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Recommendations for prepping a fresh cut tree

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If you had a fresh cut tree suddenly become available and you have to shorten it to save space would you:

1. Cut the logs and seal the ends?

2. Cut the logs and slab out the blanks and seal them?
 
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If im going to use them for bowls and I absolutely have to shorten the log then I cut them a few inches longer than the width, and seal the ends. If im looking to make spindle blanks(up to 3x3 or so) then I process them completely and seal each blank and stack them with stickers.
That's me. I could be doing it all wrong.
 
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If i had the time and room to store, I'd cut up for turning blanks. Limited time, seal the ends. If on someone else's property, I cut it into movable sizes, seal and get it home.
 
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If you think you will turn inside a reasonable time and depending on species Cut to Bowl blank size and seal ends. If it will be a while cut the pith out and seal the ends, In sizes you can handle.
“Cut the pith out”. Would slicing through the pith be sufficient, or do you mean two cuts, one on each side of the pith?
 

hockenbery

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What I do is rip the log sections in the field usually just through the pith.
Keep the good side. Or sides if both are good.
Often one side isn’t worth taking. Depending on the cutting arrangements I may have to take it all somewhere.
I don’t wast sealer on the bad side.

I usually cut the sections about 30- 36” long. Easy to move with my handtruck and trailer with a ramp.
I coat the ends with wood sealer in the field.
When i get around to turning the I will cut the piece into 2 or 3 blanks after cutting off 2” on each end to discard for end checking.

a few special pieces, crotches, limb scars... I will cut closer to blank size with one blank with the 2” end check cushion on each endgrain. These can then go right to the bandsaw.
 
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Seal the ends of the logs as fast as you can after the tree is cut. If the tree has been laying around, cut 2" off each end and seal. In warm weather, especially with a breeze, I have seen shake cracks start within 4 hours.
 
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I prefer to keep the log as long as possible, but if I have to pick it up and move it, then I cut it into 'moveable' chunks. If I am ripping down the pith, almost always, there is a crack coming off the pith to start with, and I try to cut down that crack since stress relief has already started. Cutting a slab out of the center is nice on bigger pieces, say 18 inch plus diameter, but not worth the effort otherwise, and you get some nice quartersawn platter blanks. If you are cutting it all up into slabs, then I like to stand the slabs on end on plastic or a tarp. I do seal both ends, and double or triple seal the end sticking up in the air. I cover the pile with a couple layers of thick vynal tarps, and put weights all around the edges of the tarp. Summer is our dry season here in western Oregon, and if we get an 80+ degree day with 20 mph winds, unprotected pieces will shatter. I always cut slabs longer than they are wide, and figure an inch or so on the ground end, and 2 or more inches on the up in the air end, even with being sealed and covered. It is about the same amount of loss if you have a whole log. I am lucky to have a source for logs and he drops them off in my driveway, from a flat bed trailer, in about 10 foot lengths. I usually have a few friends over to help me move them under a tree and cover them with tarps. I can't move them all by myself any more.... though when I was younger......

robo hippy
 
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Good advice all around. I think ripping depends on the species. Those prone to cracking, I do...those that are more stable, I don't. Same goes for how much extra I leave at the end of rounds—it depends on species and timeline to turn. I always tarp wood piles to reduce moisture, keeping them in the coolest space I can, out of the sun. It's worth thinking about micro-climates of where you might store wood. And check regularly.
 
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