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I just obtained a billet of Sycamore 5" x 10" x 37" from a tree felled this morning. It is cut on the quarter,and I hope to get several nice B&S sets from it. It is full of sap, and dripping, so I need some advice from some of the experienced wood cutters. I sealed one end with paint, and this is where I need some help. Should I seal the other end now, or should I let it drain of sap a bit before sealing the other end? I think that I should resaw it wet, but how wet? Then of course I'll sticker it and let it dry. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Al

From what I understand seal both ends so the sap doesn't split the wood while leaving


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Seal both end as soon as possible. Right after sawing is best.

May be better to split the billet into 2 pieces so it drys faster and with less stress.

Let it dry before resawing into sets.

Or leave it in one piece and keep it wet until it spalts.

But whatever you do seal the ends quickly.

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Lance Peck

If you are talking about American Sycamore, it should be weighted down while drying. It wants to move a lot while drying.

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I would use a better sealer than paint. woodcraft and others sell a white sealer for end grain which I use for my green wood.

Wax is a real good sealer. Most woods over time were done with wax. Some wood companies still use wax. Paint would work. Or better still roofing tar. Nasty but good. The idea is to force the sap out the sides and not the ends. If it comes out the end it splits the wood.


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The proper end sealer is called "Anchorseal". It is a water based emulsified wax. Paint it on and when the water evaporates out it leaves a wax coating. All quality logs are sealed with wax as soon as they are cut because end checks begin within a short time (few hours or less). Once a small check starts it is there forever and it goes much farther in that you can see with your eye, but the check (crack) is there. These minute invisible checks are prone to enlarge sometime in the future as the wood shrinks and expands and this includes long the term. cracks that appear in finished instruments may very well be the result of a end grain drying check dating clear back to when the log was cut.

Caring for the wood properly is one of the most important parts that make "tonewood" different from commercial lumber and what makes it more expensive!

Check out Anchorseal at https://www.uccoatings.com/WebStore/Pro ... ASQTCLEARG

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Lance Peck

Forgotten woods;thanks for that treatise. I had read up on how wood was treated,stored,dried,etc. But you sir spoke with the knowledge of a man with experience.


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Forgotten woods...Thanks for the information. How dry before resaw? 6 months, one year, or longer

The answer is "yes".....
But dry is not measured on a calendar it is measured by the volume of moisture in the wood.

The dryer the better.
At least dry enough so that the free water in the wood is gone. That means a moisture content of less than 30%
Waiting until the wood is below 20% is best but it will take a couple of years for 5" thick wood to reach that point in the center.
Spliting the billet into 2.5" and the time would be cut more than in half.

When you slice wet wood and use a lot of weight to hold the wood flat you are in effect trapping in tension that may later cause the wood to move, so avoid that option.

Best to prepare rough billets and allow the wood to dry completely and then slice. Doing that allows the wood to move, flex, twist, shrink and dry naturally before slicing. If properly cut and stacked and kept in the correct environment the rough billet will not trap in tension. It takes time! Generally it is assumed that a 5" thick block of wood will take 5 years to dry to EMC.
The problem with slicing thick wood that is not completely dry is the extreme moisture gradient from surface to core. Each side of each slice will have a different moisture content, getting wetter as you go to the center. It's the different moisture content on each side that causes the wood to move as it dries. In a 5" thick piece the surface may measure 10% and the center 40% on wood that seems completely dry. We want there to be less difference between the surface and center before slicing. Kiln drying will bring it down to more like 7% and 12% so there is hardly any difference between the surfaces of each slice.

Also you have to consider each species separately. How the wood is dried will greatly effect the tonal response of the finished slices. Some species have a lot of air space within the wood fiber and when the wood is dried slowly (like air dried) the air space remains within the wood, that air space gives the wood a "tone". BUT is it the best tone? Take the same piece of wood and dry it fast and the air spaces will collapse causing the wood to have more density and a different tonal response. You need to know what you want in the end to decide how to treat the wood and when to slice it.

But I guess the real answer to how long the wood needs to dry is... It all depends on how soon you need to use it.

If you want to slice it as soon as possible then cut the billet into thinner billets, even down to 1" thick. Stand the billets on end and they will dry faster. Wait a couple months and then slice one. If you like the result slice the rest, if you don't like the result wait longer to slice more.

There is a difference between tonewood and lumber and the difference is in how the wood is handled.

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Lance Peck

I also advise you to get the wood dry before resawing. If you resaw hardwood while green, it is highly likely that it will warp (aka 'potato chip').
In my experience, it doesn't have to be fully dry, but I would shoot for 12% or less, because sycamore does have a lot of shrinkage.
A 5" thick block will take forever to dry and 1" sycamore boards (even when quartersawn) tend to warp sometimes. With that in mind, I would be inclined to cut the wood into three boards about 1.6" thick, then proceed to air-dry them.
I use melted paraffin (Gulf Wax) to seal the end grain. I heat it in a double boiler to prevent flash fires, and apply it with a brush.

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John

Johns right on !I have a lot of sycamore in my bsmt 1in thick boards and even 1/4 sawn there is a lot of distortion and shrinkage especially on wider boards .I ripped 11.5in w ones today in half to make them easier to resaw