting makes all the work useless. How
does one get nice boards without all the splitting? Grrrr.

Fell 'em green and use Anchorseal on the log ends. If you resaw the logs
into boards while green, treat the ends with Anchorseal. Anchorseal is
your friend.

I only girdle trees that I want to cut for firewood. Girdling (cutting a
ring around the tree) deprives the upper trunk, branches and leaves with
water. You might as well have cut the tree and let it sit in the sun for
a year.

J.

Phisherman wrote:
I cut a deep ring around a healthy hardwood tree last year. It
leafed out, then suddenly started dropping its leaves last July. I
cut the tree down last weekend and cut it into logs. The bark easily
peeled off. The logs seemed to be partially dry (we had every-day
upper 90-degree temperatures without rain for over a month). Two
days later most of the logs are splitting and I have been cutting
these into boards. The splitting makes all the work useless. How
does one get nice boards without all the splitting? Grrrr.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I cut a deep ring around a healthy hardwood tree last year. It
leafed out, then suddenly started dropping its leaves last July. I
cut the tree down last weekend and cut it into logs. The bark easily
peeled off. The logs seemed to be partially dry (we had every-day
upper 90-degree temperatures without rain for over a month). Two
days later most of the logs are splitting and I have been cutting
these into boards. The splitting makes all the work useless. How
does one get nice boards without all the splitting? Grrrr.


Cut them in to boards while green, then seal the ends.

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:40:08 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

I cut a deep ring around a healthy hardwood tree last year. It
leafed out, then suddenly started dropping its leaves last July. I
cut the tree down last weekend and cut it into logs. The bark easily
peeled off. The logs seemed to be partially dry (we had every-day
upper 90-degree temperatures without rain for over a month). Two
days later most of the logs are splitting and I have been cutting
these into boards. The splitting makes all the work useless. How
does one get nice boards without all the splitting? Grrrr.

Thanks for the Anchorseal tip, I couldn't find this stuff locally. I
tried using paint on the endgrain years ago and that failed miserably.
I am now trying paraffin on the endgrain, by rubbing the end gain with
paraffin and melting it in with a propane torch. I have the boards
stickered and clamped. I have been re-tightening the clamps every
week as the stacks dry. Has anyone tried this method to help
prevent board splitting?

AFAIK Anchorseal is only available by mail order directly from the
manufacturer at:

https://www.uccoatings.com/prod_anchorseal.php

I have used primer paint with some success in the past. It didn't work
as uniformly well as the Anchorseal but the results were acceptable
because it was all I had on hand at the time.

Stacked, stickered and clamped will keep the boards from warping and
twisting but it won't help with the end checks very much if at all.

I know a stairmaker who kiln dries his stock in a barn who doesn't end
coat at all from what I can see. He just cuts his boards extra long and
uses the checked offcuts for fuel for the next firing.

J.


Phisherman wrote:
Thanks for the Anchorseal tip, I couldn't find this stuff locally. I
tried using paint on the endgrain years ago and that failed miserably.
I am now trying paraffin on the endgrain, by rubbing the end gain with
paraffin and melting it in with a propane torch. I have the boards
stickered and clamped. I have been re-tightening the clamps every
week as the stacks dry. Has anyone tried this method to help
prevent board splitting?

J. wrote:
AFAIK Anchorseal is only available by mail order directly from the
manufacturer at:

https://www.uccoatings.com/prod_anchorseal.php


Anchorseal is also available at a number of different retailers
throughout the Unites States. Check the dealer listings as U C Coatings
web site by clicking on "Dealer Listings" on the left hand side of their
main page at:

https://www.uccoatings.com/

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:02:30 +0000, Nova wrote:

J. wrote:
AFAIK Anchorseal is only available by mail order directly from the
manufacturer at:

https://www.uccoatings.com/prod_anchorseal.php


Anchorseal is also available at a number of different retailers
throughout the Unites States. Check the dealer listings as U C Coatings
web site by clicking on "Dealer Listings" on the left hand side of their
main page at:

https://www.uccoatings.com/

Woodcraft also has a wax emulsion sold under their own brand as "green
wood end sealer" - I've had good luck with it but don't know if it's the
same formulation as Anchorseal or not.