Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/2/2011

Question
Hi,
I've recently bought a really nice piece of burr elm, its the perfect size for a coffee table. My concern is that if i keep it in one piece,sand it then finish it ,it might cup or split . Would i be better cutting it into 100mm sections and gluing back up with the grains working against each other?

Answer
Hi David,

The usual reason that large pieces of wood eventually crack is because moisture leaves the wood too quickly. In the past, I have had very good luck with keeping boards from cracking by slowing down the evaporation of that moisture, using either wax or varnish.

Obviously, the sooner you can coat the wood with a substance, the better results you'll have. I usually either pour melted wax on the end of a log, or give it several coats of varnish. Basically, you want to seal that wood everywhere that moisture can escape. When I used to carve wood, I would first seal a log with wax. Then, as I would carve into it, exposing fresh wood, I would re-paint those areas when I was done carving for the day. In the end, the whole log would be carved, and all the wood would virtually stay coated with wax, thus slowing down the moisture loss. This technique would eliminate almost all of the cracks that one would normally get.

Depending on where you keep the wood (a heated or unheated environment?) and the size of the log, the drying time could be anywhere from a few months to years. I had a huge log one time that I kept coated for 1.5 years - with virtually no cracks, although I did lose much of the bark. :/ That ticked me off.

Remember - slow drying is what you want. So - if the log is very precious, I would keep it outside (but covered) for a while, your garage is perfect for this. Then maybe after a season or two (3-6 months) move it into a heated environment, like a basement or mudroom. Slow environmental changes are best, the log needs time to acclimate itself to its surroundings.

Good luck I hope this helps,

Jamie in Vegas

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Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com