Preserving Green Wood

C

CantSkate

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Jun 26, 2015
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Hello again

I will be in the next month or so taking down a large Black Locust tree. In the past it was an easy thing as I would use it for firewood.
I now have decided to make handles from it and wanted to know what I would need to do to keep it from cracking and splitting as it dries. (Aside from sinking in a pond, which I dont have).
As this will be my first attempt at this any additional information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again
 
CantSkate said:
Hello again

I will be in the next month or so taking down a large Black Locust tree. In the past it was an easy thing as I would use it for firewood.
I now have decided to make handles from it and wanted to know what I would need to do to keep it from cracking and splitting as it dries. (Aside from sinking in a pond, which I dont have).
As this will be my first attempt at this any additional information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again
Click to expand...
You would be better off waiting until late fall or winter when the sap is down if that is possible.
 
At a minimum to avoid splitting, you must split it. Luckily this wood readily and predictably splits into halves and quarters and so on. Even when split checks or small cracking at the end grain are likely to occur as the wood dries so you should coat the exposed ends thoroughly. Paint or paraffin and wood glue are common options to use for covering the ends. Even taking these precautions for limiting waste it is safest to have at least a 10 cm, (20's better) margin in the lengths.
And yes, I tend to agree with garry3 on the timing, even stronger, this time in the cycle couldn't be a worse one for cutting, unless you are in the Southern hemisphere.
 
What Gary said- fell it when the sap is down. Forget that water soaking advise for haft making. Water soaking is only useful if the intended finished product needs to be kept wet because you cant get to the work right away, and it needs to be worked green--split baskets, chairs, bending, etc. Haft wood should not be soaked.
 
The reasons for watering I laid out. The effects are particularly applicable for handle applications. Storing in water for these other applications has nothing to do with watering wood as part of seasoning it for subsequent use. Watering's not a Green Woodworking topic.
Old Axeman said:
Haft wood should not be soaked.
Click to expand...
Why?
 
Why? Why would you fell it with the sap down (which you already agreed with) and then soak it so it absorbs more water, only to dry it out to make your haft? Fell it with the sap down; rive it into appropriate size staves, coat the end grain; sticker it under cover with good circulation; let it dry for a year; make your haft.
 
I have a few black locust staves that I've dried slowly in shade for two years. I coated the ends with spray paint and have experience very little to no checking on 3 staves. But I did experience some pretty strong warping. Maybe one of the 3 could be made into a haft without steam bending. And that one stayed dead straight for the first 9 months.

The tree I took these from was a wind fall. I suspect it might have been leaning for years before it fell. What I would suggest is taking staves from the straightest part of a straight standing tree. Then coat the ends well. And I would debark half of them to see if that makes a difference in how they dry.
 
I've usually heard of sinking green logs as a way to preserve them, potentially for a very long time.

It stands to reason that some structural and working properties do change after a long period of soaking. While I'm not sure if there'd be any practical advantage in using sunk timber for an axe haft, it's valuable to keep the practice alive. I can't imagine it making much difference in some black locust casually being dried for handles, but woodworking is obviously full of superstitions. Some people don't even think sap up or sap down makes a difference, and on the other hand some people think moon phase makes a difference.

I would say, maybe others agree, if you have to cut it this spring (wife's decree, perhaps ) to peel it. Bark will invite saprophages of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic types. Bugs and bacteria. I don't know how black locust is with bark slipping but it may not be hard to peel it in the spring if you catch it on the move.
 
February, two years ago, a Choke Cherry went down with ice/wind and I sought similar advice.
Granted it isn't Black Locust but I split it out, debarked it, removed what I didn't want in the staves, painted the ends with exterior latex paint, and set in my unheated garage to dry. There hasn't been any checking to speak of and I have made several shorter handles from it.

If your tree has to go, it has to go. Why not treat it like you got to plan the time of year when it was removed and see what happens?
 
Fmont said:
I've usually heard of sinking green logs as a way to preserve them, potentially for a very long time.

It stands to reason that some structural and working properties do change after a long period of soaking. While I'm not sure if there'd be any practical advantage in using sunk timber for an axe haft, it's valuable to keep the practice alive. I can't imagine it making much difference in some black locust casually being dried for handles, but woodworking is obviously full of superstitions. Some people don't even think sap up or sap down makes a difference, and on the other hand some people think moon phase makes a difference.

I would say, maybe others agree, if you have to cut it this spring (wife's decree, perhaps ) to peel it. Bark will invite saprophages of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic types. Bugs and bacteria. I don't know how black locust is with bark slipping but it may not be hard to peel it in the spring if you catch it on the move.
Click to expand...

https://www.howplantswork.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/zurcher.pdf
 
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