I’m sitting here looking at a picture of someone scroll-sawing a pattern into a 3/4″-thick slab (round, with bark) from a tree. Looks like fun, rustic, just my style. Anyone ever planed a slice of tree like this? How would I dry a tree slice so that it was “planable” when dry?
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
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More importantly, how would you dry a 'cookie' sliced from a log without having it split/check?
Dennis in Bellevue WA
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By soaking it in polyethylene glycol while it's still wet. Has to be done right away because a 3/4" transverse slice dries much faster than a 3/4" board. See Bruce Hoadley's book Understanding Wood for more details. Doesn't work well for some woods. I believe maple was one that didn't work.
Unc'
Some time ago I read an article, which I believe appeared in FWW, on using ordinary dishwashing liquid soap in place or the PEG. I have a small cherry log, cut green and given to me shortly after it was harvested, that has been soaking in this stuff (diluted 50/50 with water) for a couple months. (I forgot I had it around until we moved just recently!) I sliced off a 5" piece to try turning a lidded box, turning into the end grain. The blank includes the pith of the log. The piece is still on the lathe after being roughed down - haven't had time to get back to it. But aside from moving a little to out of round, there's been no only a very slight checking in one end.
Being in the detergent that long doesn't seem to have affected the color of the wood much if any. Shavings come off as though they've been lubricated,.... will I guess in fact they have been. This is even up to 1/4" into the blank.
I've got some green logs out in the wood pile - I'll slice off a 'cookie' tomorrow and drop it in the bucket to see if it retards or prevents ending up with a pie with a small piece missing.
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Ahhhh, I knew it, Dennis has turned all domestic (slicing cookies!) after retiring to his dream home. Thanks everyone for working on this topic -- I've been reading but really short on time for individual replies.
Basswood: I've never seen it in any form except small craft pieces, have no idea what the bark looks like, but the color (in the picture) is right.
Trimming out inside material: I thought about that earlier. I think, though, that the stuff that was trimmed in the picture was "just done" while he's scrolling. What about cutting green? Hmmmm.
Ach, tooooo late, gotta go to sleep. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I've had success when cutting the cookie on the bias--about 10 off perpendicular. That's what it looked like they did in the picture Forestgirl posted.
Ahhhhhhh, excellent point! Bob, did you read that?forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Never thought of that. Will remember it, too....thanks.
Leave the bark on, seal it with wax and cross your fingers. I've found "leave the bark on" very important!
Mack
FG -- I've often thought about that same question, while dreaming of making and selling tables.
There are two styles of table that I'd like to meld into one design. One is the all-natural cookie that is covered with that decoupage treatment. (I like the look of the wood, hate that clear thick coating.) The other is the traditional glued-up top, with aprons and straight legs. Maybe a drop leaf......
The combination design (all in my head for now) uses slabs for the tops, legs carved from same-species stock, and joinery that makes it look like it either grew that way, or at least wanted to. Drop leaves would be accomplished with Maloof-style wood hinges.
I haven't yet figured out how to include the added strength that aprons offer, without compromising the natural look. But when I do, I hope to need a new slab about once every week.
As Uncle Dunc said, maple is very prone to checking.
Believe the most stable species locally for yours would be WRC...about a third less movement as DF. Full of intercellular water like hemlock, but dries quicker and well. In a thick slice, it's lesser strength wouldn't matter. Also much lighter.
Haven't tried the glycol or tried to preserve a log slice, but I've a stack of big WRC logs and a 36" Stihl handy and would be happy to cut you a slice. Am also doing a big, old-growth DF for somebody else in a week or two on shares if you want a slice of that.
Hi Bob, I'm going to attach a scan of this picture, maybe you'll have a good guess as to what wood it is. I would love to try those two slices! 'Tween now and then, maybe I can find someone who's done the drying successfully. I've been hanging out a bit at the scroll saw forum at justwoodworking.com, and there are some super-pros who could probably help me out.
<IMG src="http://home.mindspring.com/~jrae4/Forums/ScrollSlab.jpg" p forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I can't tell what that is from here...cottonwood?
I also have never seen one that didn't eventually take a pie-slice split, either, but I haven't played with the tricks your scroll sawer must use. The nature of that radial cut...similar to why round-tenon joints in chairs almost always break their gluebond...they don't shrink uniformly.
So I'm interested in learning how to keep then intact, too. Suspect it would be a whole lot harder with a large slice for a tabletop.
I can't tell what that is from here...cottonwood?
looks like basswood from here....
species like elm and sycamore are relatively resistant to splitting - - and whoever mentioned the removal of signifigant parts of the slice making unit less likely to split is correct...
FG -- I can't tell from the picture either, but a thought occurs on the checking or lack thereof.
In the picture, all of the outside of the slice is intact, but a large portion of the inside has been cut away.
If you were to take a slice from a trunk, and do that type of cutting within a few hours (-- remove a large portion of the inside, or at least separate the inside from the outside --) I believe there would be a much smaller chance of checking.
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
Check out the last two on this page:
http://walnutwoods.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=NW&Category_Code=ttslabs
Forest Gurl, Can't help you with drying slabs of maple,. (Bacon maybe?)
But how about after you get them dry, use a router with an attached masonite base (Say 18" to 20" diameter) Carpet tape or tack the slab to a flat surface.
Surround the slab with 4 or 5 strips of milled wood (Thicker than the slab) tacked down.
Now, extend router's flush router bit to rout out 1/16" at a time and ,keeping the wide base on the strips, work around in a spiral and with a few more spirals you're 'In the money' Stein AKA, Ed
Edited 11/20/2003 4:31:23 PM ET by steinmetz
To answer your first question FG, I tried to run a 14" diameter tree cookie though a planer once. The cookie almost broke my thumbs when it kicked back on me. That's been over 15 years ago, I didn't know a planer could cause a kick-back.
Dale
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