Drying "Cookies" or "Rounds"

[Greg Cook]

Good Morning All!  I have a lady that's given me a Red Oak log, 24' long, 36" on the butt, with a good bit of flare.  I need to ge rid of some length and flare anyway, and she wanted some "Cookies" cut from that butt end for a coffee table, bar table, whatever.  I was figuring about 3" thick slices would stay stable, and still leave plenty to flatten and smooth when they dry.  What do I need to do to help her air dry these?  I'm sure we need to lose the bark, regardless of what she wants, due to insects. But should I seal the cut surfaces? Just sticker and stack? I can get some large plastic bags and enclose them then open every other day or so to let moisture out, but not sure that would be best. 

I am guessing that there isn't much of a tendency for these things to cup and curl, bur more likely to develop radial checking.  What have y'all done that's worked?

Kiln dring isn't an option for me at this point 

Thanks,
Greg

[beenthere]

The wood will shrink when it dries, and it shrinks more along the annual ring than across (radial) the rings.

Overcoming this shrinkage is the only way I know of to keep the 'rounds' from checking. There are a variety of ways that have been attempted in the past, none of which are guaranteed to work.

Drying it slowly will require that you keep mold from discoloring the wood.

My suggestion would be to make a radial cut from one edge to the center, and hope that the shrinkage stresses will be relieved enough by that cut, that others won't form on their own. Two radial cuts would be better than one, and three better than two, etc.

You are right, that the radial checking is your worst enemy when the wood dries. Avoid making any claims that checking will not happen....it very likely will.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Get some ratchet straps and wrap one around each cookie. Tighten every day, Probably will still split, but, this will help, some.

[beenthere]

FDH
That is an interesting approach...

[woodmills1]

I have a customer who was using cookie rounds for display racks..............we tried every thing from an oven to a microwave to relief cuts on the back.........all took too long and they developed cracks anyway.  I would say that anchorseal and time is your only possibility and I bet they crack anyway.

[sprucebunny]

I used a strap on a 5 foot round white pine cookie and it hardly cracked. It was stored under cover outside. 5" thick

[Fla._Deadheader]

  There ya go.    One smart Bunny. 

  We did Cypress using innertube bands. Took some stretching, I'll tell ya 

  Should be photos on here, someplace. 

[Dale Hatfield]

Here is How I usually look a log for carving and it will work for a cookie.
Most always the very first rings are not centered. And the center will actually be closer to one side than the other. This is almost allways where it will have a major check/split.  So if you are going to cut it make it in the short path to the center. In a carving that relief cut will open pretty wide as wood shrinks.
Quartering the cookies would be the best . But after they dry they wont fit back together .They will have to be  re cut to get the 4 quarter to line back up.
Root  swell grain is pretty  because it goes all strange directions. So It can  add to the tension in the wood.
This might work. never tried but it just popped into mind. Cut the cookie then make the relief cut on a band saw on the short side, and strap it up and dry.

Dale

[Tom]

Another suggestion I've heard is to start with more than one cookie.  Make relief cuts in different places on each cookie so that they will crack in different places, if you are lucky.

Then take slices out of one of the spare cookies to fix the crack in the primary cookie. (after they have dried)

[Don_Papenburg]

I was told that if you were makeing a turned pillar out of solid wood that a hole through the center would releive the stress.  Sort of a wood pipe.
Could you cut a hole one half to three quarters of the way up from the bottom to help releive the stress in a cookie?

[woodbowl]

The heart wood is more dense than the sap wood. It takes longer to dry and shrinks less. The outer ring is like a doughnut and as it dries and shrinks, it has no where to go because the unyielding heart is in the way. Applying peg, lindseed oil or a build type finish such as laquer, only to the outer ring would inhibit drying and allow the core to dry first and hopefully shrink enough to allow room for the outer ring. The laquer could be sanded off later.

Relief cuts on the back and a ratchett strap could be the extra edge needed to insure the process untill it is stable.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Then, could someone 'esplane me, why don't THESE split

 

[woodbowl]

I've still got a few 16" cookies that I cut from black gum several years ago. I was delighted to find they didn't split on me. What kind of wood is that?

[Fla._Deadheader]

 REAL wood 

  I'm not perzaktecly sure. Could be GuanaCaste, Cenizaro, Tamarindo, or one of the 2000 other species down here

  I've got 24" and 48" and know of others, that never split. I'm sure the location has a LOT to do with it.  This wood is like nothing y'all have ever seen. Species doesn't seem to be a determining factor, for the most part.    Softer, lighter weight seems to split more .

  Most is HEV VEEE . 

  I'm working on some more, very soon. 

 

[bck]

It is oval but was probably cut from a round log. Instead of making cuts 90 degrees to the log , angle the cut some ( 20-30 degrees )then cut slices. That makes the grain something other than straight up and down. they will dry without cracking this way a lot of times but will be oval not round.

[brdmkr]

I have been studying on the rachet strap idea and filling any checks with a colored epoxy once the cookie is dry.  My thinking is to show off the cracks rather than hide them.  I will likely route a recess in the bottom for 3/4" plywood to be glued into place with the hope that this will reduce further movement and checking.  I think that would make for some awesome table tops

[Greg Cook]

Hadn't thought about letting in a piece of 3/4 ply on the bottomside.  That should take care of most seasonal swelling/shrinking after they're dry. Good idea. Still wondering about the rate of drying, though. Air dry in an unheated garage?  Or maybe sticker and cover it with another slab to reduce airflow?  Other suggestions?

Thanks for all the ideas so far.  I like that ratchet strap idea, Harold.


Greg

[beenthere]

Greg
Hope you will take some pictures of the process as you move through the stages..

[snowman]

Heres a surefire method,never fails, I guarante it! First cut a 3' log,store in cool damp place. Every 2 weeks or so  depending on humidty level, cut thinnest piece you can off both ends until you end up with desired thickness.Ya never know, it might work. I'mjust making this up as I go along, killing time, trying to delay snowblowing my driveway. Snowed a foot here last night.

[Jeff]

Here is somethig you can do for practice, and if you ever succeed, you can apply it to drying a cookie.   

Fry slices of baloney and keep them flat. The same dynamics are taking place. The only way you can fry it and keep it flat is to slice it to the center. 


like bck  mentions, cut the cookies on a bias. Thats why you see white pine souvenir plaques in Michigan tourist trap shops shaped that way.