On 17 Jan 2005 12:30:05 -0600, "Dan Farrow"
wrote:

Would anyone care to comment on the best way to dry maple without cracking?
I've had mixed success.

Dan,

If you're using the whole log, in the round, it's going to be
difficult, because of wood's tendency to shrink in the opposite
direction that it grew: ie. contract in a circle. For this reason, you
will have much more success if you split the log/limb in half,
eliminating the pith, or center portion of the stick. It will dry
even more evenly, quickly and with fewer checks if you have a piece
large enough to slab it into thick planks or split it into blocks,
depending on how you're going to carve it.

To facilitate even, slow drying, there are a bunch of things you can
do to dry it.
#Coat the endgrain with Anchorseal, after spltting it in halves,
quarters or slabbing it and put it in a warm (NOT hot),
well-ventilated spot, indoors or out, for months...approx. 1year per
inch of thickness. Paraffin wax doesn't penetrate far enough, and is
too easily peeled off to be effective, and latex paint is "iffy" at
best. Dilute white glue has been reported to work fairly well, but
whatever you use, don't completely coat the piece, because it's just a
waste of material. Wood being made up of a bunch of straws,
basically, the vast majority of the moisture escapes through the ends
of the wood, rather than the sides.
#Cut the wood into the size blocks you're going to carve it into, then
weigh them and pack individual blocks into paper bags, surrounded by
shavings or sawdust. Take them out and weigh them again, every 4 to 6
weeks, and record the weight on the bag. When they stop losing
weight, they are "dry."
#Wrap individual blocks in two or more paper bags, again weighing.
Every few weeks, take the blocks out, re-weigh, change the inner paper
bag, and re-bag.
#Cut into individual blocks, dry in the microwave, on 10-20% power or
defrost, for a minute to 2 minutes, depending on size, and DON'T LET
THE BLOCK GET HOT! That's why they crack. You only want it to be warm
to the touch. Let the block cool for __at least__ 45 minutes, longer
if it's still warm, and repeat the cycle. You should weigh the block
at the beginning and every 3-5 cycles, so you can tell when the piece
stops losing weight.
#You can make your own kiln, about 1000 different ways, using nothing
more complicated than sheets of plastic, a fan and a lightbulb, or
more elaborate setups from an old freezer, refrigerator or cooler.
There are a lot of sites on the web that have info on this, and I can
recommend at least one book that has articles on the topic.

Remember, though, if you are using whole logs or limbs to carve, the
wood is going to crack, period, and no amount of fancy drying
techniques are going to prevent it.

Hope this is of some help.

--
Chuck *#:^)
chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
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September 11, 2001 - Never Forget


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